All seven members of BTS — RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, V, Jungkook, and Jimin — shared the same statement on their personal Instagram Stories on 29 July 2026: they will not submit their music for Grammy consideration this year. The 69th Annual Grammy Awards are scheduled for 7 February 2027, where the Recording Academy's new categories will take effect for the first time.

The statement, as reported by Pitchfork, read in part: "We hope our music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language. We thank Army and everyone who has always stood by us." The identical posts across all seven members' accounts signal a collective decision rather than an individual one.

The announcement lands just as the Grammys prepare to introduce a Best Asian Pop Music Performance category at the 69th ceremony — one of five new nominations announced by the Recording Academy. The category recognises Asian pop music performances from or recognised within Asian markets, including K-pop, J-pop, and C-pop, with meaningful use of one or more Asian languages. A dedicated Asian pop Grammy would, on paper, give BTS a natural home on the ballot for the first time.

BTS were the first K-pop act to receive a Grammy nomination, first earning a nod in 2019. They have been nominated four times in total but have never won. Their previous nominations came in general-field and pop categories rather than any region-specific one.

The timing — declining to enter the same year a category designed in part for their genre debuts — adds a layer the statement itself does not address. The members' words about music being "heard and loved for what it is" point to a frustration with having their work sorted by region or language rather than evaluated alongside other pop music. Whether that is a response to the new category's structure or to the Grammys more broadly, the statement does not specify.

What is clear is the audience affected. BTS's fanbase, known as Army, is among the largest and most organised in popular music. A collective Grammy boycott from the group removes one of the ceremony's most-discussed nomination storylines before submissions even close. For the Recording Academy, it means the inaugural Best Asian Pop Music Performance category may launch without its most globally prominent eligible act.

No reason beyond the statement itself has been given. BTS's label, BIGHIT MUSIC, has not separately commented as of publication.