In addition to BTS, two other major players in the K-pop industry have lost the opportunity to participate in the 69th Grammy Awards ceremony: the group Stray Kids announced a boycott, and Blackpink did not meet the criteria for submission.
Following the popular South Korean male group BTS announcing its withdrawal from the global music awards in July, the group Stray Kids also followed suit. Stray Kids' agency, JYP Entertainment, reported that it had not submitted its music for the next Grammy release, which will take place in 2027.
Although the exact reason for Stray Kids' decision remains unclear, it was made approximately 24 hours after the Grammys decided to hold an award for best Asian pop music according to the plan, despite the Recording Academy having previously hinted at changes to this category following widespread criticism.
The conflict began with the Grammys announcing a new category for Asian pop music, which includes compositions from China, Japan, and South Korea. This move drew massive criticism from both artists and fans worldwide. Supporters argued that creating a separate category for music from a specific part of the world limits its reach and may hinder recognition in other nominations.
Members of BTS publicly stated their decision on social media, expressing hope that music would be perceived and loved as such, rather than being classified by region or language.
Other performers have previously criticized the awards for pigeonholing the music of Black or Latin American artists into specific categories, thereby allowing the Grammys to recognize predominantly white artists in most awards.
Blackpink, one of the world's most famous K-pop groups, could naturally dominate the Asian pop music category if not for two eligibility criteria that exclude them. The category clearly stipulates that the submitted music must contain at least one Asian language for a significant portion of the song. With the exception of the track 'Jump', all songs from Blackpink's latest album 'Deadline' are performed in English, making them ineligible. The track 'Jump' was released as a prelude to the album in July, preceding the eligibility period for song releases for the 69th Grammy ceremony—from August 31, 2025, to August 28, 2026.
The impact of this on the Asian pop music category at the Grammys is as follows: while excluding major acts like BTS, Blackpink, and Stray Kids might give smaller groups a chance at international recognition, it calls into question the legitimacy of this category, which is already considered controversial and discriminatory.