BTS will not submit its music for consideration at the 69th Grammy Awards, scheduled for Feb. 7, 2027, the group announced on Wednesday.
All seven members – RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook – posted the same statement on their individual instagram accounts.
“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.”
The announcement lands just over a month after the Recording Academy unveiled a new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category. “This category recognizes artistic excellence in Asian pop music performances originating from or widely recognized within Asian markets, including but not limited to K-pop, J-pop and C-pop, with meaningful use of one or more Asian languages. Awards are presented to the performing artist(s),” the Academy’s description of the category reads.
Variety has reached out to the Recording Academy for comment.
BTS has been nominated for Grammys before, including in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Music Video categories, but has never won. All seven members have been voting members of the Recording Academy since 2019.
Expectations for a first BTS win had been running high heading into next year’s ceremony. The group released its fifth studio album, “Arirang,” in March following the completion of the members’ mandatory military service, and the record topped Billboard’s main singles and albums charts, generating significant global response.
BTS is currently in the middle of the “World Tour Arirang,” which just wrapped its European leg – the group’s Paris stop drew around 720,000 total attendees across the run. Days after finishing in Paris, BTS performed at the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Halftime Show on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, delivering their 2020 hit “Dynamite” as part of an 11-minute set that shared the stage with Madonna, Shakira and Justin Bieber. It marked the first time a World Cup final has featured a halftime show in the tournament’s 96-year history, and the group performed in coordinated red, white and black outfits for the occasion. BTS is set to resume the tour’s U.S. leg starting Aug. 1 in East Rutherford, the same stadium where the halftime show took place.
