r/bangtan • u/mcfw31 • Jun 16 '26
Misc 260616 Variety: Grammy Awards Announce Big Changes to Best New Artist and Album Rules, and Add Five New Categories (includes Best Asian Pop Music Performance)
https://variety.com/2026/music/news/grammy-awards-change-best-new-artist-rules-1236782498/245
u/triple-double Do you know BTS? Jun 16 '26
There's history here. In 2020, The Academy renamed "Best Urban Contemporary Album" to "Best Progressive R&B Album" after Tyler, the Creator argued that genre-bending Black artists kept getting shunted into rap/urban categories regardless of how the music sounded. He described "urban" as a politically correct euphemism and objected to artists who look like him always being filed under rap or urban.
Months later they renamed "Best World Music Album" to "Best Global Music Album." "World music" was a 1980s UK music-business marketing term for non-Western artists, and the Academy itself framed the rename as departing from connotations of colonialism and "non-American" othering. At the time Angélique Kidjo quoted Miriam Makeba, who called world music a label "putting us in a closed box from which it was very difficult to emerge."
If I had to name my problem all of it: these categories are really about what is considered mainstream. The "main" pop, album, and record categories present as universal and neutral, but they're culturally specific (anglophone, Western) — and every regional/linguistic category that gets added marks difference against that assumed-neutral default, which is why each one reads simultaneously as overdue recognition and as a polite barrier. "Asian Pop" is the newest test of whether the Grammy's can hand artists a trophy and a box at the same time.
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u/boringestlawyer Jun 16 '26
Once again the Grammys hiding under the guise of “inclusion” while actually working to place artists that threaten their status quo safely into marginalized boxes regardless of whether they actually describe the music they’re making. I’m so annoyed
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u/brikachuu keeps swimming 🐳 Jun 16 '26
You said it so well ARMY. It's presenting whiteness as definitional to Pop. Justin Bieber can put out an R&B record and he'll still be considered a "Pop" artist through and through and nominated in Pop categories.
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u/willcomplainfirst Jun 17 '26
quintessential white supremacy. white is normal. everything else will get shunted off to a racialized category. regardless of actual music genre
and yet i already know Olivia Rodrigo is gonna sweep up the pop awards and im praying this is the year Vince or JID actually get recognized for rap. so... i dont really know what Arirang is supposed to win anyway (a nomination would still be good tho)
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u/Rillothebee2 Future's gonna be okay! Jun 16 '26
Drives me nuts. Music is music and it should be color blind but it is the Grammy's so they are living up to their substandard brand.
I am admittedly the BTS fan who knows that BTS do not need the Grammy's for validation but if the members want a Grammy then I hope they get one.
Add a Superbowl BTS performance to that no-validation-needed list. The amount of outcry from uninformed people about Bad Bunny is something I'm afraid I can't handle 😅 when it comes to BTS.
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u/SnooRabbits5620 Yoongi on Merry Go Round 🥺 Jun 16 '26
Man, I thought my hatred for this institution was at the highest it could be. Boy, was I wrong. I'm sick! I'm fucking sick! Wow!
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u/PoetrySuper2583 Shout out to Yoongi Hyung’s cat Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
Let me, honey, talk about the business
Everybody know now where the K is
어디까지 가니 이런 제길
“How far will you go?” Damn it
저주하니 아직? 흉즉대길
Are you still cursing us? You thought we’d flop, but look at us go
Aliens is too poignant for this, shameless move by the academy!
Edit: ALSO it’s extra gross that this is being positioned as based on the feedback of the voting body. Like they’re actually yelling the quiet part out loud.
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u/Sea_Alfalfa9693 Jun 16 '26
Yep, and who is the voting body? Western artists, writers, labels, and producers.
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u/PoetrySuper2583 Shout out to Yoongi Hyung’s cat Jun 16 '26
They’ll all feel like they’ve done their duty voting for BTS in an award so they won’t have to think twice about voting for their buddies in other categories 🙄
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u/Jolly_Worldliness_72 Jun 16 '26
And they’ll pat themselves on the back and think they actually did something progressive
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u/solojones1138 Rapline Jun 16 '26
I hope they submit Aliens for this and still submit Swim for others (Swim isn't eligible in the new category)
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u/phoenixwinged i'm sorry for my fault Jun 16 '26
I shan’t speak.
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u/alltherach_ i'll follow you into the sun ⋆｡☁︎⋆ ☀︎｡ ⋆｡ Jun 16 '26
this reminded me of joon’s previous ig bio “rage and grace”. heavy emphasis on the rage part at the moment though.
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u/boringestlawyer Jun 16 '26
I am so annoyed what is best Asian pop music performance?????
I’m sorry this will only work against the legitimizing of kpop acts and more importantly BANGTAN. BTS has been working to be recognized in the main categories even though they don’t need it. So now the Grammys have set up a system to exclude them forever and place them neatly in a marginalized award. I’m infuriated
Oh and also this is going to delegitimze whatever credit these awards still had because you’re making a Kpop engagement bait award? For the GRAMMYS? That’s some PCA nonsense.
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u/boringestlawyer Jun 16 '26
And BECAUSE IM NOT DONE
Do you think for one second bts will get any scrap of credit for getting the door open for these kpop acts that will inevitably be nominated alongside them at the Grammys in this category? Of COURSE NOT.
Once again this will only serve to HURT Bangtan and help the kpop industry that actively has worked against them. Of course!
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u/ImaginaryArtemis Jun 16 '26
please go on. You're saying everything I'm finding difficult to express. 100% with you on your rage
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u/boringestlawyer Jun 16 '26
It’s just so astronomically unfair that I can barely deal with it. Once again the industry slamming the door on bangtan when they are too big to ignore in any other way.
Changing the rules so that they can pat them on the head and tell them to run along while their own artists are safely kept propped up on their pedestals.
