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“By far, the loudest feedback we heard was from people who were enthusiastic supporters of the category,” Harvey Mason Jr. says in statement<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n\tThe president of the Recording Academy said Thursday that the Grammys\u2019 new Best Asian Pop Music Performance will still be awarded at the 2027 show despite the controversy surrounding the category.<\/p>\n
\n\tSoon after the Recording Academy announced<\/a> the category \u2014 which recognizes\u00a0\u201cartistic excellence in Asian pop music performances originating from or widely recognized within Asian markets\u201d \u2014 BTS<\/a> announced they would not submit their comeback album Arirang<\/em> for the 2027 Grammys<\/a>, adding that they \u201chope that music can be heard and loved by itself rather than being divided by region or language.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tFollowing BTS\u2019 announcement, the Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr.<\/a> defended<\/a> the new category, but added he would discuss the situation<\/a> with Grammy stakeholders and the Asian music community. The result of those conversations, Mason Jr. revealed in a statement Thursday: The Best Asian Pop Music Performance category will debut in 2027.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cOver the past several weeks the Academy has been conducting listening sessions and have been in dialogue with leaders of the Asian music community,\u201d Mason\u2019s statement said.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWe heard candid feedback from people in our community who don\u2019t support the continuation of this category. We also heard from people who didn\u2019t have accurate information about the category, and having space to clear up misperceptions has been especially valuable. But by far, the loudest feedback we heard was from people who were enthusiastic supporters of the category, fellow music creators expressing their encouragement for keeping it.\u201d<\/p>\n