Recording Academy Considers Revamping New Asian Pop Category After BTS Pulls From Grammy Voting

The Recording Academy may revamp its brand new best asian pop music performance category after the award’s presumptive front-runners BTS announced last month that they wouldn’t submit for the Grammys this year.

“The Grammy organization exists to serve all music people, and part of that is working to ensure that no voice or community gets overlooked or misunderstood,” Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said in a statement Friday. “It’s clear from our numerous conversations with many stakeholders over the past two weeks that, regardless of our intent and desire to be even more inclusive, there are some artists in this space who feel that this category isn’t representing the music they work so hard to create, in the way they wish. As a musician myself, I take that to heart.”

Billboard first reported Friday that Mason Jr. and other Grammy leaders had been meeting with community members from across various Asian music genres including K-Pop, J-Pop, C-Pop and India over the past two weeks, seeking insight on how to improve the new category. It’s a notable move given that the deadline for Grammy submissions is just a week away, and first round voting is slated to start on Oct. 12.

“Over the past six years, the Academy has shown that it can act decisively and move swiftly to meet the needs of our music community,” Mason Jr. said. “The management and Board are committed to working together to keep pace with that progress and ensure the musicians we intend to honor feel truly seen and heard by our actions.”

BTS first announced the group would sit out this year’s awards last month, sharing statements across the band members’ individual social media accounts that reads, “I hope that music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language. Thank you to ARMY and everyone who is always with us.”

BTS’s decision reflected the mixed reactions the best asian pop music performance category drew when the Grammys announced the new award back in June, with critics questioning the rules around language requirements while also casting worry that the category would make it easier not to consider Asian acts in the general categories.

At the time, Mason Jr. said he was “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.” He also said in his statement that “recognition in a genre category and recognition in the General Field are not mutually exclusive.”