BTS’ announcement that the group would not submit its music for consideration for next year’s Grammy Awards has reignited debate over whether music should be judged beyond region and language – or whether race- and region-based award categories promote diversity or undermine the principle of evaluating music on its artistic merits.
In identical posts shared on their individual social media accounts, all seven members of BTS said they would forgo Grammy consideration in the hope that “music can be heard and embraced for what it is, beyond region or language”.
Stephanie Choi, an assistant professor of ethnomusicology at the University of Colorado Boulder, argued that categorising artistes by race rather than musical characteristics undermines the principle of equal evaluation.
“Considering how the category ‘Asian’ is attached not to musical elements but to the racial identification of artistes, and how race neither represents nor can rightfully represent cultural characteristics, there is no justification for the Grammys to employ such categorisation (‘best Asian pop music performance’) in the name of fairness,” Choi said.
“Rather, it risks institutionalising the assumption that Asian artistes require separate recognition instead of equal evaluation.”
BTS’ decision drew strong reactions from fans, some of whom viewed it as a principled stand against what they see as the Grammys’ tendency to categorise Asian artistes separately from the mainstream.
Criticism of the Grammys’ voting and award structure is long-standing. In 1989, members of the hip-hop community boycotted the ceremony after the newly created best rap performance category was excluded from the live telecast.
Jay-Z skipped the 1999 awards in support of DMX, while The Weeknd announced in 2021 that he would no longer submit his music after receiving no nominations for Blinding Lights and After Hours despite their critical and commercial success.
The Recording Academy defended the new category, saying it was intended to broaden recognition rather than segregate Asian artistes.
In a statement on Wednesday, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr said he respected the group’s decision but stressed that the new category was created “to celebrate the depth, diversity and extraordinary growth of pop artistry coming out of Asia.” — The Korea Herald/ANN
