BTS will not submit their music for consideration at the 2027 Grammy Awards.
BBC News says their announcement came in a co-ordinated Instagram post, with all seven members of the band uploading an identical statement.
“We have decided not to enter the Grammys this year. I hope that music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language,” it read.
The band was widely expected to be in competition for some of the Grammys’ major categories.
This included album of the year for their comeback record, Arirang, and its lead single “Swim”, a US number one which was expected to be in contention for song of the year.
The English-language lyrics would have excluded it from the new best Asian pop music performance prize, which was announced last month.
Under Grammy rules, songs nominated for the category must contain “meaningful use” of an Asian language.
More than 80% of the lyrics on Arirang are sung in English.
The introduction of the new award met with mixed reception in K-Pop spaces online, with many fans complaining that instead of celebrating Asian artists, the Grammys had pigeonholed them.
