lea⁷ will be seeing BTS 🪭

i could spend a lifetime watching you, @BTS_twt

[방탄소년단 @BTS_twt]

Teamwork makes the dream work.

[⁶·¹³ 전정국 / 방탄소년단 ⟭⟬⁷⊙⊝⊜🪭 @JeonJungKookUy]

Nunca voy a superar la sonrisa tan grande de yoongi cuando se encontró con que en el público estaban Hobi y Seokjin apoyándolo en su concierto 😭

@bts_twt

[tan⁷ ༊·˚ @kooyuties]

the best part of arirang era is seeing bts realize that their impact had already outgrown every label and category people tried to put them in 🤍

[ak ⁷ | BigDicktan Sonyeondan @Bangtan_Caramel]

Imagine if the Oscars had a ‘Best Asian Actor’ award

[IndiaToday @IndiaToday]

Dear Grammys, BTS' legacy never needed validation | @filmybugB

For over a decade, the question surrounding BTS was always the same: When will they win a Grammy? Perhaps we were asking the wrong question. Because after everything BTS have achieved, the more interesting one is this: What happens when the world’s biggest band decides it no longer needs to ask for a seat at the table?

In a unified statement shared across all seven members’ Instagram accounts, RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook wrote, “We have decided not to enter the Grammys this year. I hope music itself can be heard and loved rather than being distinguished by region or language.”

Three sentences only, and it may well be the most consequential statement the group has made about the global music industry in years.

#BTS #Grammys

https://t.co/3KU0NEXOcA

[lea⁷ will be seeing BTS 🪭 @bangtanluvxj]

🥹🥹🥹

[mami 🪭 @tolovetochange]

sono certa che yoongi abbia trovato qualcosa di molto più prezioso di un grammy :)

[jane verá a bts @_kookismine]

yo buscando esos artistas asiáticos más grandes que bts

[♡ @amlysbang]

The fact that the Recording Academy people sat in a boardroom, looked at the most culturally, linguistically and musically diverse continent on Earth, and concluded that the solution was to throw everyone into one "Asian Pop" category is exactly why this deserves criticism.

And then to turn around and say this category was created to "bring us closer" is ABSURD. Segregation has never brought people closer. Separate categories don't create equality, they create separate standards of recognition.

Expressing disappointment in BTS for refusing to legitimize that system completely misses the point. If one of the biggest Asian artists in history says, "We don't want to be separated from everyone else," maybe the response should not be to accuse them of chasing press.

No one is saying Asian artists deserve less recognition. They're saying they deserve the exact same opportunity to compete for the industry's highest honors without being boxed into a category based on geography or ethnicity.

If your first instinct when discussing an entire continent is to create a separate lane instead of removing barriers from the main one, then you've fundamentally misunderstood what inclusion is supposed to look like.

[Tri⁷ @raplinekive]

Lyricism so goated it criticized the system before it even happened to them.

[faiꪆৎ @myyouwithjk]

one thing about hobi? he is gonna update us 🥹

[⊹ ࣪ ˖ @nyhsjtjbts]

bts has been telling the world since they entered the industry but no one was listening so i guess they had to be loud seven times

[reading⁷ @agustdreads]

life after rejecting the grammys ☀️🌈🌬🍑🍃✨️

[mehreen⁷ @taytanniess]

today bts taught us that dreams are worth pursuing, but dignity is worth defending.

[정국 @koostrous]

maturing is realising that the grammys do not mean shit and labels literally buy them for their artists

[ِ @seokaven]

“achievements and results are important, but i think if our music can make many people happy, then better results will naturally follow. we’ll always repay you with good music, so please continue to look forward to us.”

one thing about seokjin he never runs out of wokeism

[Livheartt⁷ met hobi | ㉧㉣㉣ | 🦢🤍 @Livheartt]

Sitting with family members talking about BTS vs grammys.

And a cousin of mine said, “i actually dont understand why it’s such a big deal. Just accept the award and move on. They want to give it to them right? So just take it.”

I’ll pause here to say that it made my blood boil to high heaven hearing that.

A little backstory. This cousin of mine is doing her phd fellowship in marine microbial something or other. She’s always been too prissy to explain it claiming we won’t get it anyway. A whole other issue entirely.

