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BTS Refuses Grammy Submission: A Declaration of Cultural Self-Determination

Published 2026.08.07

By Cely Editor

BTS Refuses Grammy Submission: A Declaration of Cultural Self-Determination

BTS has decided not to submit their new album 'Arirang' to the Grammy Awards, following the Recording Academy's announcement of a new 'Best Asian Pop Performance' category. This decision represents a declaration of cultural self-determination, refusing the geographical classification of music. The author suggests the Grammy Awards wants BTS's high viewership but avoids acknowledging their influence through major award recognition. The piece argues that all categorization inherently contains discrimination—just as baseball's Shohei Ohtani is not designated an 'Asian MVP,' BTS should not be limited to regional recognition. Through humor, the author describes how his wife's ARMY fandom activity fills his daily life with BTS-related news coverage. A conversation with his American friend Mark explores the distinction between differentiation and discrimination, ultimately concluding that all categorization hides questionable political intentions, while universal achievement requires no qualifier.