Topline
The K-pop mega set BTS will not beryllium submitting their euphony for information astatine adjacent year's Grammy Awards successful an evident protestation against the Recording Academy’s determination to present a abstracted caller “Asian Pop” category, prompting the academy’s CEO Harvey Mason Jr. to take sides the caller class while saying he was “saddened” by the band’s decision.
The South Korean K-pop set BTS will execute during the halftime show astatine the FIFA World Cup final.
dpa/picture confederation via Getty Images
Key Facts
In statements issued via Instagram connected Wednesday, each of the band’s 7 members announced they person decided not to participate the Grammys this year.
The set members said they hoped that their euphony could beryllium “heard and loved for what it is, alternatively than being categorized by region aliases language,” according to a translator by Yonhap News.
The connection thanked their fans—who mention to themselves arsenic “ARMY”—for opinionated by the band.
Although the connection didn’t explicitly opportunity they were pulling retired of the Grammys successful protest, it comes amid concerns that the caller Asian Pop class whitethorn segregate celebrated Asian artists from the Grammys’ main categories.
The band’s determination to propulsion retired of the Grammys intends “ARIRANG”, their comeback medium aft each members completed South Korea’s mandatory subject service, will not beryllium successful contention for the awards.
“ARIRANG” topped the Billboard 200 charts for 2 consecutive weeks earlier this year, and the set is presently successful the mediate of a World Tour promoting the caller album.
What Have Grammy Awards Officials Said?
On Wednesday night, successful a connection shared pinch various outlets, the Recording Academy’s CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said: “I americium saddened to perceive that BTS has chosen not to participate successful the Grammy Awards process this year, but arsenic a euphony creator, I understand and respect their decision.” Mason past defended the Asian Pop category’s introduction, saying it was created to “celebrate the depth, diverseness and bonzer maturation of popular artistry coming retired of Asia.” He added that much categories let for much artists’ useful to beryllium recognized and the intent is not to “divide.” The Grammys leader besides noted that: “Submitting euphony successful a genre category…does not exclude an creator from besides submitting and being considered successful the General Field categories, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year…Recognition successful a genre class and nickname successful the General Field are not mutually exclusive. An creator tin perfectly prosecute both.”
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