Grammys removes BTS' videos following boycott
BTS performs during a halftime show for the World Cup final match between Spain and Argentina in East Rutherford, N.J., July 19. AP-Yonhap
The Recording Academy, the host of the Grammy Awards, has sparked backlash after removing historic performance videos of BTS from its official website, shortly after the superstar K-pop band announced it would not submit its music to the music awards for next year.
On the official Grammys website, live recordings of the group’s hit songs "Dynamite" from 2021 and "Butter" from 2022 were no longer accessible.
While these videos can still be viewed on the group's official channels, their absence from the Grammys site has raised questions among fans. The Recording Academy has not commented on the change.
The quiet video removals came immediately after all seven members of BTS issued a joint statement on July 29 confirming they will not submit any music for the 69th Grammy Awards, set for Feb. 7, 2027.
"We decided not to submit our work for the upcoming Grammy Awards," the group said. "We hope that music can be appreciated and loved for what it is, without being divided by region or language."
The group’s boycott is widely seen as a protest against the Recording Academy’s newly established Best Asian Pop Music Performance category.
Announced just two months before the submission deadline on Aug. 28, the category requires songs to feature at least one Asian language to qualify. Because BTS’ recent studio album “ARIRANG” features mostly English tracks, critics argued the rule was created to keep Asian acts out of major categories like Song of the Year.
BTS performs during a halftime show for the World Cup final match between Spain and Argentina in East Rutherford, N.J., July 19. AP-Yonhap
The controversy quickly sparked support from major cultural leaders in Korea. Among them was Ted Chung, CEO of Hyundai Card, a prominent music enthusiast who has curated Seoul’s major concert series featuring top global artists and backed the band’s decision.
"Is it a misunderstanding to see this as isolating Asian musicians into their own separate box?" Chung wrote on social media.
"By this logic, should Bad Bunny or Ricky Martin also be separated and only given Latin music awards? Most BTS songs use English, so how does that fit? I have never heard of dividing music by language."
Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. attempted to defuse the controversy, expressing respect for the group's choice while defending the new category as a way to expand recognition for Asian artists.
"I am saddened to hear that BTS has chosen not to participate in the Grammy Awards process this year, but as a music creator, I understand and respect their decision," Mason said in a statement.
Music industry insiders point out potential downsides to regional categories, arguing that dedicated subcategories might keep artists based outside the U.S. within specific boundaries. From this perspective, separate subcategories could lead to the ghettoization of non-Western music, limiting these artists from gaining full recognition.
Following the video removals, BTS fans around the world began re-uploading the missing clips across social media. Many users pointed out that deleting videos from a website does not change the band’s past accomplishments on the Grammy stage.