[Edaily Starin YUN GI BACK Reporter] The group BTS once again made clear its existing stance on the creation of the “Asian Pop” category at the Grammy Awards during their U.S. concert.

According to their agency, Big Hit Music, BTS held concerts as part of their “Arirang” world tour at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on the 1st and 2nd (local time), drawing a total audience of approximately 157,000 over the two days. The sold-out concerts drew attention not only for the music but also for the messages conveyed.
In particular, leader RM sang a modified version of the lyrics to their hit song “MIC Drop.” He electrified the venue with the revised lyrics: “The haters are just going to keep hating anyway, and we’re just going to keep doing our thing. We were born in Korea, and that’s why they don’t really know us.”
This lyric change is interpreted as BTS continuing to express on stage their existing stance—opposing the Grammy Awards’ creation of a new “Asian Pop” category and refusing to submit entries for the ceremony.
Previously, BTS had stated their intention not to submit entries, saying, “Music should be evaluated and loved based on the work itself, not on region or language,” in response to the Grammys’ creation of the new category.
Fans in attendance responded enthusiastically. Signs with slogans such as “BTS creates unity; the Grammys create division” were unfurled from the audience.
Along with this, “ALIENS”—a song that addresses the tendency to distinguish between outsiders and the mainstream—is also gaining renewed attention. Four months after its release, the song is rebounding in the music charts and is being re-examined in light of this recent controversy.
After wrapping up their New Jersey concert, BTS will continue their tour with the first-ever solo concert by a Korean artist at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts on the 5th and 6th (local time).