BTS and Stray Kids will both sit out the 2027 Grammys, with neither group submitting music for next year’s awards. JYP Entertainment confirmed over the weekend that Stray Kids did not enter any music for the 69th Grammy Awards, making them the second major K-pop act to pass on the ceremony this year.
JYP did not give a reason. The agency only confirmed that no entries were submitted, and Stray Kids have not called the move a boycott or tied it to any Grammy rule. The timing still puts them right alongside BTS, who made their position clear in July.
BTS announced in late July that they would not submit music from Arirang, the comeback album they released in March after the members completed their military service. Their statement was short and pointed: “Rather than music being divided by region or language, we hope music itself can be heard and loved for what it is.”
That line was aimed at a change the Recording Academy made in June. The Academy, the organization behind the Grammys, added a new award called Best Asian Pop Music Performance. To qualify, a song has to make meaningful use of at least one Asian language, which opens the category to K-pop, J-pop and C-pop acts. The Academy presented it as recognition. For artists who have spent years topping American charts and competing against everybody else, a separate lane can feel like being moved to the side table.
Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. responded shortly after BTS made their announcement. He said he was “saddened” by the decision but would “understand and respect” it. He said the category “was created to celebrate the depth, diversity and extraordinary growth of pop artistry coming out of Asia,” and stressed that entering a genre category does not stop an artist from competing in the big general categories like Record of the Year and Album of the Year. The Academy has also said the new award has support from members of the Asian music community.
For BTS, the decision comes with a cost. The group has picked up multiple Grammy nominations over the years but has never won. Sitting out means they cannot compete for anything at the 2027 Grammys, including the general categories Mason pointed to.
Stray Kids are giving up a shot too. The group has landed multiple number one albums on the Billboard 200 and has become one of the most commercially successful K-pop acts in America.
Neither group can change course now. Submissions for the 2027 Grammys have closed. First round voting opens October 12, nominations will be announced November 16, and the ceremony takes place February 7, 2027.
That leaves the brand new Asian pop category heading into its first year without two of the biggest names it was built to recognize.
