Following massive backlash after all seven members of BTS released their statement about the upcoming Grammy Awards, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. broke his silence on the matter.
“I am saddened to learn 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,” he said in the statement.
“I want to clarify something that seems to be getting lost in the conversation,” he continued.
“The Asian Pop category was created to celebrate the depth, diversity and extraordinary growth of pop art from Asia. The spirit of this new category is to highlight these important artists. More categories means more artists’ work is recognized.”
He stressed that the introduction of the new category does not exclude any artist from submitting to one of the “General Domain” categories.
Grammy’s statement follows RM (real name Kim Namjoon), Jin (Kim Seokjin), Suga (Min Yoongi), J-Hope (Jung Hoseok), Park JiMin, V (Kim Taehyung) and Jeon Jungkook all shared a coordinated message on Wednesday via their Instagram Stories.
“We have decided not to participate in the Grammys this year,” it read. “I hope the music itself can be heard and loved rather than being distinguished by region or language. Thank you to the military and everyone for always being with me.”
This decision was made in light of the new categories introduced by the Grammys a month ago. The decision was praised not only by fans but also by critics. Music producers expressed solidarity with them, calling the move bold. Social media was flooded with overwhelming support.
Shortly after, fans had also noticed that the official Grammy YouTube had deleted previous performances during the award ceremony of Dynamite And Butter.
Despite the CEO’s statement, fans continue to criticize the recording academy for its “petty” moves and for “alienating” a continent’s entire music industry.
This isn’t the first time a successful artist has boycotted the Grammys. The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye), Eminem, Morgan Wallen, Drake and 50 Cent are some of the big names who have publicly called out the Recording Academy for its “bias.”
