Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. is weighing in after BTS announced Wednesday that they will not submit music for consideration in the 2027 Grammy Awards.
The decision of the group's seven members — RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook — to withdraw from Grammy consideration comes one month after the Recording Academy announced five new categories for next year's awards, including best Asian pop music performance.
As previously reported, each BTS member shared a statement on their Instagram accounts Wednesday morning that read, "We have decided not to submit for Grammys this year. Rather than music being divided by region or language, we hope music itself can be heard and loved for what it is. We are always grateful to ARMY and everyone who is always with us.”
In a statement shared with ABC News, Mason said he is "saddened to hear that BTS has chosen not to participate in the Grammy Awards process this year."
He added said that he respects the group's decision and also wanted to address why the Asian Pop category was created.
"I do want to clarify something that seems to be getting lost in the conversation," he began. "The Asian Pop category was created to celebrate the depth, diversity and extraordinary growth of pop artistry coming out of Asia. The spirit of this new category is to shine a dedicated spotlight on these important artists."
Mason continued, "More categories mean more artists' work is recognized. It’s never to divide, but to expand who is recognized by our 15,000 Grammy voters."
"I also want to be very clear: submitting music in a genre category such as Asian Pop, or Jazz or Country does not exclude an artist from also submitting and being considered in the General Field categories, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year," he added.
"Those categories remain open to any eligible recording, regardless of genre. Recognition in a genre category and recognition in the General Field are not mutually exclusive. An artist can absolutely pursue both."
BTS were the only K-pop group to have earned a Grammy nomination until 2026, when several K-pop artists scored big nods in top categories.
The 2027 Grammy Awards will air live on ABC, Disney+ and Hulu on Feb. 7.
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