SEOUL, August 15 (AJP) - The Recording Academy is reconsidering its newly created Asian pop Grammy category after criticism that separating music by geography and language could marginalize Asian artists, a backlash amplified by BTS's decision to sit out next year's awards.
But whether any changes will come before the Aug. 21 deadline for online entries to the 2027 Grammys remains uncertain.
Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. acknowledged Friday that the Best Asian Pop Music Performance category had failed to win over some of the musicians it was intended to recognize, after the organization held discussions with artists and industry representatives over the past two weeks.
"There are some artists in this space who feel that this category isn't representing the music they work so hard to create," Mason said in a statement provided to U.S. media, without specifying who they are.
He said the Academy would work to ensure that musicians it seeks to honor feel properly represented, signaling that the category could be revised before the 69th Grammy Awards in February. The Academy has not announced that it will abolish the category or specified what changes are under consideration.
The retreat comes two months after the Academy unveiled Best Asian Pop Music Performance as one of five new awards for the 2027 Grammys.
The Academy said at the time that the category was designed to recognize "artistic excellence" in pop music originating from or widely recognized in Asian markets, explicitly including K-pop, J-pop and C-pop. Eligible songs must make meaningful use of at least one Asian language.
The rules specify that musical style, rather than an artist's ethnicity or nationality, determines eligibility. Songs performed entirely in English cannot compete in the Asian pop category but remain eligible for other appropriate Grammy categories.
Mason initially defended the new award as recognition of Asian pop's growing global weight. In announcing it in June, he described Asian pop as one of the world's most significant and sustained musical forces and said the Academy believed its scale and impact warranted dedicated recognition.
But the attempt at inclusion quickly produced a different debate: whether grouping K-pop, Japanese pop, Chinese pop and other Asian music under a geographically defined award amounted to recognition or segregation within an American awards system.
The controversy escalated after BTS announced on July 29 that it would not submit its fifth studio album, ARIRANG, or other music for consideration at the 2027 Grammys.
All seven members posted the same message on their individual Instagram accounts.
"We hope our music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language," the group said.
BTS did not explicitly name the Asian pop category or say it was the reason for withdrawing. But the message came about six weeks after the category was announced and directly addressed the use of geography and language to classify music, intensifying scrutiny of the Academy's decision.
Mason responded at the time by saying the award had been created to celebrate the depth, diversity and rapid growth of pop music from Asia rather than to restrict Asian artists' access to other categories.
The latest statement marks a shift in tone. Mason said discussions with stakeholders over the previous two weeks had made clear that the Academy's intention to become more inclusive had not translated into a category that all affected artists believed represented their music appropriately.
U.S. music publications reported that Recording Academy executives have been consulting representatives from K-pop, J-pop, C-pop and Indian music as the organization considers changes to the category and potentially to the process used to introduce new awards.
The Academy's online entry period for the 2027 Grammys closes Aug. 21. First-round voting is scheduled for Oct. 12-22, with nominations to be announced Nov. 16. The awards will be held at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Feb. 7, 2027.
AJP Takeaways:
- The Recording Academy is reconsidering its new Asian pop Grammy category after Mason acknowledged that some artists believe it does not properly represent their music.
- BTS intensified the debate by declining to submit for the 2027 Grammys, although the group did not explicitly name the new category as the reason for its decision.
- No change has yet been formally announced. The Academy faces an Aug. 21 entry deadline ahead of the Feb. 7, 2027, Grammy Awards.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.
