BTS boycotts Grammys over new Asian pop category as fans and celebrities rally behind the band
BTS boycotts next year's Grammys over the Recording Academy's new Asian pop category, sparking solidarity from fans and celebrities worldwide.
BTS has announced it will not submit music for next year's Grammy Awards, citing concerns over the Recording Academy's newly created Asian pop category. The group said on social media on 29 July that it hopes music could be "heard and loved for what it is, rather than categorized by region or language," framing the decision as a stand against what critics view as the segregation of non-Western artists.
The boycott triggered a wave of support from fans and fellow artists. ARMY, BTS's fanbase, launched streaming campaigns using hashtags including "#WeStandWithBTS" and "#Proud_of_BTS" across social media platform X. According to music industry sources, the campaign's impact was measurable: "Aliens," a track from BTS's fifth studio album "Arirang," reached number one on the iTunes Top Songs chart in 78 countries and regions on 1 August. The song, which uses outsiders as a metaphor for the group's experience as Koreans navigating the global stage, aligns thematically with the band's statement on artistic recognition.
Support extended beyond the fanbase. Epik High's frontman Tablo voiced backing for the decision, whilst Maggie Kang, the Korean Canadian director of Netflix's animated film "KPop Demon Hunters," shared the boycott announcement on social media. American producer Mike Will Made It, who worked on "Aliens" and another track from the album, posted in solidarity.
This is not ARMY's first coordinated streaming push on the group's behalf. In December 2025, the fanbase propelled "Anpanman," a 2018 BTS track, to the top of Billboard's World Digital Song Sales chart ahead of the band's long-anticipated return with all seven members.
The Recording Academy responded to the boycott on 29 July. Chief Executive Harvey Mason Jr. stated in a release that the new Asian pop category was designed to increase recognition for artists from the region, not to marginalise them. The statement marked the beginning of a public exchange over how the music industry categorises work from non-English-speaking markets.
