Grammy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. released a statement on Wednesday in response to K-pop band BTS’ decision to boycott the 2027 awards ceremony.
“I am saddened to hear that BTS has chosen not to participate in the Grammy Awards process this year, but as a music creator, I understand and respect their decision,” Harvey said in the statement.
He further wrote, “I do want to clarify something that seems to be getting lost in the conversation. 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. 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,” continued Grammy CEO.
Harvey added, “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.”
Concluding the statement, the Recording Academy CEO penned, “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 members left their fans in shock when they announced that they would not submit their music for consideration at the 69th Grammys.
“We have decided not to submit for Grammy consideration this year. We hope our music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language. We thank Army and everyone who has always stood by us,” all seven members of the boyband posted the same statement on their individual instagram accounts.
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