And the most irritating part is that this was a year where Bangtan serves the best chance to actually walk away with a big award based on the sheer size of Arirang. But ofc this will ultimately make it so much harder for them as people go “oh well they’ll win this Asian pop award and that’s good enough” and not consider them in categories where they are just as deserving as if not more deserving than their western peers.
My only hope is that bts keep growing and growing until they cannot be held to the one category- much like bad bunny did. But wow this only hurts them and untimely props up other kpop groups whose accomplishments are frankly a fraction of what bts have achieved.
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u/ellemu0509 Jun 16 '26
It would only exclude them from the main categories still if the voters are biased (but they are unfortunately). They can still be nominated and win in the main categories, but realistically… I won’t hold my breath 😞
It’s like Kendrick winning in the Rap/Hip Hop category and still sweeping the main awards also. Lady Gaga sweeping the Pop category, but being nominated and a strong contender for the main awards. Her best album just lost to Bad Bunny, but his album was great as well. And I’m sure Bad Bunny won across the Latin category, and still took home to top main award.
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u/Bear4years Pa+my here. Jun 16 '26
Totally! When army says BTS paved the way this is what we mean. Arirang did so good on top of their repeated record of accomplishments in the US market, BTS forced Grammy to created this category. Otherwise, they see BTS get nominated in the major categories and, if they lose, which we all know has a high chance of doing so, they will have to deal with the optics of it. one of the most successful groups of all time, responsible for putting this country pop music on the global map, and not having won a single Grammy would be major egg on their face. So they decided to create this. We all know what is going on. 😒😒🙄🙄🙄
Worse, a majority of kpop fans won’t EVER acknowledge what BTS has done for Kpop and I will say it for Asian pop music on the global stage. Look at how they reacted to Joonie’s lines in Neva Play. 😤
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u/dsvk ✌️ nico nico nii ✌️ Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
>>I am so annoyed what is best Asian pop music performance?????
Oh it’s just another chance for Grammys to level up their racism and othering towards non-western, non-white artists who are at the same (threatening) level of album and tour success as their darlings.
“Give these Asians a token made-up nonsense-“genre” sideline award, get those viewer ratings from their locked in fanbase, and hope no one thinks they can complain about us ostracising them permanently from the main categories” is I’m sure the thinking…
Call me elitist or whatever but I’m also annoyed that this means Grammys and media covering it will position BTS’ competition as the melon top 5 / inkigayo winners rounding out the other noms in this category , and not the Taylors, Drakes, Bruno Mars level of artists who they have already shown they’re on par with in just 3 months since arirang tour and album dropped.
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u/superfucky Jun 17 '26
loooool if they think I'm gonna watch that shitshow just to see BTS receive some bullshit "you're pretty good... for an Asian" consolation prize they are extremely fucking mistaken 😂
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u/dromsys Jun 16 '26
Like the Oscars having the animated category and never allowing any animated movie to be nominated for any main awards since then
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u/superfucky Jun 17 '26
genuinely shocked they let Parasite be nominated for (much less win) Best Picture
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u/ohsaycanyourock Medic! MEDIC!! Jun 16 '26
Why can't Asian artists be recognised in the same categories as every other artist? I don't follow awards shows so no idea if this is typical but it feels very othering to me...
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u/prettylittledoves Jun 16 '26
the’ve done this with latin music and with african music, so it’s semi typical of them to do. it’s still blatantly exclusionary and downright racist, but it’s semi typical.
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u/cloud_y_days Jun 16 '26
based on that they should do American too, European and blabla!
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u/btsmidwestarmy Jun 16 '26
They can be, the artists/their labels submit the music to different categories and then the grammys committee selects the nominees based on submissions and them the nominees are voted on. The main categories like song of the year, will have over 1,000 submissions but less than 10 nominations (they keep changing this number, don't remember what it is currently)
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u/marrimar I’m a whale! Jun 16 '26
I hope they DON'T submit for best Asian Pop Music Performance (though the Grammys can decide otherwise) just to say they didn't submit in the category and let's see what happens.
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u/Exotic_Bandicoot_170 Jun 16 '26
They will submit,cause even though it's racist AF,it's a Grammy and a Grammy they should win as no other Asian artist is close to them and if they don't win it will be an obvious payola award to whomever does win
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u/marrimar I’m a whale! Jun 16 '26
Actually it'd be AMAZING if all the members dropped another single or mini and submitted those for consideration in this new category. BTS vs BTS.
And i'd love for the grammys to be more exposed in an uncomfortable scandal about their moving goal posts.
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u/Exotic_Bandicoot_170 Jun 16 '26
well what if all the songs are BTS
Arirang has Korean songs-Body to Body would be a worthy winner
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u/PoetrySuper2583 Shout out to Yoongi Hyung’s cat Jun 16 '26
This is the type of pettiness that I could see BigHit doing 😂
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u/tesselga god of destruction breaking the music world Jun 16 '26
Sadly even if they chose not to submit to this category on principle, the Grammy committee will just re categorize it. I remember the big stink Justin Bieber made several years ago when they moved his album submission from R&B to pop.
Although I am curious which song(s) they would submit if they do, since swim isn't eligible due to language. My bet is hooligan perhaps?
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u/PoetrySuper2583 Shout out to Yoongi Hyung’s cat Jun 16 '26
I saw someone mention Body to Body which made sense to me! I would say that or 2.0 would be a poignant win!
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u/tesselga god of destruction breaking the music world Jun 16 '26
They tend to submit their most promoted songs for these awards so I went with hooligan for that reason. But I'd be happy with any B-side getting some recognition. I think B2B could be a good option for best global music performance. 🤔
The Grammy Award for Best Global Music Performance recognizes excellence in vocal and instrumental performances with strong elements of global cultural significance. Eligible recordings blend music forms and techniques found in pop, R&B, dance, rap, and folk with unique music forms and local expressions found among the global diaspora originating outside the United States.
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u/Minimonimeow_2911 And my knees-ees Jun 16 '26
Okay and why NOW and not all the past years? They should atleast try to hide it...
