On July 29, all seven BTS members surprised fans by simultaneously posting the same message on their personal social media accounts: "We've decided not to submit our work for this year's Grammy Awards." The group added, "We hope music will be recognized and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language," before expressing their gratitude: "Thank you, as always, to ARMY and everyone who supports us."

Following the release of their fifth studio album, ARIRANG, this past March, BTS once again demonstrated their global influence by making a strong impact on Billboard's major U.S. charts. As a result, many industry observers viewed the group as one of the strongest contenders for nominations in the Grammy Awards' major categories—the ceremony widely regarded as the most prestigious honor in the music industry.

However, BTS's decision not to submit any of their work for Grammy consideration has drawn public attention to the timing of the announcement, particularly following the Recording Academy's introduction last month of several new award categories, including Best Asian Pop Music Performance. While the category was created to recognize Asian pop music on its own, some critics have expressed concern that it could instead separate BTS, K-pop, and Asian music as a whole from competing in the Grammys' most prestigious categories.

In an official statement released following BTS's announcement, HYBE elaborated on the members' thinking for the first time, indicating that their concerns closely align with those that have been raised by many fans and industry observers over the past several weeks.

Both HYBE and BTS shared the same position, stating, "It is difficult to accept that this Grammy's screening change was made when BTS is most likely to win the main prize." The company also revealed that the members deliberated extensively before reaching their final decision: "BTS also thought about whether to participate until the last minute of this announcement, but they made this decision with the idea that a cautious move is necessary for the sake of the music industry and K-pop as a whole."

At the same time, HYBE emphasized that the decision should not be interpreted as a company-wide stance, clarifying, "This is not a boycott at the corporate level. For other artists under our labels, we plan to proceed with submissions as scheduled if they wish to enter."

The Grammy Awards currently present more than 100 categories each year. However, the ceremony's highest honors are concentrated in the General Field, which includes categories such as Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and others. Traditionally, only the General Field awards and a select number of other major categories are presented during the televised main ceremony and accompanied by headline performances. By contrast, genre- or region-specific awards—including the newly introduced Best Asian Pop Music Performance category—are typically presented during the Premiere Ceremony held before the main broadcast.

Many fans and observers have also pointed out that General Field winners have historically been dominated by wнιтe αмєяι¢αn artists. They argue that whenever artists of color or international acts become too influential to ignore, the Recording Academy has tended to introduce specialized categories rather than recognize them in direct competition for the ceremony's top honors. In their view, BTS and ARIRANG are the latest examples.

Supporters of this argument contend that creating a separate Asian Pop category reflects a long-standing pattern of racial bias within the Grammy system. They believe it allows the Recording Academy to benefit from BTS's immense global popularity while simultaneously preventing the group from breaking into the prestigious General Field categories, thereby preserving the dominance of wнιтe αмєяι¢αn artists in the Grammys' top awards.

For those who share this perspective, BTS's decision not to submit their work this year is about far more than skipping an awards ceremony. Instead, they see it as a powerful statement against dividing music by geographical boundaries or language.

Across social media, support for BTS's decision to "boycott" the Grammy Awards has continued to grow, including:

- While it is going to be tough seeing another k-artist win a Grammy before BTS (they will brag relentlessly), I truly respect the stand BTS are taking against the clearly яα¢ιѕт moves by the Gr*mmy's to marginalize non-English speaking & POC artists

- Other kpop group would win the grammy and they would also get the tittle "first kpop group to win the grammys" but watch how theyll be always under bts shadow. Everyone and thier mama knows that group won because bts decided not to participate

- Well whoever decides to submit would have to do it with the knowledge that they're essentially accepting being shoved into a box, AND that BTS pulling out has already done heavy damage to whatever prestige that award would hold. They're doing this for the greater good

- So proud of them fr. this is a pattern that has been noticeable for some time now. their subcategories for asian, african, and latin acts is pitiful and it’s evident why they put those in place… 

- BTS CLOCKED THEM SO HARDD Their яα¢ιѕт αѕѕ never deserved the legendary music

- My god is BTS revolutionary for this stance, they legit took stance against the scammys and their яα¢ιѕт as*.. my loves, I'm so proud of you

- Mark my words, no other kpop group will win a Grammy this year, even in that Asian category! And it will be an eye opener for kpoopies that there’s a lot of good artists from Asia beyond kpop.