Grammys Plan to Introduce Asian Pop Category Despite BTS Decision

The Grammy Awards are expected to proceed with plans for a new Asian pop category, according to a report by U.S. entertainment outlet Variety. The news comes after BTS said it will not submit music for next year’s ceremony. The two developments place the group’s decision alongside the academy’s continued plans for the category.

Variety reported the update on Thursday, local time, citing Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. The available report says the academy intends to continue with the category, but does not provide further details about its plans or explain how the category would work. It also does not give a reason for BTS’s decision not to submit music.

The source describes the proposed category as controversial, but offers no information about the discussion surrounding it. It also does not specify whether BTS’s decision is connected to the category. For now, the reported points are that the Academy plans to introduce Asian pop recognition and that BTS will not submit music for next year’s awards. Further details were not included in the report excerpt.