Stray Kids Joins BTS in Skipping 2027 Grammy Submissions Amid Asian Pop Category Backlash

Photos (left to right): Dispatch / CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · 뉴스인스타 / CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Stray Kids has opted not to submit any of its music for consideration at the 2027 Grammy Awards, following BTS in sitting out the ceremony amid a dispute over a newly created category for Asian pop music. The band's agency, JYP Entertainment, confirmed the decision on Friday, Oct. 2, shortly after the Recording Academy said it would move ahead with its Best Asian Pop Music Performance category at next year's show. [1][2]

Latest official video: BTS in Toronto 예고 · BANGTANTV

"Stray Kids did not submit for the Grammys"

JYP Entertainment's statement, reported by Billboard and the BBC, was brief: "Stray Kids did not submit for the Grammys." The move came less than a day after the Recording Academy reaffirmed it would proceed with the Asian pop category for the 69th Grammy Awards, scheduled for Feb. 7, 2027. First-round voting for that ceremony runs from Oct. 12 through Oct. 22, with nominations due to be announced Nov. 16. [3][2]

A category meant to spotlight Asian pop, accused of sidelining it

The Recording Academy introduced the Best Asian Pop Music Performance category in June as one of five new awards for 2027, intended to recognize pop originating from or widely recognized in Asian markets, including K-pop, J-pop and C-pop; eligible recordings must make meaningful use of at least one Asian language. Critics argued the setup risks separating Asian artists from the Grammys' main awards, such as Album of the Year, rather than including them. BTS became the first act to announce in July that it would not submit music, saying, "We hope music can be heard and loved for itself, beyond regions or languages." Stray Kids' withdrawal extends that stance into a second major K-pop act. [1][2]

A group seen as a front-runner for the award it declined

Stray Kids, an eight-member act, has repeatedly topped the Billboard 200 albums chart, a tally of nine chart-topping records that is the second-highest for any group after the Beatles. All eight members hold voting membership in the Recording Academy. Given that commercial standing in the US market, the band had been regarded as a leading contender for the very Asian pop category it chose to sit out. [3][4]

From talk of revision to "full steam ahead"

After BTS' July boycott and the wider backlash, the Recording Academy had signaled it was open to revising the category, but on Thursday it confirmed the award would go forward, saying support for it had outweighed opposition. The controversy has rippled beyond the two groups: Hongjoong of ATEEZ told Variety he sympathized with BTS' position, saying, "No one can recognize the real reason. But it seems like, for me, (and this is) very individual thinking: I think I agree (a little) with what BTS did." [3]

Watching the Nov. 16 nominations

With first-round voting underway through Oct. 22 and nominations due Nov. 16, attention will likely turn to which other acts follow BTS and Stray Kids in declining to submit, and whether the Academy's new category draws entrants at all from the artists it was designed to recognize — an outcome the current evidence does not yet confirm. [2]

Sources

  1. Stray Kids join BTS in boycotting 2027 Grammys following introduction of Asian Pop category (Activity source)
  2. Stray Kids join BTS in skipping Grammy submissions (Related report)
  3. Stray Kids follows BTS in Grammy boycott over Asian pop category (Related report)
  4. Stray Kids (Artist archive)

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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