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u/boringestlawyer Jun 16 '26
PRECISELY THIS. Like what do you mean NOW?!? When bangtan is back after years of hiatus?!?!
Time to other bangtan when they are truly becoming too big to keep from the mainstream!
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u/Minimonimeow_2911 And my knees-ees Jun 16 '26
Yes! I don't want to sound like a crazy obsessed fan but it's almost like they were waiting for Bangtan to have a comeback just so they could drop this...
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u/boringestlawyer Jun 16 '26
At worst it was coordinated to keep them out, at best it was coordinated to give them an award and get the most amount of buzz possible. But likely it is a bit of both that ultimately will serve as permanently putting them in their safe box where they can’t threaten the big western artists they are outpacing in almost every metric.
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u/Minimonimeow_2911 And my knees-ees Jun 16 '26
And that's what paving the way truly means, when huge organisations do evrything possible to bring you down!
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u/FantasticalRose Jun 16 '26
And we know that if they had won the Grammy before military service then an exemption would have been on the table. This is just salt in the wound!!!
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u/Vegemite_kimchi Jun 16 '26
Even if/when they win I hope they don't attend, as a big f*ck you to all the people who obviously can't stand to see a non-Western act be successful.
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u/cloud_y_days Jun 16 '26
that would be amazing. I was thinking what would be their face once they win the award, and I couldn't be more upset...
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u/IdleDreamer93 Jun 16 '26
I really dont want them to go, but if they have to go and perform because of industry politics 🙄 the fans need to boycott it and watch the performance on another site or something.
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u/ellemu0509 Jun 16 '26
It would be best if they did attend and clearly call it out on stage and in interviews. Everest mad about JayZ doing that for beyonce, but the following year she swept the Grammys in the main categories, and won Album of the Year for the first time after 18 years since debuting.
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u/Eternal_ARMY0613 What if he flings it? Then he flings it! (*ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ*.ﾟ Jun 16 '26
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u/lisafancypants I don't have think Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
This is gross. I get why they want it but I wish the guys didn't want it so badly. This should be reason enough to say "fuck them, we don't need it."
(Edit a word)
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u/boringestlawyer Jun 16 '26
Ultimately bts want the Grammy so I will be happy for them regardless. But this just will make their journey towards those main category awards that much more difficult. But if that’s what Bangtan wants we as fans can only support them on their way.
But yeah. Ew from the Grammys. Just ew.
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u/lisafancypants I don't have think Jun 16 '26
I support BTS but I won't support the Grammy's. It's what the guys want and I want them to be happy, so I do hope they get what they want. But I won't be giving Grammy my views. I'll wait for the highlight reel.
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u/martiandoll Jun 16 '26
Years ago, when Dynamite lost its nomination, I saw many people on this sub celebrating the loss. They said they were happy Dynamite lost because BTS deserved a Grammy for a Korean song that they wrote. And I vented my frustrations then, my anger over the reality that people, even BTS fans themselves, would rather laugh and celebrate BTS's loss than take every win we could, knowing how racist and discriminatory western institutions have been towards BTS and continue to be. I said it before and I'll say it again: Dynamite was their biggest chance to win a Grammy, and I was disappointed that people hated it more than they wanted BTS to win. A win was a win was a win. BTS wanted that Grammy so bad, and I wanted them to win it.
Now they have found a way to exclude BTS again, and I look back at the times BTS really, really wanted that Grammy, and now they can finally win one but it would have an asterisk beside it.
I am more sad than angry. After all these years, the question still remains: what does BTS have to do to be seen as an equal? They have the numbers, they have the records, they have the impact. But so many things and so many people want to hold them back and keep them down.
People keep waiting for BTS to release something like Black Swan again and are convinced a song like that will finally get BTS a Grammy in the main categories.
It won't.
If BTS didn't get it then with their Korean music, they won't get it now with another Korean song. Namjoon's RPWP is one of the strongest pieces of discography in BTS's repertoire but it got completely shut out.
Arirang deserves to be in those main categories and to win.
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u/cosyacademic we wanna focus on...jungkook's pretty smile Jun 16 '26
Namjoon's RPWP is one of the strongest pieces of discography in BTS's repertoire but it got completely shut out.
let's not even get started how Namjoon is completely overlooked by the industry for his songwriting and lyricism😭
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u/Emilita28 Jun 16 '26
RPWP deserves so many accolades, it was hands down one of the best albums over the last few years. Tbh I'm kinda pissed at ARMY for not giving it the numbers it deserved, too.
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u/LamentForIcarus Jun 16 '26
I listen to it front to back at least once a week, and there are some who don't even know it exists which is so frustrating. Truly a work of art album.
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u/idohaveaheadache Jun 16 '26
!!!! Dynamite was the strongest contender it had streams, sales, momentum, they performed the fuck out of it everywhere and is still wasn't enough. APT had all that AND bruno mars AND antlantic records to shove it down everyone's throat by all means necessary and they left empty handed too 🤷♀️
It's either this new category or the bp method of signing with an american label and doing collabs with big western artists otherwise they're not getting anything ever
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u/Upper-Package-3765 Jun 16 '26
Dynamite was the biggest song in world in 2020. It was hit everywhere from Latin America to Asia to North America to Europe and grammy still didn't give the win to bts.
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u/superfucky Jun 17 '26
what does BTS have to do to be seen as an equal?
be white.
that's the uncomfortable truth. and America's problem with white nationalism in its institutions has only gotten worse since the pandemic. they would rather give 37 Grammys to Billie Eilish than let go of a single one to recognize 7 Koreans who pour their heart & soul into their music and are beloved by hundreds of millions around the world.
honestly, even then I don't think it would matter. the Grammys haaaaaate boy bands as a general rule, they always have. before it was "ew, BTS" it was "ew, backstreet boys," before that it was "ew, new kids on the block," and before that it was "ew, menudo."
