Stray Kids Skip 2027 Grammy Submissions as Asian Pop Debate Deepens

Stray Kids did not submit music for consideration at the 2027 Grammy Awards, placing one of K-pop’s biggest global acts alongside BTS in sitting out the next ceremony as debate intensifies over a newly created Asian pop category.

JYP Entertainment confirmed that the eight-member group made no submissions for the 69th Grammy Awards. The decision means the group’s eligible recordings cannot be nominated, although the agency did not publicly provide a specific reason for allowing the submission period to pass.

The move carries particular weight because Stray Kids had been viewed as a leading contender for Best Asian Pop Music Performance, a category that the Recording Academy plans to present for the first time. All eight members were also selected this year as voting members of the academy, giving them a formal role in the awards process even as their own work remains off the ballot.

Stray Kids have built an unusually strong record in the United States. The group has placed nine albums at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, a total surpassed among groups only by the Beatles, according to reports cited by Yonhap News Agency. Their latest project, “This & That,” had been discussed as a likely source of Grammy contenders.

The decision follows BTS’s announcement in July that it would not submit music for the 2027 awards. BTS said at the time that it hoped music could be heard and loved on its own terms rather than divided by region or language. That position became part of a wider argument over whether the new category expands recognition for Asian artists or risks separating globally successful performers from the Grammys’ main genre fields.

The Recording Academy announced Best Asian Pop Music Performance in June. After criticism from parts of the Asian music community, academy leaders said they had held listening sessions and discussions about the category. Chief executive Harvey Mason Jr. nevertheless confirmed this week that the award would proceed, saying supportive feedback had been stronger.

Attention may now turn to other K-pop acts as the industry weighs participation. Ateez leader Hongjoong recently said he sympathized to some degree with BTS’s stance and wanted to think further about the issue.

The 69th Grammy nominees are scheduled to be announced on Nov. 17, with the ceremony set for Feb. 7 in Los Angeles. The absence of both BTS and Stray Kids will leave two of K-pop’s most commercially prominent groups outside the inaugural Asian pop race.