So I said to her, “you’re doing all this work for your phd right. You’re the best in your field. On the verge of a breakthrough. And you’re about to be awarded for your contribution. The Nobel Prize. Or the Crafoord Prize. Hypothetically. Wouldn’t that be an honour? Of course it would. Now, think about the fact that, just before they decide to honour you with that, *gasp* they realise you’re Asian and far beyond qualified compared to some of their darling non-Asian candidates that were a shoe-in. So in an effort, to placate you instead of giving you the award you were promised. They create a whole new one. Just to sideline you in there. The Asian Nobel Prize. Or the Asian Crafoord Prize. How would that make you feel?”

Her face contorted into this beautiful web of confusion. While all my other cousins around us who were also having this conversation with us went dead silent.

She then proceeded to say, “that wouldn’t make any sense. My field work as a microbial marine biologist should not be accredited to where I’m from. If my finding is a breakthrough, then it’s a breakthrough to all. Not just Asia.”

Me: exactly. And that is the point bts is trying to make. That their music and their contribution to the artistry of being musicians should not be accredited to the fact that they are Asian. Music is music. They are global artists. They are mainstream global artists. Sidelining them to secondary, segregatory categories is not acceptable. They should not have to stand for it. Just like how you would not stand for it in your field of work. Qualification of awards should be measured by merit. Not by geographical borders. And to add to what you said earlier. Why not just take the award. What message do you think that would send to the institution that are trying to normalise and camouflage discrimination as inclusion? It would just give them the leverage to keep doing it to others. To keep doing it to bts. So when is enough enough?”

Silence. By this point most of them either checked out of the conversation or just didn’t want to refute me further.

But at the very least I got them all pondering. And also got the prissy high and mighty one to stfu once and for all 😤 which was my end goal anyway. lol.

She’s never talking to me again I bet. A win is a win.

[BTS Charts & News @btschartsxdaily]

#JHOPE via Instagram Story 💜

[♡ @amlysbang]

A note to ARMY.

For the first time in a long time, I feel... liberated. Liberated because our boys are finally free.

No military enlistment hanging over their heads. No pressure to prove they belong. No need to seek validation from institutions. Just seven artists creating the music they want to create, on their own terms for their fans.

BTS have spent their entire career refusing to take the easy road. They've challenged expectations since debut. They've questioned the status quo instead of conforming to it. And today feels like another reminder of who they've always been.

I hope we, as ARMY, trust them. I hope we stop assuming that every opportunity like playlisting and radio is a missed opportunity. Sometimes choosing not to do something is the strongest statement an artist can make.

It's easy to look at what other artists receive and wonder why BTS don't have the same advantages. But not every advantage comes without a cost. The industry isn't built on free favors. Every system asks for something in return. BTS have shown, time and time again, that there are some things they simply won't compromise, their integrity and principles are their priority.

So let's not spend our energy dwelling on what could have been. Let's pour it into what has always made this fandom extraordinary. Stream because you love the music. Buy because you believe in the artistry. Promote because you want more people to experience what BTS have created. Not because it's an obligation. Not because it's a job. But because it's love.

One thing I hope we never lose as a fandom is our willingness to speak up against injustice. Silence has never changed an industry. Progress has always come from people who were willing to question unfair systems and demand better. So let's keep adapting. Let's keep evolving. Let's NOT feel defeated. Let's keep amplifying BTS' artistry, supporting every release, and meeting every challenge with even greater determination. We don't play by the industry's expectations but we rise above them. And every time BTS reach new heights on their own terms, we remind the world that integrity and excellence will always outlast prejudice.

BTS will keep making art. We'll keep showing up. We'll keep amplifying their work. We'll keep aiming high. And we'll keep proving that a community built on genuine love and respect will always outlast any trend, award, or institution.

[seeingbtsinamonth💜 @orul8ce]

Grammy-winning R&B legend and original Broadway The Wiz star Stephanie Mills🔥🔥👏👏👏👏 showed her support for BTS by sharing Rolling Stone India’s post about BTS pulling ARIRANG from Grammy consideration, calling their decision “so brave” and saying, “I admire these young men💛” 💜👏👏👏

[t⁷ for BTS @taesoothe]

only 4 months since release... oh Arirang, the megahit album that you are

[seeingbtsinamonth💜 @orul8ce]

Kathy Khang an American author best known for Raise Your Voice and Loving Disagreement, books about faith, justice, and navigating difficult conversations. She also showed her support for BTS’ Grammy boycott🔥🔥👏👏