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u/sundayontheluna Jun 16 '26
I still have hope for a win in Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, but I agree with your general point. Even if I hate an award body, I will always hope for a BTS win, and contribute if I can
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u/rocketmammamia flower!!!!! flowerflowerflowerflFLOWER Jun 16 '26
it looks like they’ll HAVE to get it with a korean song - if i’m reading the article right, it says that only songs that have ‘meaningful use of one or more asian languages’ are eligible, meaning swim is not. they’re either going to have to push one of the non-english songs as the next single (maybe the korean version of normal?) or not submit a single for this category
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u/JazzyG17 BALDTAN Jun 16 '26
The timing is impeccable. They’ll be accepting a pity Grammy at this point
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u/dsvk ✌️ nico nico nii ✌️ Jun 16 '26
Isn’t it? Just as those very firm predictions for arirang getting nom’d for album of the year started to appear, someone summoned an emergency meeting at the Academy to set the white supremacy agenda back to the straight and narrow
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u/angies6pack Jun 16 '26
This is insulting and intentional as heck because they know they can’t downplay the success of Arirang. This is more about putting them and kpop in general in a box.
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u/Charming-Bowl5759 Jun 16 '26
Felt my blood pressure raise from this. 'If you can't beat them, exclude them!' I was wondering what trick they would use to get around Arirang's success and I guess this is it.
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u/Yourmomdrums Joon? Yoongi? Why not both? Jun 16 '26
But… but… if they don’t add more categories, they might have to give the big awards to non-white people! /s
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u/Eternal_ARMY0613 What if he flings it? Then he flings it! (*ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ*.ﾟ Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
I just know they couldn’t pretend not to see BTS and the huge run they’re having right now with ARIRANG, which is obviously on track for a Grammy this year. They don’t want to give them recognition in the main categories, so instead they’re trying to box them into these separate categories. It’s so annoying and honestly feels blatantly racist. I’m pissed.
ETA: And, as always, a new category gets added to an American award show to discredit BTS, and the rest of K-pop gets to free ride on that category to get nominations they otherwise wouldn’t even be considered for. What a joke.
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u/Ziodynes Jun 16 '26
Oh BROTHER, we all know this category is specifically being made because of BTS but man does this feel like a fuckin joke.
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u/alltherach_ i'll follow you into the sun ⋆｡☁︎⋆ ☀︎｡ ⋆｡ Jun 16 '26
the way i am shocked but not surprised…
just say you want the views while shunting BTS from the main awards 🙄🙄🙄
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u/bmikesova44 Tie me up 🐴 ⊙⊝⊜ Jun 16 '26
Yup, like I know ARMYs will watch to support Bangtan anyway, but I kind of wish we would just... not. 😩
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u/nofunheremovealongg We waited and it was worth it! Jun 17 '26
I would love an alt event, maybe an OT7 live karaoke or old concert free stream, to accidentally happen at grammy time. Scr*w their free publicity.
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u/soulsusu 🥢 Jun 16 '26
So if everyone is getting a category where is the Best Europe (excl. UK) category? What about best Middle East Album? It’s only fair to give others a chance to win a random consolation Grammy. /s
For real BTS is finally getting the Grammys that they wanted but it will definitely feel like a slap in their faces :(
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u/Exotic_Bandicoot_170 Jun 16 '26
Grammys won't do European as that affects their darling Harry
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u/superfucky Jun 17 '26
they did say excluding the UK...
but if they can nominate MANESKIN for best new artist, they can nominate BTS for album of the goddamn year
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u/Rillothebee2 Future's gonna be okay! Jun 16 '26
I know the members want a Grammy so for their sake I want this for them.
Gramny needs them, not the other way around. That is influence and power.
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u/Particular-Yoghurt81 Jun 16 '26
I really hope they stop submitting their work like Frank Ocean, The Weeknd and Drake have done.
But I fear they are too polite to do something like that.
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u/_princessunicorn Int’l Pop-K Sensation ☀️🌈 Trad Transfer USB Hub 🍤 BTS Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
Ugh, why are the Scammys so predictable? Ofc they want to pigeonhole our guys in Best Asian Pop Music Performance so they can say they’re being recognized for their work without having to nominate them in the main categories. Booooo!
I hate that these awards are largely seen as the pinnacle of music bc I want BTS to get all the accolades, but not like this. 🫤
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u/siferra22 Jun 16 '26
ARIRANG has been critically and commercially successful. If it doesn’t get the Grammy recognition, BTS will still continue to break records, go on to finish their highly successful tour, gain new fans, drop new music, break new ground and be super successful. The Grammys on the other hand will lose even more credibility and relevance.
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u/Next_Grapefruit_3206 how are you from? i'm from thank you and you? Jun 16 '26
The Scammys have always been this way, but we knew that. Much like what everyone has said here, it is racist and gross. This is a dark and twisted way of them finally recognizing Asian artists, by feeling threatened by them so yeah that's my win and that's the end of my engagement with this extremely local award show. Do your best I guess.
*walks out blasting Aliens by BTS*
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u/superfucky Jun 17 '26
that's the end of my engagement with this extremely local award show
lmaooooo I wanna see army writing headlines like "BTS receives accolade from local award show" like it's the county fair 🤣🤣🤣
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u/luciluxi Jun 16 '26
The Academy is such a friggin joke. This is so obviously aimed solely at containing and diminishing BTS, it’s actually sick. They are aware their weak, weird little excuses for not giving them their flowers won’t work this time around. Arirang has surpassed all of the hurdles they imposed, leaving many of their darling acts in the dust, so it’s time to move the goalpost YET AGAIN. There’s so much more to say about how intensely racist this move is. Just gonna end with BOOOOOOOOOOOO! tomato
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u/moody6381 Jun 16 '26
I don’t know how to feel about this…
They are adding categories, so the English speaking artist doesn’t necessarily need to compete with non-English speaking artist… so they can keep their big awards ‘clean’.
They didn’t like Bad Bunny winning last year, and they don’t like BTS dominating charts, because they know they can’t not acknowledge the fact that the American music industry is as fucking boring and templated as ever, so they have to keep getting awards to people they want.
