BTS will not be entering this year’s Grammy race.
All seven members, RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook, shared the news through matching Instagram stories on Wednesday, telling fans they’d rather see their music judged on its own terms than sorted by region or language of origin. The message closed with thanks to ARMY and the group’s global fanbase.
“We’ve decided not to submit our work for this year’s Grammy Awards. We hope music will be recognized and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language. Thank you, as always, to ARMY and everyone who supports us.”
The move lands roughly a month after the Recording Academy rolled out its five new award categories for the 69th ceremony, among them a dedicated Best Asian Pop Music Performance category. It’s a change that’s split opinion within the industry, with some seeing it as overdue recognition and others viewing it as a way of routing Asian artists around the marquee categories rather than into them.
Despite that commercial dominance, BTS has never actually taken home a Grammy. They picked up three straight nominations for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance between 2021 and 2023 without a win. The one real crossover moment for K-pop at the Grammys came last cycle, when “Golden,” from the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack, won Best Song Written for Visual Media, the genre’s first-ever win.
Entries for the upcoming ceremony are open now through late August, but BTS won’t be among the acts submitting.
