The Recording Academy, which oversees the GRAMMY Awards, has signaled that it may reconsider its controversial Best Asian Pop Music Performance category, roughly two weeks after BTS announced that it would not submit music for the 69th GRAMMY Awards.
Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said in a statement on August 14 that the organization is reviewing feedback from the music community surrounding the newly created Asian Pop category.
“Regardless of our intent, it has become clear that some artists feel this category does not properly represent the music they have worked so hard to create,” Mason said, adding that as a musician himself, he takes those concerns seriously.
He continued that the Recording Academy has demonstrated over the past six years that it can respond decisively and quickly to the needs of the music community, pledging to ensure that musicians feel genuinely respected as the organization continues to evolve.
The controversy began in June when the GRAMMY Awards announced the introduction of Best Asian Pop Music Performance beginning with its 69th ceremony. The category is intended to recognize pop music created in or widely associated with Asian markets, including K-pop, J-pop and C-pop.
While the Recording Academy described the move as an effort to acknowledge the diversity and rapid growth of Asian music, critics argued that placing globally successful genres such as K-pop into a geographically defined category could instead marginalize Asian artists from the awards’ mainstream fields.
The debate intensified on July 29 when BTS announced through the members’ social media accounts that the group would not submit its music for consideration at the 2027 GRAMMY Awards.
The group stated that it wanted its work to be evaluated “as music itself, rather than by region or language.”
At the time, Mason said he respected BTS’s decision while defending the new category as an effort to provide separate recognition for Asian music. However, the Recording Academy has since begun discussions with figures across the Asian music industry and is now signaling that changes to the category could be considered.
According to reports, the organization has sought feedback from artists, record labels and managers representing the K-pop, J-pop, C-pop and Indian music industries, with representatives from HYBE reportedly among those involved.
The Recording Academy’s board and committees involved in the awards process have also reportedly convened discussions specifically addressing the Asian Pop category.
Beyond the controversy surrounding Asian Pop, the Recording Academy is reportedly reviewing the broader process through which new award categories are introduced. With the GRAMMY Awards now encompassing more than 100 categories, the organization is considering how its structure and procedures should evolve alongside changes in the global music industry.
