K-pop's Big Four Blanket-Boycott New Grammy Category
By @sharedot · · 6 pages
- K-pop
- Grammys
- Bts
- Blackpink
- Twice
BTS's Grammy boycott has spread, with no HYBE, YG, JYP or SM artist submitting for the new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category.
An industry-wide stand emerges
BTS's decision not to submit music for the Grammys' newly created Best Asian Pop Music Performance category has grown into what outlets describe as an industrywide stand.
According to Grammy analysis site The Grammy Guru, no artists represented by HYBE, YG Entertainment, JYP Entertainment or SM Entertainment submitted songs for the category at the 69th Grammy Awards, as The Korea Times relayed on October 16.
Because BigHit Music sits under HYBE, artists on sister labels BELIFT LAB, ADOR and Source Music were also absent from the submission list, KbizoOm reports.
Why the new category sparked a revolt
The Recording Academy introduced the category to encompass Asian pop genres including K-pop, J-pop and C-pop, but the move has reignited a long-running debate.
Critics question whether grouping Asian artists into a region-specific lane effectively separates them from broader Grammy competition rather than expanding recognition, given that these acts already compete in the global mainstream.
BTS explained its own decision by saying, "We hope music can be heard and loved for the music itself, rather than being divided by region or language," The Korea Times reports.
K-pop's biggest names are nowhere on the list
The collective absence is striking in scale. Some of K-pop's most globally prominent acts — BLACKPINK, TWICE, Stray Kids and Hearts2Hearts — are missing from the submissions, according to KbizoOm.
It is particularly pointed given the Grammys' complicated history with the genre: despite K-pop's enormous commercial reach, the awards have faced repeated criticism over limited recognition of Korean acts in major categories, and BTS, among the most successful Korean acts worldwide, has earned multiple nominations but never won.
What's at stake for the inaugural award
The boycott leaves the first-ever Best Asian Pop Music Performance trophy in unusual limbo. KbizoOm notes that attention is now turning to which artist will become the category's inaugural winner with many of K-pop's biggest names reportedly absent.
The Korea Times frames the showdown as a test of whether a dedicated category gives Asian pop greater visibility or builds a separate lane. The 69th Grammy Awards take place February 7, 2027, at crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.