The Recording Academy, the organization behind the Grammy Awards, has drawn backlash after quietly removing historic BTS performance videos from its official website — a move that came shortly after the K-pop group announced it would not submit music for next year's awards.

On the Grammys website, live recordings of BTS performing their hit singles "Dynamite" (2021) and "Butter" (2022) were no longer accessible as of early August 2026. The videos remain available on the group's own official channels, but their disappearance from the Grammys platform has prompted questions from fans. The Recording Academy has not issued a public statement regarding the change.

The removals followed a joint statement issued by all seven BTS members on July 29, in which they confirmed they will not submit any music for consideration at the 69th Grammy Awards, scheduled for February 7, 2027.

"We decided not to submit our work for the upcoming Grammy Awards," the group said. "We hope that music can be appreciated and loved for what it is, without being divided by region or language."

The boycott is widely interpreted as a protest against the Recording Academy's newly created Best Asian Pop Music Performance category. The category, announced roughly two months before the August 28 submission deadline, requires qualifying songs to incorporate at least one Asian language. Because BTS' recent studio album ARIRANG is composed predominantly of English-language tracks, critics argued the rule was effectively designed to channel Asian artists away from major categories such as Song of the Year.

BTS has been one of the Grammy Awards' most visible international acts in recent years, earning multiple nominations across major categories including Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Album of the Year. Their absence from the 2027 awards cycle marks the most significant boycott of the Grammys by a globally prominent act in years.

The controversy quickly drew support from prominent cultural figures in South Korea. Ted Chung, CEO of Hyundai Card — a noted music enthusiast who has curated major concert series in Seoul featuring top global artists — publicly backed the group's position.

"Is it a misunderstanding to see this as isolating Asian musicians into their own separate box?" Chung wrote on social media. "By this logic, should Bad Bunny or Ricky Martin also be separated and only given Latin music awards? Most BTS songs use English, so how does that fit? I have never heard of dividing music by language."

The debate echoes long-standing questions about how Western award institutions structure categories for non-English and non-Western artists. The Grammys already operate dedicated Latin and Global Music fields, and the new Asian Pop category follows a similar model — but the timing and language requirement have fueled skepticism among critics who view it as a segregating mechanism rather than an inclusive one.

Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. moved to defuse the situation, expressing respect for the group's stance while defending the new category as an effort to broaden recognition for Asian artists.

"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," Mason said in a statement.

Music industry insiders have noted potential downsides to region-based award categories, arguing that dedicated subcategories risk confining non-U.S.-based artists within narrow boundaries. Such structures, they caution, could contribute to the marginalization of non-Western music, limiting those artists from achieving full recognition across major categories.

Following the video removals, BTS fans worldwide began re-uploading the affected clips across social media platforms. Many users emphasized that erasing videos from a website does not diminish the band's past achievements on the Grammy stage.

BTS performed during a halftime show at the World Cup final match between Spain and Argentina in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 19, 2026.