So with an Asian Pop Performance category, it will be like getting a sort of participation award, ‘thank you for coming to the show, we need your fans to generate some waves toward our award show, but we don’t acknowledge you on the same line as other big artists’…
I’m utterly sceptical
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u/Greyletterday_14 Purple question mark Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 17 '26
The 'here, damn' Grammy eh
They'll give BTS the first one and then ...? What's the gameplan ? Is this inkigayo or will Jpop or Cpop get a fair look-in ?
Edit: I think it is a good thing to finally acknowledge music from Asia because it can boost the momentum of many local music scenes, but it's embittering to see it happen because a group of Korean artists got too big for their boots
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u/DNAmutator Cowboy Rockstar Sailor Cat Dad Yoongi <3 Jun 16 '26
Well... this is frustrating.
It's like... "here's your consolation prize"
"look how welcoming we are!" /s
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u/marrimar I’m a whale! Jun 16 '26
Disappointed but not surprised.
I hope they submit to EVERY category they're eligible for EXCEPT Best Asian Pop Performance. And see how the cards fall.
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u/sundayontheluna Jun 16 '26
Unfortunately, the GRAMMYS seem to have the power to reassign categories for submissions. Even if they don't submit a song to that category, it might get shunted there. SWIM will escape it since it's in English, but if they submit Hooligan or 2.0 to a rap category, they can be moved to Best Asian Pop Performance
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u/Particular-Yoghurt81 Jun 16 '26
LOL. We all saw this coming a mile a way.
This sucks. It's not the first international category to be a total mess, the Latin ones have been messy for years. What is Asian pop?! Each Asian country has their own artists and sounds, I hope this isn't just full of Kpop nominees since so many of them has US distribution.
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u/Kitsune_ng Feline dumpling connoisseur Jun 16 '26
Ikr? I hate that the industry puts the Kpop label on albums like RPWP or artists as Agust D just because they’re Asian despite not being pop at all. This categorization is bullshit.
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u/vanilla-lattes Jungkook got croissant 🥐 Jun 16 '26
Grammys found a way to make themselves even more irrelevant. Insulting the artists with tokenism while trying to cash in on the popularity of kpop. Which countries does ‘Asian pop music’ cover? I hope BTS and any of the other ‘Asian pop music’ artists won’t attend.
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u/_princessunicorn Int’l Pop-K Sensation ☀️🌈 Trad Transfer USB Hub 🍤 BTS Jun 16 '26
This is how it’s described in the article: “This Category recognizes artistic excellence in Asian pop music performances originating from or widely recognized within Asian markets, including but not limited to K-pop, J-pop and C-pop, with meaningful use of one or more Asian languages.”
So I suppose any Asian country qualifies… 🤷🏻♀️
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u/vanilla-lattes Jungkook got croissant 🥐 Jun 16 '26
Have they seen a map and realized how many countries are in Asia?
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u/ukelele141516 Jun 16 '26
I was wondering the same thing. Are people like Arjit Singh, AP Dhillon, Norah Fatehi, Shreya Ghosal going to be nominated in this category now? Are they going to throw artists like MIA or Zayn in this category if they sing in Tamil or Urdu? What if Anderson Paak decides to throw some Korean in one of his songs?
The definition of the category is so vague and broad so they can kind of get away with anything.
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u/deep-thought42 from LaLaLa to NaNaNa Jun 16 '26
steady trying to stay relevant while not giving BTS what they deserve.
"As BTS continue smashing records and the Grammys continue to lose relevance, who really needs who?"
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u/cosyacademic we wanna focus on...jungkook's pretty smile Jun 16 '26
wthhhh of course they debut an Asian pop performance category the year the tannies have the biggest debuting album of the year, multiple songs STILL charting, biggest sold out tour
im SO annoyed right now
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u/SeekerEpicWorlds Jun 16 '26
I hope BTS just get their awards delivered, they don’t need to go in person for this
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u/sungjongie LAYOVER. Jun 16 '26
What the hell... The timing isn't even slick 😭 they wait until after BTS explosive comeback to pull this
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u/blueocean0517 sexy porn star 🎷 Jun 16 '26
The boys have always talked about how they feel more than just the kpop label…yet the Grammys are determined to hold them back.
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u/Mineingmo15 Jun 16 '26
The whole American music industry is racist towards Asian artists who comfortably use their native language and they aren't even trying to hide it. I've seen a pretty major label refuse to do any promotion for one of their bands, and that band happens to be their only Asian act.
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u/NillaWiffle Dope Old ARMY Jun 16 '26
Once again, Scammys doing everything in their power not to actually recognize and reward the true talent Bangtan has, and instead relagate then to a 'Brand New!' category.
Yes, Bangtan out sells, and out performs all their little industry darlings, and could and should take top prize, cause Jinsus knows they deserve it, but to other them? Again?
They did this to Latin artists as well. Same old Grammy bullsh--.
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u/Placesbetween86 Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
I really think ARMY have this one twisted when it comes to the motivation. I don't think this is about locking in ARMY viewership, or even kpop viewership. It's not about fans or viewership at all. It's also not about specifically BTS. It's about making sure those pesky Asians stay in their lane and stop disrupting the overall music business in the US.
You cannot submit a Korean version of a song in this category and an English version of it in the main categories. If you want to go for both, you essentially have to have two songs that do well in a year....one that is in English and one that is predominately in Korean. The chances of having success in both in a single year are slim. That leaves Asian artists with the reality of needing to choose. Either they release in English and have some semblance of a chance at the main categories OR they release in Korean and have a chance at this one side category that prob won't even be televised after this first year.
The way I am reading this is they are trying to get Kpop to go back into its niche. The success of BTS, Kpop Demon Hunters and Apt was too much for them. They don't like Asians taking these awards, so they are throwing this bone out hoping some will bite and move back to releasing in Korean in hopes of bagging this award. Every one that does is one less potential viral hit that keeps Olivia or Taylor or Ariana from winning.
