To waves of consternation in fandoms around the world, BTS announced this week that they will not be submitting music for consideration at the 2027 Grammy Awards. This made them the first major act to publicly withdraw from consideration for, among others, the Recording Academy’s newly created Best Asian Pop Music Performance category before it has even awarded its first trophy. Grammy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said he was “saddened” by this development.
The eligibility window for nominations closes on August 28, 2026, less than a month from now. Nominations will be announced November 16.
Let’s be real — critical acclaim or no, considering everything that BTS has done for South Korean soft power and its economy (not to mention the surefire fandom detonation in case of non-recognition), there was no way they wouldn’t have been nominated for a Grammy this time.
But now, with BTS taking themselves out of consideration, the Asian Pop category is actually wide open.
I’ve already mentioned several acts from the Philippines, Japan and India who would be strong contenders for this category (and will be doing a larger piece on them soon), but if we’re being honest with ourselves, it is the worldwide explosion of K-pop that has led to this development at this moment in time.
So this is my list of top-contender K-pop acts who are eligible to submit, have seen considerable success in the eligibility window, and haven’t publicly withdrawn themselves from consideration (not yet anyway).
What The Grammys Asian Pop Category Requires
The Grammy rulebook states that eligible recordings must originate from or be widely recognised within Asian markets, with “meaningful use of one or more Asian languages”, specifically that “an Asian language should play a significant role within the song in bilingual or multilingual structures such that the recording is identifiable with that language.”
So that rules out ethnically diverse acts like KATSEYE from this category, because although Sophia, Lara, Yoonchae and Megan have Asian roots, all their songs are in English.
Unlike for the Latin Grammys, which need qualifying tracks to be 60% Spanish, Portuguese, or a recognized indigenous or regional Ibero-American language or dialect, no percentage threshold or language lists have been published for this one. The award goes to the performing artist themselves, not the producer or the label. Any qualifying release between August 31, 2025 and August 28, 2026 is eligible.
ATEEZ: The Performance Argument
ATEEZ’s Golden Hour: Part 5 (June 26, 2026) is almost entirely in Korean and commercially enormous, with 1.88 million copies in its first week and a Billboard 200 number one. From personal experience, I can confirm that their live performances are some of the best in the entire industry in terms of pure energy and choreography as well as mics that are very evidently on. They already have U.S. award credibility, having won K-Pop Artist of the Year at the iHeartRadio Music Awards last year and earned nominations at the American Music Awards (AMAs).
However, Grammy voters tend to give importance to reviews from established and tastemaking Western music outlets like Rolling Stone, Billboard and NME, and while those publications have consistently published interviews and news pieces, there haven’t been any formal reviews of this specific eligible album. This lack of engagement from mainstream English-language press presents a sizeable hurdle, as Grammy voters outside the core K-pop sphere rely heavily on those exact publications to guide their ballots. What could mitigate this is the fact that Hongjoong has recently been on a number of US podcasts like Zach Sang, Artist Friendly with Joel Madden and 102.7KIISFM, which would put the group and their personalities in front of a larger voting bloc.
ATEEZ’s case for the award ultimately rests on the sheer scale of their nine consecutive Billboard 200 top tens, a BST Hyde Park headline set this year, and being the most commercially consistent K-pop act outside the Big Four, as opposed to a universally covered critical moment within the eligibility window.
“BAD” remains the eligible track most likely to attract Grammy attention based on chart performance and global reach (that includes a music video starring the Golden Globe-nominated Chase Infiniti).
Stray Kids: The Self-Produced Powerhouse
With SEVENTEEN’s major anniversary release falling outside the eligibility window, Stray Kids’ SKZ IT TAPE DO IT (November 2025) takes center stage as a primary boy group contender. Delivering their eighth Billboard 200 powerhouse entry, Stray Kids also bring with them a crucial edge that Grammy voters respect: a self-producing identity led by 3RACHA. SEVENTEEN also has this reputation, but their last group album doesn’t fit in the eligibility window.
Very importantly, Stray Kids own the strongest Western award hardware of any group on this list. They are multi-time MTV Video Music Award (VMA) winners, taking home Best K-Pop for “S-Class”, alongside wins at the Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs) for Top K-Pop Album and multiple American Music Award (AMA) nods. Not to mention their famous Met Gala appearance! So they are no stranger to red carpets in the Western music industry.
