Grammy Triple Crown Winner's Sharp Critique: "Yes, It's BTS; The New 'Asian Pop' Category Is Exclusion, Not Inclusion" [K-EYES]

*This content was translated by AI.

Voices from within and outside the music industry are supporting BTS (BTS: Jung-kook, Jimin, V, Jin, J-Hope, RM, Suga) in their decision to boycott the Grammys.

Ricky Kej, an Indian composer who has won three Grammy Awards, praised BTS's decision as "an astonishingly courageous step" in an opinion essay he contributed on the 3rd (local time) to the music magazine 'Rolling Stone' India.

Regarding the newly created Grammy category "Best Asian Pop Music Performance," Kej stated that it amounts to "segregating Asian artists from the main stage and confining them to a designated corner on the periphery," adding, "This is not true inclusion but exclusion." He also pointed out that the category targets only K-pop, J-pop, and C-pop while ignoring the diverse musical traditions across all of Asia.

In an exclusive interview with Indian media outlet News9Live, Kej continued to express similar sentiments. He said BTS made "the right decision" and emphasized that this issue is "a much larger problem that extends far beyond just this group."

Kej noted that BTS should have competed in the main category "Best Pop Duo/Group Performance," but raised concerns that even if they had been submitted there, the Grammys might have arbitrarily moved them to the Asian Pop category.

Kej has won Grammy Awards in 2015 for "Best New Age Album" ('Winds of Samsara'), in 2022 for "Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album," and twice in 2023 for "Best Immersive Audio Album" (both times 'Divine Tides'). He is also well known as an environmental activist serving as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

Earlier, on the 29th of last month, BTS announced that they voluntarily withdrew their new album 'Arirang' from consideration in the 2027 Grammy Awards. This decision came with the message that "music should not be divided by region or language."

When the Grammys announced the five newly created categories on June 16 last year, including "Best Asian Pop Music Performance," Adam Matterer, a voting member of the Recording Academy, also expressed the view that BTS should compete in main categories such as "Album of the Year" rather than the new Asian Pop category. Meanwhile, GoldDerby, a specialized awards media outlet, had previously predicted earlier this month that 'Arirang' would be a strong contender for the Asian Pop category based on its record-breaking debut performance.

Following BTS's announcement, controversy arose when their past Grammy stage performances, particularly live recordings of "Dynamite" and "Butter," became inaccessible on the official Grammy Academy website and YouTube. The Grammys explained that these videos had already been removed years ago due to expired licenses.

In addition to Ricky Kej, Indian music producer Salim Merchant, Epik High's Tablo, 'K-Pop: Demon Hunters' director Maggie Kang, Bang Yoon-guk, Daniel Dae Kim, and others voiced their support via social media.

As Kej's essay became known, fans overseas also expressed solidarity. One fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter): "Even though he has stood on the world stage representing Asia, he has personally experienced not being properly recognized for that very reason. I am glad so many excellent artists are speaking up." Another fan added: "True inclusion means providing global artists with a place on the main stage, not creating separate spaces for them," expressing agreement with Kej's argument.

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*This content was translated by AI.