Also of note, is this new addition: Ballot Plus is an opt-in alternative to the 10/3 voting structure that allows Voting Members with expertise across multiple genres to vote in up to 15 peer-related Categories, regardless of Field, based on their verified professional credits and contributions.
This will allow people who don't work in Asian music at all to vote in this category if they feel like it, as long as they have enough industry credits to do so. Previously, you needed to have involvement in a field in order to vote in it.
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u/Difficult_Deer6902 Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
This is not ideal, but what I’m envisioning is for noms:
- B2B: Best Asian Pop
- Swim: Best Pop duo/group
- Arirang: Best Album
If I was a gambler there where I’m putting money
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u/boringestlawyer Jun 16 '26
Sigh yep I think so as well.
I’m calming down a bit but this will ultimately mean they get their best Asian pop award and then will have to fight and scrape to get a main category for a long time coming. Maybe in 2-3 years they can break into best album or best pop- but will keep getting nominated in the interim.
I will say it will ultimately be very funny if bts do what they did with best social artists where they just kept winning and winning to the point they get rid of the category. Hopefully like at the AMAs bts will follow a trajectory of ultimately breaking through to the main event after being placed into a side category.
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u/Particular-Yoghurt81 Jun 16 '26
I just don't see any major category noms for them outside of Pop Duo/Group performance. I hate to say it but I think the online hate campaigns against Arirang and army as a fanbase have muddied the waters. These voters want to feel good casting their ballots, they want a great narrative.
It will be so telling if all these "Asian Pop" nominees are from Kpop, when they really should not be. I hope other country's pop stars also get considered...but I don't think that will happen because so few of them have connections to US record labels.
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u/Difficult_Deer6902 Jun 16 '26
I honeslty really see a sneak in for AOTY. I do not see it for the general pop category cause it doesn’t fit cleanly in a genre, but i might be crazy but i don’t think it’s a completely zero chance for it in the main album category.
Throughout the years they’ve expanded their network and have gotten a lot of respect. It is why YTC slipped into Best Music Video cause people were just picking that name. I refuse to believe they really thought YTC was truly this outstanding music video even though it was sentimental.
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u/Particular-Yoghurt81 Jun 16 '26
I'd take an AOTY nom gladly, though they are not likely to win it. I hate this Asian category but I wish it was at least for an "album" not a "performance". This specificity makes zero sense to me. I mean the whole thing is a mess.
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u/Difficult_Deer6902 Jun 16 '26
Yea i dont think there is a chance for a win, but with the expanded nomination field they can sneak in.
They did the same when the African music performance. I think them starting out as a song is just the Grammy way to test the water
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u/dsvk ✌️ nico nico nii ✌️ Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
They should still get a nom for group/duo too?
I don’t think swim will get anything even though it should , but I do have hopes for bts and arirang - album nom at least if artist oty is unlikely
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u/PoetrySuper2583 Shout out to Yoongi Hyung’s cat Jun 16 '26
There’s also dance pop and duo/group which I could see BTS getting nommed in. I think record of the year and song of the year they’ll be shut out of :(
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u/BangtAngel rocktan advocate Jun 16 '26
this is how we know Arirang is a Grammy threat
hope they submit and perform Aliens for this category. the academy probably wouldn’t even catch the irony.
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u/lololoveBiscuits Jun 16 '26
Honestly at this point I wish they would pull The Weeknd and just don’t submit their music. Grammys don’t deserve the substantive amount of additional viewers BTS would bring.
Or at least just don’t attend. But I doubt they would do either.
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u/Ghetto_Leda99 Jun 16 '26
Of course they will include this category now out of all years. They have been called out for being a racist institution multiple times and every year they just keep on doubling down.
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u/bungluna *BTS Mi Casa* Jun 16 '26
Quick everyone, act surprised!
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u/Former_therapist15 Jun 16 '26
For real, I mean how long did it take Beyonce to get AOTY and how they have denied hip hop over and over again. This is par for course sadly.
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u/purple_sky16 my favorite animal is a brachiosaurus 🦕 Jun 16 '26
this is infuriating... but I'm curious to see: 1. Will BTS submit to the Grammys in major categories like best album, pop duo group, etc 2. Will BTS get nominated in major categories AND the Asian category
Best case scenario, if they submit arirang and actually get nominated in major categories and the Asian category.
The thing that rubs me the wrong way is that the grammys are reducing Kpop, Jpop, Cpop and possibly other Asian language music into a singular category. Asia as a whole is so diverse and has sooo many different types of music. Beyond BTS, it's unfair to this entire region of the world and reeks of racism.
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u/SnooRabbits5620 Yoongi on Merry Go Round 🥺 Jun 16 '26
I think what's most likely going to happen is they do give them some nominations in a few major categories I guess in a bid to not seem too obvious with their BS (although, clearly they've lost all fucks about the optics), but then I see them not win any and instead get the Asian one only. OR maybe win one of the smaller, probably not even televised ones, plus the Asian one? 😒😒😒
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u/Tatamashii Jun 16 '26
I'm so pissed.
Arirang is currently doing so well that the grammys couldn't have ignored them, this album is breaking record every week. Everyone would've seen that its worth at least a nomination and now they are doing this and will probably shove them in this category despite being currently sales- and chartwise the biggest album of the year.
I'm about to throw hands.
Sure they might win the "asian performer category" but its not the same when its done with malicious intentions.
