Grammys to Press On With Best Asian Pop Music Category in 2027 - Tempo.co English

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Recording Academy has confirmed that the Asian Pop Music Performance category will be included in the 2027 Grammy Awards.

Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said the decision followed discussions with various Asian music communities and that the new category would be presented at least at next year's Grammy Awards.

According to Variety on Thursday, October 1, Mason said the Recording Academy had held listening sessions and discussions with leaders from Asian music communities in recent weeks.

"In this case, we heard candid feedback from people in our community who don’t support the continuation of this category. We also heard from people who didn’t have accurate information about the category, and having space to clear up misperceptions has been especially valuable," Mason said, as quoted by Variety.

"But by far, the loudest feedback we heard was from people who were enthusiastic supporters of the category, fellow music creators expressing their encouragement for keeping it," he added.

Mason acknowledged that the Recording Academy's decision to retain the Asian Pop Music Performance category would not satisfy everyone.

“We understand this conclusion will not satisfy everyone, and that never feels good,” he said, while adding that the academy believes the decision is the right one for the music community as a whole.

“We look forward to celebrating the Asian Pop Music Performance nominees at the 2027 Grammy Awards,” Mason said.

The Recording Academy said it had received a significant number of submissions for consideration in the Asian Pop Music Performance category.

The planned category has drawn objections from some musicians who are concerned that it could contribute to music and artists being categorized based on region or language.

K-pop group BTS has said it will not participate in the 2027 Grammy Awards, citing its opposition to categorizing music based on region or language.

"We have decided not to enter the Grammys this year. I hope music itself can be heard and loved rather than being distinguished by region or language," BTS said in a statement, as cited by Time.

The group has received five Grammy nominations.