Asian Pop Category to Debut in 2027 Despite Controversy

The president of the Recording Academy said Thursday that the Grammys’ new Best Asian Pop Music Performance will still be awarded at the 2027 show despite the controversy surrounding the category.

Soon after the Recording Academy announced the category — which recognizes “artistic excellence in Asian pop music performances originating from or widely recognized within Asian markets” — BTS announced they would not submit their comeback album Arirang for the 2027 Grammys, adding that they “hope that music can be heard and loved by itself rather than being divided by region or language.”

Following BTS’ announcement, the Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. defended the new category, but added he would discuss the situation with Grammy stakeholders and the Asian music community. The result of those conversations, Mason Jr. revealed in a statement Thursday: The Best Asian Pop Music Performance category will debut in 2027.

“Over the past several weeks the Academy has been conducting listening sessions and have been in dialogue with leaders of the Asian music community,” Mason’s statement said.

“We heard candid feedback from people in our community who don’t support the continuation of this category. We also heard from people who didn’t have accurate information about the category, and having space to clear up misperceptions has been especially valuable. But by far, the loudest feedback we heard was from people who were enthusiastic supporters of the category, fellow music creators expressing their encouragement for keeping it.”

Mason Jr. continued, “We understand this conclusion will not satisfy everyone, and that never feels good. But at the same time, we are confident it’s the right conclusion for the music community overall. As is the case with all our categories, we will continue to diligently engage with the music community and keep striving to honor this music — and all music — in the best possible way. We look forward to celebrating the Asian Pop Music Performance nominees at the 2027 Grammy Awards.”

Even if the Recording Academy backtracked from the category, it was too late to secure BTS’ participation: Online entry for the 2027 Grammy Awards closed on Aug. 21. First round voting will begin on Oct. 12 with the official announcement of nominees on Nov. 16. The 2027 Grammy Awards will be hosted on Feb. 7, 2026.