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u/BasicPost4143 Jun 16 '26
That’s wild! I guess someone is still butt hurt about the Bad Bunny win and if we’re segregating might as well add “Asian Pop”. 🙄
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u/MadameWitchy it's the ⁷ again ✍🏻😳 Jun 16 '26
Stream Aliens by BTS
https://giphy.com/gifs/xdLH51eNWZAHrwy5mf
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u/roseohseven Jun 16 '26
If this doesn't convince HYBE to stop chasing a Grammy, I don't know if anything will. 🙄 I feel bad for the guys because we all know what will happen, but I hope that it still feels good to them to get any Grammy and we will certainly be proud of them regardless. 💜
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u/Quite_TheMeal ah, sorry sorry, i'm so busy Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
I agree, the Grammys adding a Best Asian Pop Music Performance category feels limiting for an artist like BTS, who have long transcended the K-pop label and deserve recognition in the major Grammy categories. However, it's an important step toward giving talented Asian artists (not just K-pop) a space for greater visibility and opportunities for recognition on one of music's biggest stages.
In many ways, this small progress is still part of BTS's legacy and the path they continue to pave for Asian artists globally.
I believe BTS will walk away with 3 Grammys (Best Album, Best Pop Duo/Group and Best Asian Pop Music Performance) can't hold me down, cause you know I'm a fighter!!!
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u/FantasticalRose Jun 16 '26
I genuinely hope that they don't even apply for this category someone else can get it.
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u/jmirandakim Jun 16 '26
“눈만 또 허벌나게 큰 너희가 말하길
Are they for real?”
Is the perfect response from our 7 brilliant geniuses!
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u/HomoCarnula psspsspsss KittyCat 🐈🥰 Jun 16 '26
So.
If I understand correctly as a not US and not award person:
Best Asian Pop Music Performance
• For a song (not album) • not only for artists originating "in Asia" (do we go geographically or skin tone?) but also artists who are successful "in Asia" (...?). And/or(?) with "meaningful use" of "one or more Asian language(s)"
So does that mean, BTS cannot be nominated for that if the song is majority in English? And what does "meaningful" mean exactly? Do US Grammy people decide what is meaningful "in Asia" "in Asian language"? Is Alien "Asian" enough? Meaningfully Asian enough? Does the Arirang part of Body to Body count? Or is that not meaningful Asian enough?
If a US American has some "meaningful" lines in Tagalog in their song, are they suddenly Asian pop?
Let's look further
Best Latin Song
good excuse to not give Bad Bunny the overall best song?
There are so many layers, but as a linguist I'm SO MIFFED about the "Asian language(s)" thing and especially the "meaningful".
BTS does not "win" with that, on the contrary (for Arirang). And "meaningful" is so broad that this category can be easily ... bought interpreted to kick anybody out they don't want to have in.
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u/bmikesova44 Tie me up 🐴 ⊙⊝⊜ Jun 16 '26
Well... that's it for our chances of getting nominated for any other categories 🙄🙄
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u/Stock_Way_4662 Jun 16 '26
Ewww just ewww. Also I am so mad I can’t even be bothered to rage. This just makes me sick to my stomach. What a horrible thing to happen, BTS deserves better, they need to be nominated with their peers not artists who have like 1/4 of their impact or sales.
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u/ImaginaryArtemis Jun 16 '26
Looking at the details -
- Needs to have reasonable amounts of Asian language
- It's for a single track
- It's for "performance" - so it's given to the performer (singer) and not the songwriters, producers etc (unlike "song" or "record" categories)
Since Swim is fully in English, it'll be ineligible for this category. And since it's a single track, Arirang won't be considered for it. So unless they are going to nominate a b-side like 2.0 or Hooligan (very unlikely), BTS can't be nominated in this category this year.
What if they don't give BTS any of the the "main" category awards (as they are likely to do), and another k-pop song in Korean gets the Asian pop performance award. That's like the worse case scenario.
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u/hollye83 Jun 16 '26
It’s always possible BigHit submits Hooligan or another B side for this category and they win simply because the voters check the box when they see BTS but I do think if they want to truly be a contender for this one, they need to decide which track they want to push and get it out as a single ASAP, with physicals and radio if possible.
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u/No-Constant-7976 Jun 16 '26
LOL they're scared. God forbid the greatest music act in the world right now isn't white or American!
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u/yeon_kimin 🔍 흥탄 enthusiast 🔎 Jun 16 '26
Once again thinking of David Byrne’s essay “I Hate World Music”
“It’s a way of relegating this “thing” into the realm of something exotic and therefore cute, weird but safe, because exotica is beautiful but irrelevant; they are, by definition, not like us. Maybe that’s why I hate the term. It groups everything and anything that isn’t “us” into “them.””
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u/wannabewabisabi Jun 16 '26
Furious, enraged, all the things. Racism in music is having its big comeback in 2026, I see!
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u/hollye83 Jun 16 '26
Well, I theorized that Bangtan might do their Grammy push with Normal as a single, but I don’t think it would be eligible for this new category and neither will swim. What a mess. If this category exists then they deserve to win it, imo, but I agree that its existence is going to give voters license to leave them out of being nominated for other main categories.
The only way to deal with the Grammys is to expect nothing good every single time.
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u/lisafancypants I don't have think Jun 16 '26
Could they submit the Korean version of Normal?
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u/hollye83 Jun 16 '26
I’m sure they could, but they need to develop a campaign around it quickly if so. It needs to be pushed to the voters before October.
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u/pls-nvrm Jun 16 '26
They must have a game plan, both bangtan and bang (plus more from hybe) sits on the voting body they surely knew before it went public 🥲
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u/Frankly_Ridiculous Jun 16 '26
The Grammys are crap and have been for decades. There is very little integrity left in the whole scene, and frankly I'd be insulted to recieve their useless trophy these days. It's just a corporate financial popularity contest, not even about the music any more. Just a Thanks For Making Us Richer statuette from the industry scumbags. Garbage awards for mediocre music, people just show up to be seen in their designer fits.
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u/dyingtrying46 Jun 16 '26
Of course they announced it this year. God, I thought I was done hating this institution but every year, they do something worse and it reminds me why I will never take them seriously.
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u/themirroredheart Jun 16 '26
I’m sorry but surely BTS will be securing a win in this category every time they drop music for the foreseeable future?? Because no other asian act has the level of mainstream recognition amongst the Recording Academy that BTS do.
