Grammys CEO 'saddened' by BTS boycott, defends new Asian pop category

The Recording Academy expressed regret over BTS's decision not to submit music for next year's Grammy Awards and defended the newly created Asian pop category.

"I am saddened to hear that BTS has chosen not to participate in the Grammy Awards process this year, but as a music creator, I understand and respect their decision," Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said in a statement released Wednesday.

Mason also addressed criticism against the new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category.

"The Asian Pop category was created to celebrate the depth, diversity and extraordinary growth of pop artistry coming out of Asia," he further wrote. "The spirit of this new category is to shine a dedicated spotlight on these important artists."

The Recording Academy announced in June that it would introduce a new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category in the Grammy Awards for music from Asian countries including Korea, China and Japan. The decision drew criticism that K-pop groups could be restricted to the new category rather than competing on equal footing in the Grammys' general field awards.

Mason clarified that submitting music in genre-specific categories such as pop, jazz or country does not prevent artists from competing in the general field categories, including Album of the Year and Song of the Year.

"Those categories remain open to any eligible recording, regardless of genre," He added. "Recognition in a genre category and recognition in the General Field are not mutually exclusive. An artist can absolutely pursue both."

The CEO's remarks follow announcements made by BTS members a day earlier. All seven members wrote on their social media accounts that they would not submit music to the Grammys this year.

Many K-pop artists have come up empty at the Grammys, which have long been criticized for being reluctant to recognize K-pop artists.

BTS earned its first Grammy nomination for “Dynamite” (2020) in 2020, then for “Butter” (2021) the next year. In 2022, the group received further nominations for its Coldplay collaboration “My Universe” (2021), as a featured artist on Coldplay’s “Music of the Spheres” (2021) and its song “Yet To Come” (2022). However, the group never won.

Rosé's "APT" earned three major nominations — Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance — though the song also did not win.

"Golden" (2025), from the original soundtrack of the hit animation “KPop Demon Hunters” (2025), became the first Korean song to win Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 68th Grammy Awards in February.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [[email protected]]