KB News Desk
The boy group’s decision not to seek Grammy consideration renews scrutiny of the Recording Academy’s new Asian pop category
BTS’ announcement Wednesday that the group would not submit its music for consideration for next year’s Grammy Awards has reignited debate over whether music should be judged beyond region and language — or whether race- and region-based award categories promote diversity or undermine the principle of evaluating music on its artistic merits.
In identical posts shared on their individual social media accounts, all seven members of BTS said they would forgo Grammy consideration in the hope that “music can be heard and embraced for what it is, beyond region or language.”
Stephanie Choi, an assistant professor of ethnomusicology at the University of Colorado Boulder, argued that categorizing artists by race rather than musical characteristics undermines the principle of equal evaluation.
“Considering how the category ‘Asian’ is attached not to musical elements but to the racial identification of artists, and how race neither represents nor can rightfully represent cultural characteristics, there is no justification for the Grammys to employ such categorization (‘best Asian pop music performance’) in the name of fairness,” Choi said.
“Rather, it risks institutionalizing the assumption that Asian artists require separate recognition instead of equal evaluation.”
Criticism of the Grammys’ voting and award structure is long-standing. In 1989, members of the hip-hop community boycotted the ceremony after the newly created best rap performance category was excluded from the live telecast. Jay-Z skipped the 1999 awards in support of DMX, while The Weeknd announced in 2021 that he would no longer submit his music after receiving no nominations for “Blinding Lights” and “After Hours” despite their critical and commercial success.
BTS’ decision also drew strong reactions from fans, some of whom viewed it as a principled stand against what they see as the Grammys’ tendency to categorize Asian artists separately from the mainstream.
Ashleigh Wojciechowski, an Army from the US, described the new best asian pop music performance category as “inherently racist and outdated.”
“I believe BTS likely felt the same way — that they were continually being put into little boxes and categories because the Grammys didn’t want to give them the attention they deserve,” she said.
The Recording Academy, however, defended the new category, saying it was intended to broaden recognition rather than segregate Asian artists.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said he respected the group’s decision but stressed that the new category was created “to celebrate the depth, diversity and extraordinary growth of pop artistry coming out of Asia.”
He also emphasized that artists who submit in the category remain fully eligible for the Grammys’ General Field awards — including record of the year, album of the year and song of the year — adding that “recognition in a genre category and recognition in the General Field are not mutually exclusive.”
Others argue the issue is more nuanced.
Music critic Lim Hee-yun said it is difficult to conclude that the Recording Academy intentionally sought to marginalize Asian artists, arguing that the Grammys should first be understood as an American awards show rather than a global institution.
“Although BTS’ album ‘Arirang’ and its lead single ‘Swim’ achieved short-term success, it’s difficult to say they have generated sustained mainstream popularity in either the US or globally,” Lim said when considering a potential BTS Grammy win.
Recalling director Bong Joon-ho’s remark that “the Oscars are not an international film festival. They’re very local,” Lim said people should not mistake the Grammys for events such as the Olympics or the World Cup.
Lim argued that, viewed in that context, the addition of an Asian category is a business decision rather than a value judgment.
“If you object to an Asian category, then you could just as easily ask why there’s a separate Latin pop category,” he said. “By that logic, you could also ask why there’s no Arab pop category or Azerbaijani pop category. There’s no end to those questions.”
The critic agreed music awards should ideally be divided by musical genres such as hip-hop, R&B and rap rather than by region. However, he added that the Recording Academy’s regional categories reflect the realities of the US music market rather than an attempt to classify the world’s music.
