Members of K-pop powerhouse BTS say they will not submit their music for consideration at the 2027 Grammy Awards.
All seven BTS members — RM, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, V, Jung Kook and Jin — shared a coordinated message announcing the apparent boycott.
"We hope our music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language," it read.
"We thank Army and everyone who has always stood by us."
Wednesday's announcement came just over a month after the Recording Academy, the organisation that hosts the Grammy Awards, introduced five new categories.
Among the newly created categories is an award for the best Asian pop music performances, which some fans claim is a racialised barrier for Asian performers.
In a statement reported by Variety and Billboard, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr said he was "saddened" but "understands" the groups' decision to boycott the 69th Grammys.
Mr Mason, who was appointed CEO of the Recording Academy in 2021, said "the Asian pop category was created to celebrate the depth, diversity and extraordinary growth of pop artistry coming out of Asia".
He also said "recognition in a genre category and recognition in the general field are not mutually exclusive. An artist can absolutely pursue both."
After BTS's announcement, HYBE — the talent management agency representing the K-pop group among others — said the boycott was not a company-level decision.
"If other artists under our agency wish to submit entries, we plan to proceed with the submissions as scheduled," the agency said in a statement.
BTS has never won a Grammy, though they have been nominated for five: three times in the best pop duo/group performance category as well as album of the year (for their contributions to Coldplay's Music of the Spheres) and best music video for Yet to Come.
In fact, no K-pop act had ever won a Grammy before this year, when Golden from the Netflix animated film KPop Demon Hunters took home the trophy for best song for visual media. It capped a highly visible night for K-pop at the Grammys — an institution where the genre has long been under-celebrated despite its massive international following.
In March, BTS returned after a nearly four-year musical hiatus.
ARIRANG, the 14-track, critically acclaimed fifth studio album from the septet, served as both a reintroduction to the band after its members completed South Korea's mandatory military service and as a keen reminder of their place atop popular culture conversation.
Representatives for the Recording Academy did not immediately respond to The Associated Press' request for comment.