Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. has called the decision by Korean ensemble BTS not to submit their album \u2018Arirang\u2019 for the Grammys \u2019 consideration \u201csaddening\u201d.<\/p>\n
In a statement, the Academy CEO defended the category, stating that it was created to celebrate \u201cdepth and diversity\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am saddened to hear that BTS has chosen not to participate in the Grammy Awards process this year, but as a music creator, I understand and respect their decision,\u201d he said. \u201c\u2026I do want to clarify something that seems to be getting lost in the conversation. The Asian Pop category was created to celebrate the depth, diversity and extraordinary growth of pop artistry coming out of Asia.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Mason also emphasised that the new categories created in recent years, including the Afropop category, are meant to \u201crecognise\u201d not \u201cdivide\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe spirit of this new category is to shine a dedicated spotlight on these important artists. More categories mean more artists\u2019 work is recognised. It\u2019s never to divide, but to expand who is recognised by our 15,000 Grammy voters,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
He also addressed the issue of artists being limited to one category.<\/p>\n
\u201cI also want to be very clear: submitting music in a genre category such as Asian Pop, or Jazz or Country does not exclude an artist from also submitting and being considered in the General Field categories, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose categories remain open to any eligible recording, regardless of genre. Recognition in a genre category and recognition in the General Field are not mutually exclusive. An artist can absolutely pursue both.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why BTS pulled out<\/strong><\/p>\n The South Korean megastars were widely tipped in the running for several of the Grammys\u2019 top honours, including Album of the Year, after their comeback album, ARIRANG, became one of this year\u2019s best-selling hits.<\/p>\n But the seven-member group said they would not enter the contest after the introduction of five new categories, including Best Asian Pop Music Performance.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have decided not to enter the Grammys this year,\u201d BTS members said in coordinated posts on their individual Instagram accounts.<\/p>\n \u201cWe hope that music is heard and loved for what it is, rather than being defined by region or language,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n BTS is the first all-South Korean act to reign over Billboard\u2019s US top singles chart, which they achieved with their 2020 track \u201cDynamite\u201d, their first hit sung completely in English.<\/p>\n Despite performing at the Grammys and earning several nominations, including for Best Music Video, the group has never won.<\/p>\n ARIRANG, named after a South Korean folk song, includes mostly English lyrics but explores themes including Korean identity after the band\u2019s hiatus for mandatory military service.<\/p>\n It would not have qualified for the Grammys\u2019 Best Asian Pop Music Performance, announced last month, because it requires entries make \u201cmeaningful use\u201d of at least one Asian language.<\/p>\n Regardless of the Grammys CEO\u2019s assurances, critics and experts it boxes Asian artists into a separate category instead of recognising them alongside global peers.<\/p>\n Lee Ji-young, a BTS fan and a professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, said \u201cby any objective measure, it is the Grammys that need BTS, not the other way around\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that BTS turned its back on the Recording Academy first is also a sign that the authority the Grammys have long wielded as the gatekeeper, the one extending the invitation, is beginning to erode,\u201d she told AFP.<\/p>\n Beyond music, BTS has championed UNICEF campaigns and donated $1 million to Black Lives Matter in 2020, inspiring fans to match the amount.<\/p>\n They have also spoken at the White House in 2022 about anti-Asian hate and inclusivity, and been open about mental health.<\/p>\n The group recently completed their European tour and headlined a Super Bowl-style halftime show at the World Cup final in the United States.<\/p>\n The post Grammy\u2019s CEO responds to BTS pulling out after introduction of Asian category<\/a> appeared first on KBC Digital<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. has called the decision by Korean ensemble BTS not to submit their album \u2018Arirang\u2019 for the Grammys \u2019 consideration \u201csaddening\u201d. In a statement, the Academy CEO defended the category, stating that it was created to celebrate \u201cdepth and diversity\u201d. \u201cI am saddened to hear that BTS has chosen not to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-148417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=148417"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148417\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=148417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=148417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=148417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}