BTS And Stray Kids Boycott The 2027 Grammys After Asian Pop Category Is Introduced

Stray Kids have announced that they have not submitted any of their music for consideration at the 2027 Grammy Awards.

The move from K-pop giants – who recently topped the charts with their new album ‘This and That’ – was announced in a new statement from their record label JYP. In it, the label simply shared: “Stray Kids did not submit for the Grammys”.

Although they did not explicitly state why the band chose not to submit their music for any of the categories, it seems likely that the decision could be in response to the newly introduced ‘Asian Pop Music Performance’ category that is coming into effect at the 2027 awards.

That award is set to recognise “artistic excellence” in Asian pop music originating from Asian markets, and entries must have meaningful use of one or more Asian language. Since it was announced, however, it has been divisive – and fellow K-pop superstars BTS were the first act to say that they would not be submitting any of their music in retaliation.

“We have decided not to submit our work to this year’s Grammy Awards.” they stated, echoing concerns from some critics suggesting that the new category could ghettoise certain genres and make it easier for Grammy voters to recognise Asian artists without seriously considering them for awards like Album of the Year.

“We hope music can be heard and loved for itself, beyond regions or languages,” BTS continued. “We are grateful to our ‘ARMY’ and everyone who has always supported us.”

Despite some backlash to the new category, Grammys boss Harvey Mason Jr went on to acknowledge the concerns, but shared that they would still be going ahead with the category as planned at next year’s ceremony.

“We heard candid feedback from people in our community who don’t support the continuation of this category,” he said. “We also heard from people who didn’t have accurate information about the category, and having space to clear up misperceptions has been especially valuable.”

“But by far, the loudest feedback we heard was from people who were enthusiastic supporters of the category, fellow music creators expressing their encouragement for keeping it,” he added, saying that he is aware that the move “will not satisfy everyone”.

NME previously argued against the creation of a K-pop category. We wrote: “Pop music is pop music, regardless of geographical location, the racial or ethnic identity of those making it, the language it’s sung in, or any other factor you might choose to segregate people by.”

Next year’s event will be held on February 7. Submissions opened on July 7 and closed on August 28.

Stray Kids dropped ‘This & That’ back in August, and have also recently became the first ever K-pop band to headline Rock In Rio. Other big sets have included a headline slot at Governors Ball in New York City earlier this year, and they also released their concert film Stray Kids: The dominATE Experience in cinemas back in February.