Global K-pop sensation BTS has withdrawn from the upcoming Grammy Awards after the Recording Academy introduced a new Asian Pop category, despite being widely expected to compete for major honours such as Album of the Year following the commercial success of their comeback album, ARIRANG.

This handout photo taken on March 21, 2026 and provided by BIGHIT MUSIC and NETFLIX shows members of the K-pop boy group BTS, (from L to R) V, Jin, Jimin, Suga, Jungkook, J-Hope, performing during the BTS comeback concert at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul. AFP PHOTO / BIGHIT MUSIC and NETFLIX

Global K-pop sensation BTS said on Wednesday they will not submit their music for next year’s Grammy Awards, following the Recording Academy’s introduction of new categories that include the Best Asian Pop Music Performance.

The South Korean megastars had been widely tipped to be in the running for several of the Grammys’ top honours, including Album of the Year, after their comeback album, ARIRANG, became one of this year’s best-selling hits.

“We have decided not to enter the Grammys this year,” BTS members said in coordinated posts on their individual Instagram accounts.

“We hope that music is heard and loved for what it is, rather than being defined by region or language,” they said.

BTS is the first all-South Korean act to reign over Billboard’s US top singles chart, which they achieved with their 2020 track “Dynamite”, their first hit sung completely in English.

Despite performing at the Grammys and earning several nominations, including for Best Music Video, the group has never won.

ARIRANG, named after a South Korean folk song, includes extensive English lyrics and explores themes that include Korean identity following the band’s hiatus for mandatory military service.

However, it would not have qualified for the Grammys’ new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category, among five new categories announced last month, because it requires entries to make “meaningful use” of at least one Asian language.

The Recording Academy said the new award aims to honour “artistic excellence in Asian pop music performances originating from or widely recognized within Asian markets, including but not limited to K-pop, J-pop and C-pop”.

It drew mixed reactions online, with some critics saying it boxes Asian artists into a separate category instead of recognising them alongside global peers.