None of the artists signed to K-pop's four largest agencies entered the new Grammy for Best Asian Pop Music Performance, according to the awards analysis site The Grammy Guru. The report, carried by Korean media on 16 October, means the category's first edition will go ahead without most of the acts that built K-pop's global audience.
The absentees span HYBE, SM, JYP and YG. They include BLACKPINK, TWICE, Stray Kids and Hearts2Hearts, as well as every HYBE label behind its Korean acts: BigHit Music, home of BTS, Belift Lab, ADOR and Source Music.
Little explanation from the agencies
Apart from JYP's brief confirmation about Stray Kids earlier this month, none of the agencies has commented on the report, and it is unclear whether every missing act stayed away on principle. BLACKPINK could not have entered regardless; as we reported earlier this month, the group's 2026 release fell outside the eligibility rules.
BTS set the tone in July, when the members said they would not submit their music and expressed the hope that it would be judged on its own merits rather than divided by region or language.
The Academy stays the course
The Recording Academy had already decided to keep the category. On 1 October, chief executive Harvey Mason Jr. told Variety that the Academy was "confident it's the right conclusion for the music community overall." He said it had received candid feedback from opponents, but that the loudest response came from supporters of the award.
This conclusion will not satisfy everyone, and that never feels good. (Harvey Mason Jr., October 2026)
ATEEZ keeps the door open
Not every artist has ruled the category out. Asked by Variety, in an interview published in late September, whether ATEEZ would consider it, leader Hongjoong said he would "love to think about that too," while adding that he agreed a little with BTS's decision. Winning a Grammy, he said, is a dream for him and the group, but music "has no boundary." Entries for 2027 had closed by then, so his comments concern future ceremonies.
Nominations on 16 November
First-round voting for the 69th Grammy Awards closes on 22 October. The nominations, due on 16 November, will show for the first time which artists did enter the category, and we will add them to this story line when they are announced. The ceremony takes place on 7 February 2027 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Key dates
- 21 August 2026Entries for the 69th Grammys close.
- 1 October 2026The Recording Academy confirms the Asian pop category stays for 2027.
- 2 October 2026JYP confirms that Stray Kids did not submit.
- 16 October 2026Reports say no artist from HYBE, SM, JYP or YG entered the category.
- 12 to 22 October 2026First-round voting.
- 16 November 2026Nominations for the 69th Grammy Awards are announced.
- 7 February 2027The 69th Grammy Awards ceremony.
Sources The Korea Times: BTS Grammy boycott spreads to K-pop's biggest agencies, The Herald Business, Music Business Worldwide: Grammys keep the Asian pop category, Korea JoongAng Daily: Stray Kids join BTS, Complex: ATEEZ's Hongjoong on the category.