Stray Kids will not submit music for the 69th Grammy Awards, their agency JYP Entertainment confirmed on October 2, 2026. The decision follows BTS, which announced in July that it would not participate in the 2027 ceremony.
The move comes after the Recording Academy confirmed it would proceed with the new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category. Critics say the category risks segregating Asian artists from the Grammys’ main awards.
JYP Entertainment gave a brief statement to multiple outlets. ‘Stray Kids did not submit for the Grammys,’ the agency said.
BTS Led the Boycott in July
BTS announced its decision on July 29, 2026, through a statement posted on all seven members’ Instagram accounts. The group had released the album ‘Arirang’ in March, which topped both the Billboard 200 and the Hot 100.
‘We have decided not to submit for Grammy consideration this year,’ BTS said in the statement. ‘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.’
BTS has received five Grammy nominations but has never won. The group was eligible to compete for the new Asian pop category but chose to sit out the entire process.
Stray Kids Had Been a Strong Contender
Stray Kids let the August 21 submission deadline pass without entering any music. The group had been widely considered a leading contender for the new Asian pop award.
Stray Kids has topped the Billboard 200 nine times, the second-highest total for any group after The Beatles. All eight members—Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin and I.N—hold voting membership in the Recording Academy.
At a press conference in Seoul on August 6 for their EP ‘This & That,’ members addressed questions about the Grammys indirectly. Hyunjin said, ‘We have never once set award results or records as our goal. Our top priority is for our fans to be happy and satisfied.’
Grammys Defend the Category
The Recording Academy announced the Best Asian Pop Music Performance category in June 2026. It is one of five new categories for the 2027 ceremony, alongside Best Latin Song, Best R&B Collaboration or Duo/Group Performance, Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance and Best Traditional Folk Album.
The category recognizes contemporary Asian popular music, including K-pop, J-pop and C-pop. Nominated songs must make meaningful use of at least one Asian language, a rule that excluded recent releases by BTS and Blackpink that are primarily sung in English.
Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. responded to BTS’s boycott in July. ‘I am saddened to hear that BTS has chosen not to participate in the Grammy Awards process this year, but as a music creator, I understand and respect their decision,’ he said.
Mason also clarified that submitting in genre categories does not bar artists from competing in the general categories. ‘Recognition in a genre category and recognition in the General Field are not mutually exclusive. An artist can absolutely pursue both,’ he said.
On October 1, the Academy confirmed it would move forward with the category despite the backlash. Mason said the Academy heard both opposition and support during listening sessions with the Asian music community. ‘We understand this conclusion will not satisfy everyone, and that never feels good,’ he said. ‘But at the same time, we are confident it’s the right conclusion for the music community overall.’
Reactions and What Comes Next
Fans and celebrities voiced support for BTS after its July announcement. Hongjoong, leader of the group ATEEZ, told Variety, ‘Personally, I (somewhat) sympathize with BTS’s move. I also want to think about that issue myself.’
The Academy reported a robust number of submissions for the Asian pop category’s first year. With BTS and Stray Kids now out of the race, attention has turned to whether other K-pop artists will follow their lead.
The 69th Grammy Awards are scheduled for February 2027. Neither BTS nor Stray Kids will appear on the nomination ballots.
