Stray Kids Confirm They Did Not Submit Music for 2027 Grammys, Joining BTS Boycott

When Stray Kids released their EP "This & That" in August, the album became the group's ninth No. 1 on the Billboard 200, a record among groups second only to The Beatles. The eight-piece act had also recently become the first K-pop band to headline Rock in Rio and was invited to join the Recording Academy as voting members this year. But when the Grammy submission window closed on August 28, the group had entered nothing.

JYP Entertainment confirmed the omission on Friday, telling outlets including Variety and BBC that Stray Kids did not submit any music for the 69th Grammy Awards. The agency offered no explanation, but the decision arrives in direct response to the Recording Academy's new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category, which will debut at the 2027 ceremony. Stray Kids now join BTS, which announced its own boycott in July, in withholding their catalog from consideration.

The new category, announced in June, is meant to recognize "artistic excellence in Asian pop music performances originating from or widely recognized within Asian markets." But critics argue it segregates K-pop artists from mainstream fields like Album of the Year. BTS articulated that concern in its July statement: "We hope that music will be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being categorized by region or language."

Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. acknowledged the backlash but confirmed on Thursday that the category would proceed as planned. "We heard candid feedback from people in our community who don't support the continuation of this category," he said in a statement. "But by far, the loudest feedback we heard was from people who were enthusiastic supporters of the category."

The boycott deprives the Academy of two of the most commercially successful Asian pop acts in Western history. Stray Kids have topped the Billboard 200 twice in the past year alone, with November's "DO IT" and August's "THIS & THAT." All eight members were selected as Recording Academy voting members this year, meaning they will be eligible to vote on Grammy nominees and winners even while their own music sits out the ballot.

The controversy has drawn attention beyond the two groups. ATEEZ leader Kim Hong-joon told Variety he respected BTS's stance: "I agree a little with what BTS did. I'd love to think about that too... No one can recognize the real reason they tried to make that category." With nominations set to be announced on December 10, the industry will see whether other Asian pop acts followed suit.