Why the Grammys get Asian pop wrong

Weekend essay  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

AJ Hess | September 26, 2026     When the Recording Academy announced Best Asian Pop Music Performance as a category for the 2027 Grammy Awards this summer, the world's biggest boy band—BTS—said they would not submit their music for consideration. Since then, the K-pop act has only gotten bigger, which begs the question: If pop music made by Asian artists is so mainstream, why categorize it separately? For TIME’s Weekend Essay, Korean ethnomusicologist Stephanie Choi explains why bands like BTS no longer need institutions like the Grammys. IN TODAY’S BRIEF Asian pop at the Grammys Trump’s media ban Linked         WEEKEND ESSAY What the Grammys get wrong about Asian pop Photo-Illustration by TIME (Source Image: Kayla Bartkowski—Los Angeles Times/Getty Images) In 2009, I moved to Middletown, Conn. from Seoul, South Korea to study ethnomusicology. My research was focused on Korean traditional music. I admittedly did not listen to K-pop. Early this summer, the Recording Academy announced a new category, Best Asian Pop Music Performance, for the 2027 Grammy Awards. In response, the world’s biggest boy band, BTS, announced that they would not submit their music for Grammy consideration. The decision sparked heated debates among K-pop fans around the world, some of whom feared that the new category would sideline Asian artists by placing them in a separate “Asian Pop” category while reducing their chances of recognition in the Grammys’ prestigious General Field awards.  Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. clarified that “The Asian Pop category was created to celebrate the depth, diversity, and extraordinary growth of pop artistry coming out of Asia,” and that submitting music in a genre category would not exclude an artist from also submitting and being considered for Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year.   This controversy raises important questions. Is a category like “Best Asian Pop Music Performance” necessary? Does it risk creating a new form of segregation? Or can it provide greater visibility for Asian artists in American mainstream media?  The first music cassette tape that I bought as a Korean kid living in Seoul in the 1990s was Mariah Carey’s compilation album, #1’s. Well into the 2000s, listening to Western pop was considered “cool” in South Korea. Koreans certainly listened to gayo, or Korean popular music, although Western pop often carried a different kind of cultural prestige. Western pop was typically described as more “intellectual,” “authentic,” and “meaningful.” Radio DJs and music critics did not hesitate to encourage young Koreans to listen to more Western pop rather than gayo.  The cultural hierarchy between Western and Korean popular music was shaped by South Korea’s postwar political and military relationship with the United States. South Korea’s commercial recording industry began to take shape in the early 20th century through the activities of Japanese and American record companies. Following liberation from Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945, and the division of the peninsula, South Korea came increasingly under U.S. political and military influence. Stephanie Choi is an assistant professor of ethnomusicology at the University of Colorado Boulder and president of the Association for Korean Music Research.  Read the full essay here…         SPONSORED Some teams never seem to stop moving. They're on Attio, the agentic CRM. It’s your always-on revenue engine: agents and workflows build pipeline, chase every buying signal, and move deals forward alongside your team. Teams like Parallel, Turbopuffer, and Wordsmith build on Attio. Are you one of them? Try Attio now         A MINUTE OF YOUR TIME Trump banned news outlets from the White House. Is that legal? Can Trump legally ban news outlets from the White House? Here’s what to know about the legal fight in 60 seconds.         SPONSORED Hire anyone, anywhere — compliant in under 3 days Found the right hire, but no entity in their country? Remote becomes the legal employer — with contracts, benefits, and tax setup handled, plus direct access to the same in-house team that runs payroll locally. Book a free demo       Linked In this addictive word-association game, find the steps that will unite two seemingly unrelated words in just four moves. PLAY NOW       SPONSORED The best in influencer marketing. And you’re invited. Get ready for Return on Influence Festival '26. An entire day dedicated to influencer marketing with speakers running some of the best programs in the world. October 21, 2026, 10 am - 5 pm ET. Save your spot now       More Newsletters from Click to sign up. D.C. BRIEF +FUTURE PROOF +HEALTH MATTERS +INSIDE TIME +IN THE LOOP +WORTH YOUR TIME + Subscribe to TIME Email us: thebrief@time.com Received this from a friend? Sign up here Connect with TIME   PRIVACY POLICY     © 2026 TIME USA, LLC. All rights reserved. TIME Customer Service, P.O. Box 37508 Boone, IA 50037-0508, United States Unsubscribe