All seven members of BTS announced on July 29 via individual Instagram Story posts that they will not submit their comeback album ARIRANG for consideration at the 2027 Grammy Awards.

The announcement came directly from the members rather than through an official press release from HYBE, BTS's parent company. In a statement translated from Korean, the group said: "We decided not to participate in the Grammys this year." They added that they hope "that music can be heard and loved by itself rather than being divided by region or language" (Rolling Stone).

The decision lands roughly one month after the Recording Academy introduced five new Grammy categories in June, including Best Asian Pop Music Performance. That category is defined as recognising "artistic excellence in Asian pop music performances originating from or widely recognised within Asian markets, including but not limited to K-pop, J-pop and C-pop, with meaningful use of one or more Asian languages" (Rolling Stone).

The timing has not gone unnoticed. Fans have speculated that the withdrawal is connected to the new category, which effectively creates a separate lane for Asian pop acts rather than placing them in the general field alongside English-language artists (Rolling Stone). Forbes characterised BTS's refusal to submit as "a sign of protest over the new category" (Forbes), while the BBC noted that the withdrawal came approximately one month after the category's introduction (BBC).

BTS themselves did not explicitly cite the new category as their reason. Their statement spoke in broader terms about music crossing regional and linguistic boundaries.

ARIRANG, which BTS have described as "deeply reflective" (Rolling Stone), was already being flagged as a notable contender in Rolling Stone's coverage of the 2027 Grammy season, where it appeared alongside albums by Ella Langley and Bruno Mars (Rolling Stone).

The Grammy timeline rolls on regardless. Online entry for the 2027 awards opened on July 7 and closes on August 21. First-round voting begins October 12, nominees are announced November 16, and the ceremony is set for February 7, 2027 (Rolling Stone).

BTS will not be part of that process. Whether other K-pop acts follow their lead, or submit into the new category, remains an open question — one the Recording Academy is likely watching closely.