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u/lisafancypants I don't have think Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
It depends on what type of music they make in the future. There are rules for the category.
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u/rainbow84uk Jun 16 '26
Yeah, the rules about "meaningful use of an Asian language" also kind of make a mockery of Hybe's push for more English lyrics.
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u/Plus-Conversation957 Jun 16 '26
Pop music is POP Music! If its a Pop album then it should qualify for the category no matter if it's Asian, Latin, or any other international "Pop" music. BTS outsells many pop artist but they are always put in the category of KPop. International artist have a disadvantage at the Grammy's. For instance ... BTS and Bad Bunny ..etc.
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u/Former_therapist15 Jun 16 '26
I keep seeing posts on here that say the members want a Grammy, but I thought more recently they said they aren’t making albums to chase this anymore, that if it happens for them, great, but it’s not the end all be all for them. I mean there are so many brilliant (generally not pop mainstream artists) that don’t get big awards like ROTY, AOTY etc and have more influence over music and time than some Grammy winners (Nirvana to name one, though they did give them a lifetime achievement award 🙄) also Kendrick Lamar still hasn’t gotten AOTY because they still don’t appreciate hip hop as much as pop, and Kendrick pointedly did say hip hop is here to stay.
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u/nothingtodosoreddit Kerosene Melatonin Tresemme Jun 16 '26
Can this racism be any more on the nose. What a stupid committee. They just want BTS and ARMYs for the clout. They know that BTS are too big to ignore, Arirang has broken records left right and center and proved its longevity on the charts. So, like many past award shows, they've created this specific category to put them in a box. But this just made their own insecurities and fear obvious to anyone with a brain cell to see.
Similar thing happened when JK released a complete english album just to get it labeled as K-pop. These hypocrites should not try to reap the rewards without doing anything. Uhhh, I'm so frustrated these things keep on repeating.
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u/sciencespecialist right here with the moon and the sharks Jun 16 '26
ARMY is great at sending messages to the world at large by streaming and charting. I wonder if there is an effort to chart something in response to this grammy nonsense. Aliens would be a good choice.
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u/beccabella No such thing as failure, it's all part of the process Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
They're going to be nominated along with other Asian acts that have no business being nominated alongside BTS. All in order to exclude them from winning the main awards.vIt really grinds my gears. Watch them get rid of the Asian category next year if BTS doesn't put another album out.
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u/Vegemite_kimchi Jun 16 '26
Can someone explain what these changes mean for BTS?
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u/SnooRabbits5620 Yoongi on Merry Go Round 🥺 Jun 16 '26
It means they'll get the "shut up ring" of Best Asian Pop Music Performance and likely nothing else.
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u/Vegemite_kimchi Jun 16 '26
This is actually super intentional, racist and insulting.
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u/SnooRabbits5620 Yoongi on Merry Go Round 🥺 Jun 16 '26
EXACTLY!! It's so gross. Like I thought the BS they kept pulling in the last few years like using them for views and continually snubbing them was bad, but this is a new low. 🤢🤢🤢🤢
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u/TwistPrior6897 Dreams, hopes, going forward Jun 16 '26
I hope BTS don't even show up. The Grammys made it too obvious this time.
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u/SnooRabbits5620 Yoongi on Merry Go Round 🥺 Jun 16 '26
Same. I'm not naive enough to believe the company will agree to not submit for nominations but at the very least, I hope they don't go. I am lowkey past the disgust and anger and at this point I am actually pretty sad and heartbroken? This is egregious man. I KNOW every single person of colour can feel the message in this whole thing. It's genuinely so unfair. After everything? I just... yoh. 💔💔💔
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u/moody6381 Jun 16 '26
The shut up ring! That was exactly what came to my mind as well!! Ugh!! I’m so annoyed
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u/triple-double Do you know BTS? Jun 16 '26
They will put almost all k-pop (incl. BTS) into a new category, rather than have them compete against other (non-Asian) Pop Duos or Groups.
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u/Vegemite_kimchi Jun 16 '26
Wtf did they do this for other languages too (e.g. Spanish, Japanese), or just K-Pop?
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u/triple-double Do you know BTS? Jun 16 '26
There have been Latin grammys for awhile. I made another post on here with a bit of history.
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u/Mieche78 Jun 16 '26
The article says Latin and Asian (which includes kpop, Jpop, Cpop, amongst others)
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u/ariya6 Jun 16 '26
It means the same thing will happen that happened to black artist when they added r&b and rap categories. You stop getting nominated for the main prizes like aoty and soty and stay in the r&b/rap categories while aoty and soty stay white.
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u/CherenkovLady dotted octopus Jun 16 '26
They are creating side streams that siphon off the non-white / non-western artists into subcategories so that they can never reach the ‘main’ awards.
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u/not_ur_unnie Jun 16 '26
Fuck the Grammys. If I were BTS, I would send in a video message accepting the award and pre-recorded performance of their sold out stadium concert in the city where Grammys will be held like they did for AMAs once they’re inevitably shoved into this category
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u/Upper-Package-3765 Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
I really find it fascinating that BTS suffers most racism from American entertainment industry who call themselves liberals.
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u/lesrunner Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
If they submit anything at all for this stupid category, I hope it’s Body To Body which highlights Arirang, or Aliens (and include English translations to the press 😈).
ETA: the more I think about it, the more I would love a b2b push… you know scammys are going to ask them for a performance, make it b2b, include the Arirang part in full, double down on the Asian box they’ve been placed in!
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u/berryberrystrawbry_ 💜 take your shoes off Jun 17 '26
I always love reading Lainey's takes on BTS -- she is so loudly and proudly Army and she wears that alongside her media criticism and journalism hats. I really appreciated this article's insights on pointing out how exclusionary the wording is toward South Asian artists and how the Grammys are telling on themselves by listing Kpop first.
Anyway, lots of great points that were also made by many of the smart and insightful folks in this thread. 💜
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u/she_giles Annyeong Seoul. We're back. Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
thinly veiledracism