Grammys press on with Asian Pop category despite artist backlash

The Recording Academy has announced that it will go ahead with the Best Asian Pop Music Performance category at the 2027 Grammy Awards.

As reported by Variety on October 1, CEO Harvey Mason Jr. confirmed the decision, saying: “Over the past several weeks the Academy has been conducting listening sessions and have been in dialogue with leaders of the Asian music community.”

The Academy also reported a "robust" number of submissions for the category's first year.

According to the GRAMMY website, the category covers vocal singles or tracks, including K-pop, J-pop and C-pop.

Recordings need meaningful use of one or more Asian languages, and entirely English-language recordings are ineligible. Musical style, rather than a performer's ethnicity or nationality, determines eligibility.

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The Academy announced the category in June as one of five new additions.

In July, K-pop group BTS said they would not submit music in any category, expressing a hope that “music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language.”

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In August, the Recording Academy held discussions with members of the Asian community. Mason stated that artists from the K-pop, J-pop, C-pop and Indian music communities felt “this category isn’t representing the music they work so hard to create”, and that the Academy would convene its board and Awards & Nominations Committee.

After the confirmation of the new category, the agency of K-pop group Stray Kids, JYP Entertainment, stated that the group “did not submit for the Grammys”.

All eight members of Stray Kids, along with members of BTS, are Recording Academy voting members.

Amira Waworuntu is Mixmag Asia’s Managing Editor, follow her on Instagram.

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