BTS’ Grammy Decision: Was the Band Getting Ahead of Another Awards Show Sidelining? (Critic’s Take)
Categoria: Musica
The group's decision isn't a snub; it's recognition of a pattern the group has been navigating for years.
Por Billboard | 31/07/2026
On Wednesday (July 29), the seven members of BTS posted to their individual Instagram accounts a short, identical and pointedly undramatic statement : They will not submit their music for consideration at the upcoming 69th Grammy Awards. They shared their hope that “music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language.” No category was named and there was no mention of past Grammy experiences. BTS’ management company HYBE later clarified that this is “not a company-wide boycott” and neither the group nor the label asked anyone else to follow. Related Grammys Chief Responds to BTS’ Decision To Not Enter Its Songs for Consideration at 2027 Grammys 2027 Grammy Changes: 5 New Categories, More Lenient Rules on Best New Artist Eligibility and More HUNTR/X’s ‘Golden’ Marks First-Ever K-Pop Grammy Win The restraint is telling as BTS have long expressed their admiration and respect for the Grammys as an institution. This is not an artist reacting to a snub, but rather BTS recognizing the importance of making a statement before history repeats itself. In July 2019, the MTV Video Music Awards announced a new category, best K-pop, arriving after a period during which BTS had rewritten YouTube’s record books without a single nomination to show for it. At that point, BTS had already broken the record for the most-watched music video within 24 hours on the platform, with “IDOL” garnering 45.9 million views in August 2018, and it went on to become the fastest music video that year to surpass 100 million views on YouTube. Those stats put BTS squarely alongside artists like Eminem , Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande , all of whom already had multiple wins at the VMAs in long-standing categories like video of the year for both Em and Swift, while Grande had two wins for best pop video. When BTS’ recognition finally came, it arrived in a new category — one many saw as being built specifically to hold them. Of course, BTS won the award for best K-pop for their “Boy With Luv” music video featuring Halsey (which also rewrote the 24-hour YouTube record with 74.6 million views in a day), as well as the fan-voted best group category. What they did not receive was a nod in any of the ceremony’s long-running marquee races. How they could corral the most excitement and attention for any music video that year, but not even be listed as a potential contender for video or pop video of the year at the world’s biggest music video ceremony? Yes, we're still running the numbers, but we can confirm that #BoyWithLuv (ft. @Halsey ) is now *officially* the most-viewed 24 hour debut in @YouTube history!! Congratulations @bts_bighit 🎉 Enjoy @nbcsnl tonight! pic.twitter.com/xC8vHs27Nu — YouTube Music (@youtubemusic) April 14, 2019 Perhaps aware of some of the fan and media discourse over best K-pop, MTV did nominate B