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 on “World Tour Arirang,” having just closed out the run’s European dates in Paris, where the concerts together pulled in roughly 720,000 fans. The group followed that with an appearance at the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Halftime Show on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, performing their 2020 single “Dynamite” during an eleven-minute set shared with Madonna, Shakira and Justin Bieber. No World Cup final had ever staged a halftime show before this one, in the tournament’s 96 years of existence. BTS took the field in custom red outfits designed for the tour, each bearing a member’s name alongside the number seven. The group picks the tour back up on the U.S. side starting Aug. 1, back at the same New Jersey stadium.
