A new Grammy category for K-pop is coming in 2027, and it hasn’t made everyone happy. The Academy named it the “Grammy Award for Best Asian Pop Music Performance,” and it will debut at the 69th Annual Grammy Awards.
Who Qualifies?
Not every song by an Asian artist can qualify for the award. There has to be at least one Asian language used in the recording. So, if a song is completely in English, it won’t be eligible.
That caused plenty of controversy, and two huge K-pop groups, BTS and Stray Kids, decided to boycott the 2027 Grammys.
Resonate reported, “Stray Kids joins BTS in boycotting the new Best Asian Pop category at the Grammys.”
Some of the backlash centers on the idea of putting Asian performers into a separate category. Critics argue that they should be competing alongside other artists in the main General Field categories instead.
The Category Will Continue
According to Rolling Stone, “The president of the Recording Academy said Thursday that the Grammys’ new Best Asian Pop Music Performance will still be awarded at the 2027 show despite the controversy surrounding the category.”
Mason said the award was created to celebrate the global reach of Asian pop, and he also noted that artists can still qualify for General Field nominations with different recordings.
Influencer Weighs In
YouTuber K-Pop Spy talked about it in a recent video, noting that BTS previously “refused to submit any music for the 2027 Grammys.” She recalled that the band wanted their work judged “without being divided by region or language.”
BLACK PINK and Stray Kids also boycott – YouTube
The Recording Academy went out and talked with “people across K-pop, J-pop, C-pop, India, and the wider Asian music industry.” But they decided in the end to keep it.
K-Pop Spy explained that the Academy has “already received a robust number of submissions.” She defended artists who chose to submit anyway.
She didn’t think that “giving Asian pop its own Grammy” was necessarily a bad thing. For some artists who might otherwise be overlooked by Grammy voters, it could mean finally getting some recognition.
She also had a more practical take on it, saying, “girl, get that trophy.” After all, artists need to make money and keep their careers moving.
Industry Backlash
Meanwhile, more big names are joining the boycott. Allkpop reported, “BLACKPINK also ruled out Grammys’ new Asian Pop category.”
With BLACKPINK now joining BTS and Stray Kids, the backlash against the new category certainly isn’t going away.
Viewers React
Fans arrived in the comments section of K-Pop Spy’s video with mixed reactions. One person wrote, “The real test is whether the category feels genuinely inclusive & the criteria are applied. They’ll give the awards to their darlings anyways.”
Here are a few more responses from the discussion:
- “Honestly, I don’t get why K-pop fans are so hateful. Whatever the reason is for a K-pop artist to submit their work for a Grammy, it is not our business. Even when they pull out of the Grammys, it’s still not our business.”
- “SAYING IT HERE, that i’m not a fan of xg, or anything but i think that any girlgroup that deserves a grammy nomination in asian pop category is XG, and i knew it the very day BTS rejected the grammys.”
- “The Asian category is a lose vs lose situation. If this category continues then Asians will get grammy every year but it will box Asians out of the main categories and if no one submitted then there are rare chances grammys will give main awards to Asians.”
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