While their aggressive noise-pop sound can be polarizing to the more traditional voters, their massive chart scale, stadium touring footprint, and authentic songwriting credentials make them impossible to overlook in a category designed to recognize Asian pop’s global leaders.
aespa: The Festival Darlings
aespa’s Lemonade (May 29, 2026) opens with “WDA (Whole Different Animal),” featuring G-Dragon, and was described by NME as establishing the terms of their new era with “overflowing confidence,” and as doing “more than just set the tone.” Writing for NME, Mika Chen gave the album a 3.5/5.
Commercially, it debuted in the Billboard 200 top ten. The language eligibility is not an issue as the album is predominantly Korean with English elements. “WDA” specifically, with G-Dragon co-writing and rapping primarily in Korean, is the track most likely to be submitted. Grammy voters who know about aespa’s 2024 run of Supernova, Armageddon, and Whiplash will have some idea of this album’s ambitions.
What sets aespa apart from many of their peers is an unmatched U.S. festival profile: they made history as the first K-pop group to perform at the Governors Ball in 2023, as well as the first in the industry at San Francisco’s Outside Lands. This is in addition to main-stage sets at Coachella and Lollapalooza Chicago. Add in an American Music Award nomination and VMAs presence, and they have already built significant Western industry familiarity.
ENHYPEN: The Dark Horse Concept Pick
If the Recording Academy leans into cinematic storytelling and dark, synth-driven pop, ENHYPEN presents a reasonable argument for inclusion. Their 7th Mini Album, THE SIN : VANISH (January 2026), continues their streak of commercial dominance, driven by strong international streaming numbers and a headlining U.S. stadium run. The album led to their fourth No. 1 on the Top Album Sales chart.
Their profile among Western voters has grown steadily through key nominations at the American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards (for Top K-Pop Touring Artist), and iHeartRadio Music Awards.
ENHYPEN’s case centers on genre execution: where other boy groups lean into heavy hip-hop or noise-pop, the currently six-member group specializes in sleek, concept-driven synth-pop and immaculate vocal production that would appeal straight to pop-purist voters.
While their narrative lore can be dense for casual listeners, their high-charting Billboard presence and vocal cohesion make them a dark horse candidate definitely capable of snagging a spot in a crowded field.
LE SSERAFIM: The Crossover & Performance Factor
For voters prioritizing live energy and Western-facing crossover appeal, LE SSERAFIM stands out as a top girl group candidate. Building on their high-profile North American festival appearances (including a Coachella appearance), their releases within this year’s window heavily blend global dance subgenres like house, Jersey club, and afrobeat with bilingual Korean-English structures.
LE SSERAFIM won Best PUSH at the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs) over artists like Chappell Roan and Teddy Swims that year, and PUSH Performance of the Year at the MTV VMAs, alongside Billboard Music Award nominations.
LE SSERAFIM’s strength lies in immediate accessibility: their production leans heavily into infectious rhythm and performance art rather than traditional K-pop verse-chorus formulas. Plus, members like Yunjin have appeared on establishment publication podcasts like Variety’s Up Next hosted by Tiana DeNicola, which would no doubt be an additional legitimizing factor.
CORTIS: The Momentum Case, With Caveats
BTS labelmates CORTIS have had quite the debut year. Their single “REDRED” (April 20, 2026) crossed 100 million Spotify streams in 57 days, set the record for the most days at No. 1 on Spotify’s Daily Top Song Korea chart (70 days), and propelled them past 12 million monthly listeners.
Although I have a soft spot for the CORTIS boys, one issue they may face is being too green(green) in the industry for a nomination and definitely for a win, considering there is no “Breakout Asian Pop” or “Rookie Asian Pop” category to insulate against more experienced acts.
The mixed reactions to their debut concert tour also add a complicating note to the narrative heading into awards season.
Their album GREENGREEN surged past the 3 million sales mark with healthy growth even eleven weeks after release, and coupled with their chronically online presence and brand partnerships means there is definitely attention on them, but that may not necessarily mean Grammy voter attention.
The Bottom Line For The Grammys Asian Pop Category
At the end of the day, it’s looking like the category’s inaugural winner will be determined by a combination of factors the Recording Academy has not completely clarified yet — how it interprets “meaningful use” of language, how voters weight commercial performance against critical reception, and whether the category rewards established acts with Grammy name recognition or emerging ones with undeniable momentum.
When the category was first announced, it seemed a no-brainer that BTS would feature prominently in the nominations. Looking at the other options at the moment, and the fact that this is an all-new category that a lot of Grammy voters would not be familiar with, the game will depend strongly on intensive press awareness campaigns and critical reception. Traditional media over social media is looking like the way to go for this one, and without BTS in the picture, the strongest breakout contenders might not even be Korean. But that’s for another piece.
The Grammys will be held on February 7, 2027 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
