Only 4 K-Pop Acts Entered Grammys' New Asian Pop Category After BTS Boycott

Four K-pop acts. That's all that entered the Grammys' brand-new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category, according to Yonhap News's reporting on the 18th, after BTS announced it would not submit.

The entrants are IVE with "BANG BANG," KiiKii with "404 (New Era)," FIFTY FIFTY with "STARSTRUCK" and Park Hyo-shin with "AE." HYBE, home of BTS, sat it out. So did SM, YG and JYP. ATEEZ and Jennie, both big this year, also skipped the category.

How a new category became a boycott target

The Recording Academy announced the category in June, covering K-pop, J-pop, C-pop and other Asian pop. Entries need meaningful use of at least one Asian language. In July, BTS said it hoped music could "be heard and loved as music itself, rather than divided by region or language," and declined to enter.

K-pop submissions then came in far below early expectations. One industry insider told Yonhap that other K-pop artists probably sympathized with the boycott's intent. That's a read, not a confirmed fact: none of the agencies has explained its choice in the source.

J-pop filled the vacuum

Japan, the world's second-largest music market, showed up in force. Entries include Hikaru Utada's "Papa Paradise," King Gnu's "AIZO," Hitsujibungaku's "Dogs," Yonezu Kenshi's "Iris Out," YOASOBI's "Orion," AKB48's "Sukish," Ado's "Vivarium" and Sakanaction's "Iranai." Elsewhere, Philippine group SB19 entered "VISA" and Jay Chou entered "Children of the Sun."

Critic Lim Jin-mo said the category widens opportunity for Asian artists, but with so few Korean entries, a win may be hard. If a Korean act did get nominated and win, he said, it would show Korea is a music powerhouse.

Where K-pop did show up

Outside Asian Pop, the entries kept coming. In Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, the list includes:

• BLACKPINK's Jisoo with Zara Larsson... no: Jisoo with Jane, "EYES CLOSED"

• ENHYPEN, "Bloody Paradise"

• KATSEYE, the HYBE Korea-US girl group, "Animal"

• NMIXX with Anderson .Paak, "Caution"

• BLACKPINK's Lisa with Anitta and Rema, the World Cup song "Goals"

• BLACKPINK's Jennie with Tame Impala, "Dracula"

BTS was a finalist in that category three years running. This year, attention is on KATSEYE and Jennie, who both did well on charts including the Billboard Hot 100. Lim called "Dracula" a song that shows off Jennie's ability, with a well-built melody, and said a nomination wouldn't be surprising, nor would a win.

KATSEYE, Park Hyo-shin, FIFTY FIFTY and ATEEZ also entered Best Pop Vocal Album. ILLIT and KATSEYE entered Best Dance Pop Recording. Jennie submitted "Less than a Lover" for Best Pop Solo Performance. KATSEYE also went for Record, Album and Song of the Year, chasing a second straight General Field nomination after last year's Best New Artist nod.

What comes next

Grammy voters are Recording Academy members, not the public, so critical approval matters more than chart numbers. First-round voting runs through the 22nd (local time). Finalists are announced November 16, final voting runs December 10 to January 7, and the 69th Grammy Awards take place February 7 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Korean winners so far include engineer Hwang Byeong-jun and Korean American Young In. "Golden" from KPop Demon Hunters won Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 68th ceremony.