BTS have always wanted to win a Grammy. Since the South Korean idol group ascended to global superstardom, they've mentioned they Grammys as a career goal many, many times. In the past, BTS have been nominated for a handful of Grammys, and they've performed on the awards show telecast twice, but they have never won a Grammy. Now, after returning with their album Arirang earlier this year, BTS have announced that they're boycotting next year's Grammys.
This morning, all seven individual BTS members posted the same message in Korean on their Instagram stories. Translated into English, that statement reads, "We have decided not to submit to the Grammys this year. 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."
Thank you BTS for not stooping down Grammys level. We're proud of you for standing up for your values&worth. Oh how the tables hav turned when you announced your decision! For many years, Grammys tried to devalue you&failed. But w/1 statement, they start to free fall ??? pic.twitter.com/duTNoZ2eJU
— Porsche_Georgia⁷ (@porsche_georgia) July 29, 2026
The issue here seems to be the brand new Best Asian Pop Music Performance award, one of five new categories that the Grammys introduced last month. Perhaps it's condescending to lump the entire world of Asian pop music together into one category, or maybe BTS don't want to win an award that seems created specifically so that they'll finally get the statuettes that they've long coveted. The rules for the new category stipulate that songs must make "meaningful use" of any English language, so BTS' recent English-language single "Swim," which debuted at #1 on the Hot 100, presumably would not qualify.
In their decision to boycott the Grammys, BTS join a list of disgruntled superstars that, at various points over the past few years, has included Drake, Morgan Wallen, and the Weeknd.
