Stray Kids Did Not Submit for the 69th Grammys — Here's What Happened
Stray Kids were, by Billboard's own reckoning, the act best positioned to win the Grammys' first Best Asian Pop Music Performance award. Then the submission window closed and nothing from them was in it.
Stray Kids did not submit any work for the 69th Grammy Awards before the entry deadline, according to a Sports Kyunghyang report published on October 2, 2026 . The submission window for the 69th cycle closed on August 21, 2026 . JYP Entertainment confirmed the non-entry to Edaily in a single line — "It is true that they did not submit an entry" — and offered no reason and no reference to any specific category .
Quick Answer: Stray Kids entered nothing for the 69th Grammy Awards before the August 21, 2026 deadline, Sports Kyunghyang reported on October 2. JYP Entertainment confirmed it to Edaily — "It is true that they did not submit an entry" — without giving a reason, one day after Billboard named the group a leading Best Asian Pop contender.
The sequence is what makes the silence loud. Per Sports Kyunghyang, Billboard ran an October 1 outlook on likely Best Asian Pop nominees now that BTS was out of contention, naming Stray Kids a leading contender and flagging "This & That," "Do It" and "STAY" as plausible entries . The non-submission surfaced a day later. Neither the group, JYP, nor the Recording Academy has tied the decision to the new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category — the timeline is the only link on the record .
The closest thing to a comment from the group predates the deadline. At an August 6 press conference for the EP, member Hyunjin was asked about awards and declined the frame: "We have never once set any award result or record as a goal in our activities," he said, pointing to fan satisfaction instead (source: Sports Kyunghyang, 2026-10) . Nominees for the 69th Grammys are due November 16, 2026, with the ceremony set for February 7, 2027 .
Why This Matters: A New Category, BTS's Exit, and Two Voting Members Who Sat Out
Best Asian Pop Music Performance is a new Grammy award for single tracks that make "meaningful use of one or more Asian languages," announced by the Recording Academy on June 16, 2026 as one of five categories taking effect for the 69th Grammy Awards . Its arrival reshaped the stakes for K-pop acts, because the category is defined by language and musical style rather than by an artist's nationality — and recordings performed entirely in English are not eligible, remaining in the general and English-language categories instead . Two of the acts with the largest US chart footprint have now passed on it.
The Academy's published eligibility language sets three tests that explain much of the friction:
- An Asian language must play a significant role in a bilingual or multilingual recording, so that the track is identifiable with that language .
- Incidental use — isolated words, adlibs, brief phrases — does not qualify .
- Musical style, not the performer's ethnicity or nationality, determines eligibility; the prize goes to the performing artist(s) .
BTS moved first. TIME reports the seven members posted a collective message on Wednesday, July 30, 2026 declining to enter; Variety renders the statement as "We have decided not to submit for Grammy consideration this year. We hope our music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language" . Translations differ by outlet, so the wording depends on who published it . The decision pulled their post-military-service comeback album ARIRANG out of contention — a record TIME reports debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and reached No. 1 on Apple Music in 115 countries and regions .
| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| June 16, 2026 | Academy announces five new categories, including Best Asian Pop Music Performance | Grammy.com |
| July 30, 2026 | BTS post a joint message declining to submit | TIME |
| August 21, 2026 | Submission window for the 69th Grammys closes | Sports Kyunghyang |
| October 1, 2026 | Academy confirms the category debuts unchanged in 2027 | Billboard |
The Academy did reconsider. By mid-August, CEO Harvey Mason jr. said staff had spent about two weeks in dialogue with artists and industry figures who felt the category misrepresented their work, and the organization held listening sessions with Asian music community leaders . On October 1, 2026 it closed the question.
"We understand this conclusion will not satisfy everyone, and that never feels good. But at the same time, we are confident it's the right conclusion for the music community overall," — Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy (source: Variety, 2026-10)
The Academy added that it received a "robust" number of submissions in the inaugural year, and answered the segregation criticism by noting that artists from every genre remain eligible in the General Field — Record, Album and Song of the Year — and that Asian pop entries also appear in other categories where they meet the criteria .
The structural detail that makes this cycle unusual: both groups are inside the institution they are sitting out. All seven BTS members have been Recording Academy voting members since 2019, with five nominations and no wins, and all eight Stray Kids members joined as voting members in 2026 . That means fifteen artists can help choose nominees and winners in a category neither of their groups entered — including the Asian Pop award itself . No public statement has tied JYP Entertainment's decision to the category; only the sequence of events connects them.
This & That Was the Album With the Strongest Case to Contend
This & That is the Stray Kids release that would have carried the group's Grammy case, and its chart run is the clearest measure of what went unentered. The EP was released on August 7, 2026 and became the group's ninth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, while its title track reached No. 38 on the Hot 100 — their highest placement on that chart to date . Those specific figures trace to single-source reporting by Sports Kyunghyang (and Koreaboo), so they are cited here as press reporting rather than as Academy or label data.
That record is also why Billboard's October 1 outlook piece named the group a leading contender for Best Asian Pop Music Performance once BTS was out, flagging "This & That," "Do It" and "STAY" as plausible entries . Because the award is a singles and vocal-performance category rather than an album prize, it was the title track — not the EP as a body of work — that fit the ballot .
The group's own framing arrived before any of it was public. At an August 6 press conference for the EP, member Hyunjin turned aside a question about awards:
"We have never once set any award result or record as a goal in our activities," — Hyunjin, Stray Kids, at the August 6, 2026 press conference for This & That (source: Sports Kyunghyang, 2026-10)
The sequencing matters. The submission window for the 69th Grammys closed on August 21, 2026, but the non-submission only surfaced on October 2 — six weeks in which the chart run kept building while the ballot decision stayed private. JYP Entertainment's later confirmation to Edaily ran one line long — "It is true that they did not submit an entry" — with no reason given . What remains on the record is the chart performance itself, which is why the absence is legible at all.
Ticketing & Fan Logistics: Following Stray Kids Without a Grammy Stage
For fans planning travel around awards season, the practical effect of the non-submission is simple: there is no Stray Kids date on the 69th Grammys calendar. Without a submission there can be no nomination, and without a nomination there is no red-carpet call time, no televised performance slot and no ticketed Los Angeles anchor to book flights against for this cycle. The ceremony itself still goes ahead — nominees are announced on November 16, 2026, and the show airs Sunday, February 7, 2027 on ABC, Disney+ and Hulu, with Edaily reporting the venue as Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
What fans can still follow runs through the album cycle rather than the awards cycle. This & That, released August 7, 2026, remains the active era, and release updates, tour announcements and merch drops continue through the group's official channels and JYP Entertainment — which, as of its one-line confirmation to Edaily, has said nothing further about the decision. No Stray Kids tour dates tied to this cycle appear in the sourced reporting, so treat official announcements as the only schedule of record.
For collectors, NAMANE's K-pop Merchandise Store carries Stray Kids albums, lightsticks and photocards tied to the This & That era — a way to mark the record run without an awards-season appearance to attend.
The longer-term thing to watch is eligibility. Because the Academy confirmed on October 1, 2026 that Best Asian Pop Music Performance continues unchanged, a future eligibility year could still put the group on a Grammy stage — but only if it submits.
What Comes Next for the Best Asian Pop Category
The next fixed date is November 16, 2026, when the Recording Academy announces nominees for the 69th Grammy Awards — including the inaugural Best Asian Pop Music Performance class . That list is the first concrete answer to who did submit, after the two K-pop acts with the largest US chart footprint both declined. The ceremony follows on Sunday, February 7, 2027, airing on ABC with streaming on Disney+ and Hulu; