JYP Entertainment has declared that Stray Kids did not submit any music for the 2027 Grammy Awards, several weeks following BTS’ decision to do the same.

According to the BBC and Billboard, in response to continued questions the company stated that the group had not submitted any songs for consideration during the submission period. This means that they will not be up for any awards – including the new Best Asian Pop Performance category.

Since the unveiling of the category, fans, artists and industry professionals alike have raised concerns over the limitations implicated in its submission terms. While reportedly intending to recognise “artistic excellence in Asian pop music performances,” it refers to the “meaningful use of one or more Asian languages” as a requirement and complicates the definition of Asian pop music. As genres such as K-pop, J-pop, C-pop and P-pop grow in popularity globally, English lyrics are becoming more and more common, but the Grammys’ category excludes these songs from nominations. Instead, the “meaningful” use of Asian languages is used as the determiner, and one that is largely unclear.

Not only that, but the category prompts concern regarding its impact on songs that would have been significant contenders for mainstream awards like Album Of The Year and Song Of The Year. The Best Asian Pop Performance distinction means that any submissions are more likely to receive this award rather than one of the primary titles, while Western artists do not face the same separation.

BTS announced their withdrawal from the Grammy awards in July. A statement shared to the members’ Instagram stories read: “We have decided not to submit to the Grammys this year. We hope music can be heard and embraced for what it is, beyond region or language. Thank you to ARMY and everyone continues to support us.” Given the specific mention of “region or language,” the statement was assumed to be a direct response to the creation of the region-based and language-based Best Asian Pop Performance category. Their fifth studio album ARIRANG was initially considered one of the primary contenders for both mainstream awards and the new award, even despite the all-English title track “NORMAL” excluded.

Now, Stray Kids are following suit. At the THIS & THAT press conference in August, member HYUNJIN answered a question surrounding the recent news of BTS’s decision indirectly: “we have never once set award results or records as our goal,” he said, “our top priority is for our fans to be happy and satisfied.” As a result, this news is not necessarily surprising – but coming mere hours after Grammys CEO Harvey Mason Jr confirmed that the category will go ahead, it still does make an impact.

The group are regarded as one of the current powerhouses of the industry and marked as one of BTS’ major competitors when it comes to international awards in particular, with the success of their albums worldwide along with prominent world tours. However, they firstly face the same issue as BTS regarding the prominence of the English language in many of their key tracks. And, despite otherwise having remained silent regarding the implications of the category’s region-based terms, this decision carries implications of its own that likely align with BTS’ more explicit declaration.

With two primary contenders removed, the category is thrown open to other artists who have not indicated whether or not they have submitted songs for consideration. Whoever receives the award will make history as the first to top the Best Asian Pop Performance category, but will do so knowing that major artists were not in the running and will find themselves in the midst of these difficult conversations.

At the same time, for the Grammy awards as a whole, it prompts further discussion over how the category will fare in the future. Harvey Mason Jr stated that “by far, the loudest feedback [they] heard was from people who were enthusiastic supporters of the category,” but also acknowledged that it “will not satisfy everyone.” There are possibilities for the category to be reworked, even if that does not take place until the following year.

Nominations for the Grammy awards will be publicly announced on November 16, 2026, ahead of the ceremony scheduled for February 2027.