"Most artists you interact with are children they're people who got money when they were young or came from money. BTS, on the other hand, are completely professional, completely straight-focused, and always working."
BTS' "ARIRANG" becomes the FASTEST album in history to have all of its songs surpass 200 MILLION streams.
— Achieving it in just 132 days, 2x faster than any other album in history.
do you know how fucking refreshing it is to see an artist stand their fucking ground against a gigantic fucking institution in 2026. I feel vindicated, not only as an ARMY, but as a human. BTS, you will be good. you were always gonna be good, but it only confirms it.
i dont think y’all realize how fucking cool it is to just openly announce you are not submitting for the grammys because of their mistreatment. it takes a lot to have that kind of courage. they said FUCK that racist organization. BTS are truly the most inspiring artists ever
BTS spent years opening doors that weren’t built for them. now they have the freedom to decide which ones are worth walking through. bts are truly living legends.
I don't think people fully understand the magnitude of this decision.
Some of the music industry's most respected producers, writers, engineers, and creatives worked on ARIRANG. A project built to the highest artistic standard. One producer even spoke publicly about hoping the album would receive Grammy recognition.
Then the Recording Academy introduced a category specifically for Asian pop.
And BTS chose not to submit.
Think about that. The biggest musical project of the year. One of the strongest commercial and artistic contenders. A project that could have competed across multiple major categories. It simply won't be in the race because the artists chose principle over prestige.
Moves like this don't happen often. When artists at BTS' level willingly walk away from the biggest stage in music, the conversation shifts because of what they refused to endorse.
bts choosing not to submit their music to the grammys in the one year they were almost certainly in a position to earn nominations is such a powerful statement.
the recording academy created a category to separate asian artists instead of recognizing them alongside their peers, reflecting a long-standing lack of respect and equal recognition for artists across an entire continent and the world.
bts lives and breathes music.
this decision isn’t just about them: it’s about standing up for fairness, dignity, and the artists who come after them. they’re taking a meaningful step not only for themselves, but for asian artists and the global music community as a whole.
I couldn’t be prouder.
BTS announces they will not submit their music for the 2027 GRAMMY awards, following the Recording Academy’s addition of an Asian-focused category:
“I hope music itself can be heard and loved rather than being distinguished by region or language.”