Stray Kids join BTS boycott of 2027 Grammys over 'Asian Pop' category

Stray Kids will not submit music for the 2027 Grammys, joining BTS in protesting the new Best Asian Pop Music Performance award. Members of boy band Stray Kids pose during a press conference for their new EP "This & That" at the Conrad Seoul in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul, on Aug. 6. NEWS1 Stray Kids will not submit their music for next year's Grammy Awards, following BTS, after the Grammys decided to go ahead with its controversial new Asian Pop category. JYP Entertainment, the group's agency, said Stray Kids did not submit their music for the 69th Grammy Awards, to take place next year, according to Billboard and the BBC on Friday. The decision came less than a day after the Recording Academy, which organizes the Grammys, announced that it would present the Best Asian Pop Music Performance award as planned. Stray Kids had been widely seen as a strong contender for the category. The group has topped the Billboard 200, the main U.S. album chart, nine times, and all eight members hold Grammy voting rights. The BBC said the group's boycott would be a major blow to the Grammys. BTS earlier announced a boycott of the Grammys in protest of the new category. On July 29, a month after the Recording Academy created the category, the seven members posted a joint message on their individual Instagram accounts. "We hope music can be heard and loved for itself, beyond regions or languages," BTS said. The Grammys announced the new category in June. It recognizes songs with "meaningful use of one or more Asian languages." Critics argued that because K-pop has already entered the global mainstream, creating a separate category could end up separating Asian music from the Grammys' main awards, such as Record of the Year and Album of the Year. The Grammys later suggested it could revise the category. But on Thursday, it said more people supported the category than opposed it, and confirmed it would present the award at next year's ceremony as planned. With BTS and Stray Kids both stepping away, attention is turning to whether other K-pop acts will follow. Hongjoong, leader of the boy band Ateez, said in a recent interview with Variety that he partly agreed with what BTS did, adding that he had read many articles on the boycott and would consider joining it as well. BY PARK JONG-SUH [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr] This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. All materials contained on this site are protected by Korean copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior consent of the JoongAng Ilbo | Tel: 1577-0510 JoongAng Ilbo Co., Ltd. | Address: 48-6 Sangamsan-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea Business registration number: 110-81-00999 | CEO & Publisher: Park Chang-hee | Executive Editor: Choi Ji-young Mail order business report number: 2020-Seoul Mapo-3838 | Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아55177 Date of Registration: 2023. 11. 21 | Juvenile Protection Manager: Park Hyunyoung