Following the massive backlash that occurred after the seven members of BTS released their statement regarding the upcoming Grammy Awards, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. broke his silence on the matter.
“I am saddened to learn that BTS has decided not to participate in the Grammy 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 get lost in the conversation,” he continued.
“The Asian Pop category was created to celebrate the depth, diversity and extraordinary growth of Pop art coming from Asia. The spirit of this new category is to shine a spotlight on these important artists. More categories mean more artists’ work is recognized.”
He noted that the introduction of the new category does not exclude any artist from applying for any of the “General Scope” categories.
The Grammys statement came after RM (real name Kim Namjoon), Jin (Kim Seokjin), Suga (Min Yoongi), J-Hope (Jung Hoseok), Park JiMin, V (Kim Taehyung), and Jeon Jungkook shared a coordinated message on Wednesday via their Instagram Stories.
“We have decided not to participate in the Grammys this year,” it said. “I hope that the music itself can be heard and loved rather than distinguished by region or language. Thank you to the military and everyone for always being with me.”
The move was made in light of new categories introduced at the Grammys a month ago. The decision was praised not only by fans but also by critics. Music producers expressed their solidarity with them and called it a bold decision. Social media was flooded with overwhelming support.
Shortly after, fans also noticed that the official Grammy YouTube had removed Grammy’s previous awards show performances. Dynamite and Butter.
Despite the CEO’s statement, fans continue to criticize the recording academy for “petty” moves and for “alienating” an entire music industry from a continent.
This is not the first time a successful 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 out the Recording Academy for being “biased.”
