Following the massive backlash that came after the seven members of BTS released their statement on the upcoming Grammy Awards, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. broke his silence on the matter.
“I am saddened to hear 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 artistry coming out of Asia. The spirit of this new category is to put a dedicated spotlight on these important artists. More categories mean more artists’ work being recognized.”
He pointed out that the introduction of the new category does not exclude any artist from submitting to any of the “General Field” categories.
The statement from the Grammys followed RM (real name Kim Namjoon), Jin (Kim Seokjin), Suga (Min Yoongi), J-Hope (Jung Hoseok), Park JiMin, V (Kim Taehyung) and Jeon Jungkook all sharing a coordinated message on Wednesday via their Instagram Stories.
“We have decided not to attend the Grammys this year,” it read. “I hope that the music itself can be heard and loved instead of being distinguished by region or language. Thanks to the army and everyone for always being with me.”
The move was made in light of the new categories introduced by the Grammys a month ago. The decision was praised by not only fans but also critics. Music producers expressed their solidarity with them and dubbed it a bold decision. Social media was flooded with overwhelming support.
Soon after, fans had also noticed that the official Grammy YouTube had removed the previous performances of the awards show Dynamite and Butter.
Despite the statement from the CEO, fans continue to criticize the recording academy for “petty” actions and the “alienation” of an entire music industry on a continent.
This is not the first time a hit 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 the Recording Academy “biased”.
