The Recording Academy is reconsidering its new Best Asian Pop Music category after boy band BTS withdrew from the 2027 Grammy Awards in protest at the award.
Harvey Mason Jr, chief executive of the organisation behind the Grammys, says the academy has spent the past two weeks holding discussions with artists and other industry figures who believe the category does not adequately represent their work.
The review marks a shift from the academy’s initial response to the boycott, when Mason defended the category as an attempt to broaden the recognition enjoyed by Asian artists.
“The Grammy organisation exists to serve all music people, and part of that is working to ensure that no voice or community gets overlooked or misunderstood,” Mason told Billboard.
“It’s clear that, regardless of our intent and desire to be even more inclusive, there are some artists in this space who feel that this category isn’t representing the music they work so hard to create, in the way they wish.
“As a musician myself, I take that to heart.”
The comments follow BTS’s announcement on July 29 that they would not submit their music for consideration at next year’s Grammys.
The seven members, RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook, posted identical statements criticising the way the new category separates music according to geography and language.
“We have decided not to enter the Grammys this year,” the group said. “We hope music itself can be heard and loved rather than being distinguished by region or language.”
The Recording Academy introduced Best Asian Pop Music as one of five new categories for the 2027 ceremony. It is intended to recognise contemporary pop music originating from or widely recognised in Asian markets, while eligible recordings must make meaningful use of one or more Asian languages.
That requirement became one of the central points of criticism after BTS’s withdrawal – the group’s latest album, Arirang, is predominantly in English. The wider debate has centred on whether creating an Asia-specific category expands recognition or risks separating artists who are already competing in a global pop market.
Mason previously said he respected BTS’s decision, but maintained that the category had been created to “celebrate the depth, diversity and extraordinary growth of pop artistry coming out of Asia”.
He also stressed that artists entered in genre categories remain eligible for the Grammys’ major General Field awards, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year.
His latest comments suggest the academy is now prepared to revisit how the award is defined.
Mason said the organisation had demonstrated that it could “act decisively” when changes were needed, and that its priority was ensuring musicians “feel truly seen and heard” by its decisions.
BTS’s withdrawal was particularly significant given the group’s long history with the Grammys. They have received five nominations but have never won an award, despite becoming one of the world’s biggest pop acts. All seven members have also served as Recording Academy voting members since 2019.
The dispute has revived a broader debate around whether awards designed to improve representation can instead place artists into categories defined by ethnicity, geography or language.
That question has surfaced repeatedly at the Grammys, including criticism from Tyler, The Creator over black artists being pushed towards rap categories regardless of the music they make.
The academy has not yet announced whether the Best Asian Pop Music category will be changed before the 2027 ceremony, which is scheduled to take place in Los Angeles on February 7. Nominations are due to be announced on November 16.
