Stray Kids have scored nine No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200, and every one of their eight members was invited to vote in the Grammys this year. But their own music won’t be on the ballot. On Friday, JYP Entertainment confirmed the group did not submit anything for the 2027 Grammy Awards, putting the Stray Kids Grammys question to rest just weeks before voting begins.
That makes Stray Kids the second K-pop superstar act, after BTS, to sit out the 69th Grammys. Both decisions landed in the middle of a fight over the Recording Academy’s brand-new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category. Here’s what happened, what each side has actually said, and what comes next.
Updated Sunday, October 4, 2026.
Stray Kids Grammys News: What JYP Confirmed
On October 2, JYP Entertainment told outlets including the BBC and Variety that Stray Kids had not submitted music for consideration. Digital Music News reported the agency’s statement simply: “Stray Kids did not submit for the Grammys.”
That’s it. JYP gave no reason, and it didn’t say whether the new Asian pop category played a role. Neither the group nor its label has used the word “boycott,” even though many headlines have.
The decision was locked in weeks ago. According to the Recording Academy’s official calendar, the online entry period for the 2027 Grammys ran from July 7 to August 21, 2026. Music released between August 31, 2025, and August 28, 2026, was eligible. Anything not entered by the deadline can’t appear on the ballot, so Stray Kids can’t be nominated this cycle.
The timing that made it news
Why did the Stray Kids Grammys story only surface now? Korean outlet Sports Kyunghyang reported on October 2 that the group hadn’t entered anything. JYP confirmed it the same day, less than 24 hours after the Recording Academy announced it would keep the Asian pop category for 2027 despite the backlash.
The New Grammy Category at the Center of It All
The Recording Academy unveiled Best Asian Pop Music Performance on June 16 as one of five new awards for the 69th Grammys. In the Academy’s words, it honors “artistic excellence in Asian pop music performances originating from or widely recognized within Asian markets, including but not limited to K-pop, J-pop and C-pop, with meaningful use of one or more Asian languages.”
The fine print matters. Songs performed entirely in English are not eligible, according to allkpop’s reading of the rules.
Why critics call it a problem
Supporters see a dedicated spotlight for some of the world’s biggest-selling artists. Critics, including multiple South Korean artists and media outlets cited by Digital Music News, argue the category amounts to segregation that sidelines Asian acts from the major awards.
The core worry is simple. If K-pop gets its own box, will voters still take it seriously in Record, Album and Song of the Year?
The Academy’s response
Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. has pushed back hard. After BTS opted out in July, he wrote on Instagram, as reported by Music Business Worldwide: “More categories mean more artists’ work is recognized. It’s never to divide, but to expand who is recognized by our 15,000 Grammy voters.”
He also stressed that entering a genre category doesn’t stop an artist from competing in the General Field.
On October 1, after what the Academy called listening sessions with leaders of the Asian music community, Mason confirmed the category would stay. “We understand this conclusion will not satisfy everyone, and that never feels good,” he said, adding that the Academy is “confident it’s the right conclusion for the music community overall.” Sports Kyunghyang has since reported the category could be revised in the future, but nothing has been announced.
BTS Went First: The July 29 Decision
On July 29, all seven BTS members posted identical statements on Instagram. “We have decided not to submit to the Grammys this year,” they wrote, in a translation published by Music Business Worldwide. “We hope music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language.”
BTS never named the new category. But the timing, just over a month after it was announced, made the connection obvious to most fans.
The move keeps their chart-topping comeback album “Arirang” out of the race. Their label, HYBE, stressed the call was the group’s alone. “This is not a boycott at the company level,” a HYBE official told Korean media, adding that other HYBE artists would proceed with submissions.
BTS and the Grammys: five nominations, zero wins
BTS made history as the first K-pop act nominated for a Grammy, earning a Best Pop Duo/Group Performance nod for “Dynamite” at the 2021 ceremony. Across three ceremonies, they’ve racked up five nominations, including album of the year credit for their work on Coldplay’s “Music of the Spheres,” but they’ve never won. HYBE said the rule change came just as BTS looked most likely to finally take home a major award.
It’s been a big year for them anyway. BTS swept all three of their categories at the 2026 VMAs, a night we covered in our 2026 VMAs winners roundup.
What Stray Kids Said Before the Deadline
Stray Kids were asked about the Grammys directly in August, at a Seoul press conference for their 10th EP, “This & That.” They didn’t answer the question, but they didn’t dodge the topic entirely either.
“We’ve never once set out to make an album chasing a particular award or record,” Seungmin said, according to The Korea Herald. Hyunjin added that the group’s real goal was to prove “we can do ‘this and that’ – anything and everything,” and that above all, they wanted fans to be happy.
Music critic Lim Hee-yun told the Herald that “This & That” probably wouldn’t have been their strongest entry anyway. The EP came out in early August, just two weeks before the entry deadline, which left little time to build awards momentum.
Why the Stray Kids Grammys Decision Is a Big Deal
On paper, Stray Kids were one of the favorites for the new award. Here’s why their absence stands out:
- Chart power: “This & That” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the group’s ninth album to top the chart.
- Contender status: Billboard named Stray Kids among the leading contenders for Best Asian Pop Music Performance, and Gold Derby listed them in its early field.
- A change of course: According to The Statesman, Stray Kids were among the K-pop acts that submitted entries for the 68th Grammys last February.
- Voting rights: All eight members were invited this year to become Recording Academy voting members. They can help pick nominees and winners, even with no music of their own in the race.
For fans, the bottom line of the Stray Kids Grammys saga is that the new category’s first winner won’t be either of K-pop’s two biggest boy groups.
Who’s Left in the Race?
The inaugural field is taking shape without several of K-pop’s most famous names. BLACKPINK appears to be out too, but not by choice. According to allkpop, the group’s February 2026 mini album “Deadline” doesn’t qualify: “Jump” came out before the eligibility window and was already entered last year, and the other four tracks are entirely in English. Jennie’s solo EP “Fallen Angel,” released on the last day of eligibility, is also all English.
Gold Derby’s early list of possible contenders, per Music Business Worldwide, includes ATEEZ, Hearts2Hearts, HYBE’s CORTIS, the Philippines’ BINI and Japanese artists Ado and Kenshi Yonezu. As of Sunday morning, no other major act has publicly said it skipped the Grammys over the category.
Want to hear what else is competing for your attention this fall? Our New Music Friday roundup for October 2 covers the latest big releases.
After the Stray Kids Grammys Exit: Key Dates Ahead
Here’s the 2027 Grammy calendar, straight from the Recording Academy:
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Oct. 12-22, 2026 | First-round voting |
| Nov. 16, 2026 | Nominations announced |
| Dec. 10, 2026 – Jan. 7, 2027 | Final-round voting |
| Feb. 7, 2027 | 69th Grammy Awards, live on ABC, Disney+ and Hulu |
For the Stray Kids Grammys story, the big unknowns are whether the Academy tweaks the category for 2028, and whether BTS and Stray Kids come back if it does. HYBE has already signaled the door isn’t closed.
The Takeaway for Fans
This isn’t a feud with a villain. It’s a real disagreement over how the biggest music awards in the U.S. should recognize music that isn’t sung in English. The Academy says a dedicated category means more recognition. BTS and, by all appearances, Stray Kids would rather be judged alongside everyone else.
What to do now: Mark November 16 on your calendar to see how the first Asian pop field shakes out. Keep streaming the music you love, because chart history doesn’t need a trophy. And follow USA One News for updates as the Grammy race heats up.
