Grammy Guru Report: HYBE, YG, JYP and SM Acts Skip Best Asian Pop Music Performance Submissions

A Grammy analysis site, The Grammy Guru, reported on Thursday that no artists from HYBE, YG Entertainment, JYP Entertainment or SM Entertainment submitted songs for the Best Asian Pop Music Performance category at the 69th Grammy Awards. These are the four largest entertainment companies in Korea. The report suggests the boycott begun by BTS has widened into a stand taken across the industry. [1]

Latest official video: BTS WORLD TOUR ‘ARIRANG’ IN BUENOS AIRES & SÃO PAULO: LIVE VIEWING - Special Trailer · BANGTANTV

Who is missing from the list

The Recording Academy created the category to cover Asian pop genres, including K-pop, J-pop and C-pop. Beyond BTS's own label, BigHit Music, artists from the HYBE labels Belift Lab, ADOR and Source Music also did not submit songs. Acts reported absent from the submission list include BLACKPINK, TWICE, Stray Kids and Hearts2Hearts. The ceremony is scheduled for Feb. 7, 2027, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. [1]

A debate over recognition versus separation

The category has prompted an argument over whether grouping Asian artists by region widens their recognition or sets them apart from the main Grammy competition. BTS has multiple Grammy nominations but no wins. The group explained its own position by saying it hopes music can be heard and loved for itself rather than divided by region or language. Stray Kids had already confirmed that it skipped the submissions, and JYP Entertainment gave no reason. [1][2]

How the dispute reached this point

BTS announced in July that it would not submit music for Grammy consideration. Submissions opened on July 7 and closed on August 28. The Recording Academy's chief, Harvey Mason Jr., said the organization heard candid feedback from critics but also strong encouragement from music creators. He acknowledged that keeping the category will not satisfy everyone. To qualify, a recording must make meaningful use of at least one Asian language. That rule is also why BLACKPINK is effectively excluded, since its eligible releases from the February EP "Deadline" are performed entirely in English. [3][4][5]

What comes next

First-round Grammy voting runs from Oct. 12 through Oct. 22, and nominations are due Nov. 16. As an inference from the submission report, the inaugural field will be drawn without several of K-pop's most globally prominent acts. Several of those same acts are contending elsewhere. BTS, Blackpink and Stray Kids appear among the nominees at the MAMA Awards, which take place Nov. 20-21 at Kyocera Dome Osaka in Japan. [4][5]

Sources

  1. BTS' Grammy boycott spreads to K-pop's biggest agencies (Activity source)
  2. Stray Kids Joins BTS in Skipping 2027 Grammy Submissions Amid Asian Pop Category Backlash (Earlier on Omni Topic KWave)
  3. Stray Kids join BTS in boycotting 2027 Grammys following introduction of Asian Pop category (Related report)
  4. Stray Kids join BTS in skipping Grammy submissions (Related report)
  5. BTS, Blackpink, Stray Kids face off for top MAMA honors (Related report)

This selection covers artists followed by Omni Topic KWave. It is not a complete chart. Each source retains its own reporting period and methodology.

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