[Edaily Starin YUN GI BACK Reporter] The boycott of the Grammy Awards by the group BTS appears to be leading to discussions about actual changes to the awards system. This comes as the Recording Academy, which had previously defended the newly created “Best Asian Pop Music Performance” category, has left open the possibility of reconsidering the category just about a fortnight later.

According to a report by Billboard on the 14th (local time), Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. acknowledged in a recent statement that some artists feel the new category does not adequately represent their music. He stated that the Academy would strive to ensure musicians feel respected and also mentioned the possibility of improving the process for creating new award categories.
◇About a fortnight after the BTS boycott… A changed Grammy
This change is noteworthy because it comes after BTS announced on the 29th of last month that they would not submit their work to the Grammys. At the time, BTS conveyed a message that they hoped music would be accepted for its own merits rather than being categorized by region or language. Major international media outlets, including Reuters, The Guardian, and The Washington Post, also covered this in connection with the controversy surrounding the creation of the Asian Pop category.

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Initially, the Recording Academy actively defended the rationale behind the new category. CEO Mason explained that the Asian Pop category was not intended to “segregate” music but rather to highlight the diversity and excellence of Asian music. He also emphasized that artists submitting entries to this category would not be excluded from competing for major awards such as “Album of the Year.”
However, the tone shifted within about half a month. The Academy went beyond simply explaining its intentions and mentioned the possibility of reexamining not only the category’s composition but also the procedures for creating new award categories.
It is reported that the Academy is currently exchanging views with artists, labels, and management representatives from the K-pop, J-pop, C-pop, and Indian music industries, including HYBE.
Rolling Stone also noted the Grammys’ shift in stance. The publication reported that while CEO Mason had actively explained the rationale for the new category immediately following BTS’s boycott, he recently acknowledged that some artists feel the category does not adequately represent their music.
NME also reported that following BTS’s boycott, the Grammys might reconsider the Asian Pop category. About two weeks after BTS refused to submit entries, the Grammys have expanded their dialogue with the industry and begun reviewing the system itself, and the controversy appears to be spreading beyond the absence of a single group to a broader question of the appropriateness of the award category.

◇ “Asian Pop” as a Separate Category: Diversity or Segregation?
The debate has now shifted beyond the question of “Is an award for Asian music necessary?” to “Do Asian artists themselves—the very people it’s intended for—perceive the award as truly meant for them?” Even if the intent is to highlight Asian music, it will be difficult to resolve the controversy based solely on the rationale for creating the new category if the musicians themselves feel it fails to adequately represent their music.
This is where the significance of BTS’s decision lies. As BTS—which has been nominated for the Grammys multiple times and has expressed a desire to win—has chosen not to participate in the competition at all, the debate has expanded from “Can BTS win a Grammy?” to “What criteria will the Grammys use to categorize global pop?”
Given that K-pop is already competing with mainstream pop on global digital and album charts as well as in major concert markets, the essence of this controversy lies in whether creating a separate category based on the regional criterion of “Asia” truly expands diversity or merely creates another barrier.
The Recording Academy has not yet finalized the abolition or restructuring of the Asian Pop category. However, it is clear that the organization has shifted from defending the original rationale for the category’s creation to a phase of reconsidering the system after hearing industry feedback. Whether the category’s name, eligibility requirements, and judging criteria will actually change is expected to determine the outcome of this controversy.