South Korean music group Stray Kids has joined fellow K-pop powerhouse BTS in boycotting the 2027 Grammy Awards. The decision follows the Recording Academy’s controversial establishment of a brand-new Asian Pop category, a move that critics and major artists argue risks ghettoising foreign-language genres.
Record label JYP Entertainment confirmed the group’s decision not to enter their music for award consideration in a brief statement released on October 2, 2026, after months of deliberation across the music industry. "Stray Kids did not submit for the Grammys," JYP stated simply, declining to elaborate further on the group’s underlying motivations.
The Controversy Surrounding the New Asian Pop Category
The boycott stems from deep-seated industry concerns over the Recording Academy’s creation of the Best Asian Pop Music Performance category, announced in June. Organizers framed the new trophy as a way to recognize "artistic excellence in Asian pop music performances originating from or widely recognized within Asian markets."
However, the category received a decidedly mixed reception. Critics argued that specialized genre categories often act as walls, segregating foreign-language acts and making it easier for voters to bypass them for major general-field prizes like Album of the Year or Record of the Year. , strict eligibility guidelines stipulating that nominated songs make "meaningful use" of an Asian language drew heavy criticism for potentially excluding English-language releases from prominent Korean acts.
The debate mirrors historical criticisms faced by Latin music categories, where Spanish-language artists have frequently found themselves sidelined from mainstream categories.
Following in the Footsteps of BTS
Stray Kids become the second major K-pop act to officially sit out the upcoming 69th Grammy Awards. In July, BTS announced they would not submit songs for consideration in any category, stating their hope that music "can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language."
The move carries unusual institutional irony. Earlier in the year, all eight members of Stray Kids-Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N-were granted formal voting privileges at the awards, alongside all members of BTS and Twice. Despite holding the power to vote on winners across the broader ceremony, the group chose to keep their own catalog off the ballot before the August 21 submission deadline closed.
During an August press conference in Seoul promoting their tenth EP, This & That, members sidestepped direct questions regarding the awards. "We have never once set award results or records as our goal," singer Hwang Hyun-jin told reporters. "Our top priority is for our fans to be happy and satisfied."
Recording Academy Presses Forward
The boycott comes as a blow to the Recording Academy, given Stray Kids’ massive commercial footprint in the United States. The group recently secured its ninth US number-one album and headlined major festivals including New York’s Governors Ball and Rock in Rio.
Despite pushback from prominent acts, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. confirmed that the Asian pop category will go ahead at the 2027 ceremony. Mason stated that the Academy conducted extensive listening sessions and dialogues with Asian music community leaders, acknowledging that while some opposed the category, strong support from other creators ultimately drove the final decision.
Other acts have signaled support for the boycotting groups’ perspectives. Kim Hong-joong, leader of the boy band Ateez, noted in a recent interview that he respected BTS’s stance, emphasizing that music transcends geographical boundaries.
The official nominees for the 69th Grammy Awards will be revealed on November 16, ahead of the ceremony scheduled for February 7, 2027, which will proceed without submissions from K-pop’s biggest global heavyweights.
