[비즈한국] BTS recently announced that they would not be submitting their work to the Grammy Awards. Looking back, the song “aliens” from BTS’s fifth studio album, “Arirang,” contains the context and background behind their decision to refuse submission to the 2026 Grammys.
The members of BTS each posted on their social media that they would not be submitting to the Grammys, stating, “I hope music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being categorized by region or language.” Although there was no specific or direct mention, it was enough to be interpreted as a protest against the Grammys’ decision last June to create a new “Best Asian Pop Music Performance” category.
The Grammys stated that the “Asian Pop category was created to honor the depth, diversity, and excellence of pop art originating from Asia,” which brings to mind the lyrics in “aliens”: “Seven aliens, different from birth, they envy us.” However, it is questionable whether the Grammys truly recognize the artistic depth, diversity, and excellence of Asian pop.
The Grammys have historically failed to properly evaluate Asian pop music. This has remained true recently as well. At the 2026 Grammy Awards, Rosé’s “APT.”, which was nominated in three categories including Song of the Year, did not win a single award—despite winning the “Song of the Year,” the top honor, at the MTV Video Music Awards. “Golden,” the theme song for “K-Pop Demon Hunters,” which received five nominations, only managed to win “Best Song Written for Visual Media” in the OST category. The U.S.-Korean collaborative group Katseye also received three nominations, including a nomination for the major category Best New Artist, but went home empty-handed. In particular, in the “Best Pop Duo/Group Performance” category, where Rosé, K-Pop Demon Hunters, and Katseye were all nominated, they were all passed over. This category was the one where K-pop was the most likely to win.
BTS has been nominated for a Grammy three times between 2021 and 2023, but they have never won an award. It is inevitable to feel that while the Grammys may appear to admire Asian music on the surface, they do not truly recognize it in reality.
“aliens” also contains these lyrics: “You with the eyes wide open, you say, ‘Are they for real? For real?’” These lyrics seem to speak to their distrust of K-pop, including BTS’s music. It hints at the suspicion held by the West, especially white populations, toward the formation and influence of global fandoms.
Regarding the creation of the Asian Pop category, the Grammys stated, “This category is meant to specifically highlight important artists.” Ultimately, it seems intended to confine certain groups, including BTS, to this specific category. The Grammys claimed that they were “not trying to segregate, but to broaden the scope of artists recognized by the 15,000 Grammy voters,” and that there are no restrictions on the main categories. In other words, being nominated in the Asian Pop category does not exclude an artist from the “General Field” categories like “Album of the Year” or “Song of the Year,” and artists can aim for both simultaneously. However, looking at the case of the Billboard Music Awards, the Grammys’ announcement may differ from reality.
The U.S. Billboard Music Awards (BBMA) created four K-pop categories in 2023, claiming to reflect the global popularity and growth of K-pop, such as “Top Global K-Pop Artist,” “Top K-Pop Album,” “Top Global K-Pop Song,” and “Top K-Pop Touring Artist.” However, since then, it has become difficult to find K-pop groups winning in the main Billboard Music Awards categories. They have not received any of the main awards that BTS previously won (2017–2022), such as “Top Duo/Group” or “Top Song Sales Artist.” Being trapped in the K-pop frame has resulted in a stigma effect. There is a high probability that the same thing will happen at the Grammys with the creation of the Asian Music category.
Furthermore, in a situation where K-pop is globally popular, bundling it with C-pop (China) or J-pop (Japan) is inappropriate because they cannot be grouped together in terms of the nature, patterns, or influence of their music. In fact, Billboard at least highlighted K-pop by acknowledging its influence, but the Grammys are even worse. It is nothing more than a strategic ploy to exploit K-pop without actually recognizing it. After all, those who are uninformed might think that K-pop has won major awards at the Grammys.
In the lyrics of “aliens,” there is a part that goes, “How shameless, show some manners, we aliens, the sun is risin’ from the East, Aliens, aliens.” It is only a matter of time; the trend belongs to K-pop. The meaning that the sun rises in the East implies that the light of a new era is emerging in the East, through the new musical culture of K-pop.
Music now does not seek meaning and value merely in the perfection of a single song. The focus is on sharing a worldview with fans, communicating real-life worries, and growing together. K-pop is at the forefront of this. This refusal to submit to the Grammys conveys that while Western mainstream music circles, including the Grammys, do not recognize K-pop, including BTS, we will continue forward with our own musical identity and style. “Hello this your, hello this your new honey, clap your hands, shake it, Jungmori, Oh my god, do I look too funny? So what? Just move for me, Yeah move for me.”
BTS is making it clear that they intend to move forward with the identity and unique style that K-pop possesses. Furthermore, they express in the following lyrics that they are moving according to the times because the times desire them, regardless of what others say: “Every night, every night, everything faster, the era wants us, Yeah we livin’ that, aliens, aliens.” Even if they are labeled as outsiders, one can read the will to continue on this path because young fans around the world desire it.
The Grammys might think of BTS’s refusal as a misunderstanding or an incomprehensible act. Even within Korea, there are criticisms that this is an over-interpretation or a premature judgment. However, the U.S. mainstream music industry still treats K-pop, including BTS, as alien, and seeing the creation of the Asian Music category, it seems they will continue to do so. This is a perspective of cultural imperialism. The behavior of placing themselves as the mainstream of music while relegating Asian and Latin music to sub-categories and confining them within those boundaries remains the same. However, K-pop music is currently the icon of the global younger generation and at the center of actual musical culture. This future generation is growing and entering the core of global society. Time is on the side of K-pop, including BTS.
For BTS, a Billboard No. 1 no longer holds meaning. The same goes for winning a Grammy. Who is to say who gives them an award? It is not a refusal to submit, but a refusal to accept the award. The members of BTS had already declared on their own channels before enlisting in the military that they would not let their music work be swayed by charts and awards. They are putting that into action. That is the zeitgeist of K-pop.
The author, Kim Heon-sik, has walked through the forest of pop culture phenomena since his 20s, driven by the expectation that there is a way to make the world a better place through culture. He continues to walk the same path with the same belief, even in the 21st century where AI and quantum computers are at play.