K-pop supergroup BTS has announced that they will not submit music from their comeback album, Billboard, for consideration at the 2027 Grammy Awards. All seven members of the group—RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—simultaneously shared an identical statement on their individual Instagram accounts.
BTS Declines Grammy Consideration for ARIRANG
The joint message read: We have decided not to submit to the Grammys this year. I hope that music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language. […] Thank you to ARMY and everyone who is always with us.
The decision arrives just weeks after the Recording Academy introduced five new Grammy categories, including a newly created Best Asian Pop Music Performance category for the upcoming 69th Annual Grammy Awards scheduled to take place on February 7, 2027.
Grammy Category Guidelines and Industry Reactions
The group members’ choice to specify both region and language in their statement is seen as an implicit reaction to the guidelines governing the Recording Academy’s new Asian pop category. The category’s rules state that songs must feature meaningful use of any Asian language, and that recordings performed entirely in English are not eligible for the category.
According to usmagazine.com, the category recognizes artistic excellence in Asian pop music performances originating from or widely recognized within Asian markets, including K-pop, J-pop, and C-pop. However, critics and fans have argued that language-based eligibility requirements could unintentionally segregate Asian artists rather than promote broader inclusion in the Grammys’ general categories.
For BTS, the guidelines presented structural conflicts for their music. While tracks meeting the language criteria might be funneled into the new genre-specific category, the group’s English-language hit single, “Swim,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, would have been excluded from the Asian pop category entirely. Furthermore, rules dictate that if a recording is entered for best Asian pop music performance, it cannot be entered for other performance fields like best pop duo/group performance.
Commercial Success of ARIRANG Amid Comeback
The decision to withhold the album comes during a banner comeback year for BTS. After taking a break from releasing music together while members completed their mandatory military service, the group released their fifth studio album, ARIRANG, in March 2026. The project marked their first studio album in six years.
Upon its release, the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 641,000 units sold in the United States in its first week alone, marking the biggest opening week for a group album in over a decade. The album also topped Apple Music’s charts in more than 115 countries.
Previously, BTS received five Grammy nominations, including three consecutive nods in the best pop duo/group performance category for “Dynamite” in 2021, “Butter” in 2022, and “My Universe” with Coldplay in 2023. They also earned album of the year recognition as a featured artist on Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres and a best music video nomination for “Yet to Come” in 2023. The group has also performed on the Grammy telecast twice, offering a remote performance from a Seoul skyscraper in 2021 and a live rendition of “Butter” in Las Vegas in 2022.
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