The Recording Academy's chief executive, Harvey Mason Jr., has publicly responded to BTS after the South Korean group announced it will not submit its music for consideration at the 2027 Grammy Awards. In a statement, Mason said he respects the band's decision but regrets that BTS will not take part in next year's ceremony.
BTS revealed its decision days earlier, citing disagreement with a new Grammy category created specifically for Asian pop. The group argued that a category singling out artists by region risks reinforcing differences based on where performers come from, when its stated goal has always been to compete on equal terms with other international acts.
Mason says he was "saddened" by BTS's decision
In his statement, Mason said he felt saddened by BTS's choice not to take part in the entry process for the 2027 Grammys, though he added that he understood the group's position from the perspective of a music creator. He stressed that the Academy fully respects every artist's freedom to decide whether to submit their work for the awards, and said he wanted to clarify several points he believed had been misunderstood during the debate.
"We are not trying to divide"
Much of Mason's response centred on the new Asian pop category, recently announced by the Recording Academy. He said the award was created to celebrate what he described as the depth, diversity and extraordinary growth of pop music made in Asia, and was designed to give that work a dedicated space while increasing artists' opportunities for recognition within the Grammys.
Mason said the addition of new categories was meant to recognise a greater number of artists overall, and rejected the suggestion that they exist to separate musicians according to where they are from.
Artists can still compete for the top awards
Mason also addressed how the nominations system works, explaining that submitting a project in a genre category such as the new Asian pop award does not stop an artist from competing at the same time in the Grammys' general categories, among them Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
He said the two forms of recognition are compatible, and that any artist can be considered for both a specific category and the ceremony's biggest honours, as long as they meet the eligibility requirements.
Background on the dispute
BTS is one of the best-known acts in global pop, having built an international fan base since debuting in 2013 and topping charts worldwide with a string of albums and singles. The Grammy Awards, presented annually by the Recording Academy, are among the most prominent honours in the music industry, and categories such as Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Record of the Year are considered the ceremony's top overall prizes.
Debate still unresolved
BTS's announcement that it would sit out the 2027 Grammys set off intense debate among fans, musicians and industry professionals, with opinions divided over whether categories dedicated to a specific region help representation or, instead, create new barriers.
Mason's response does not appear to have settled the argument. The Academy continues to maintain that the new category expands recognition for Asian music, while BTS is standing by its decision not to be part of the Grammy 2027 process.
The exchange has reopened a recurring question within the music industry: how to increase representation for artists from around the world without classifying them solely by their origin or the language of their songs. For now, the positions held by BTS and the Recording Academy remain far from reaching any consensus.
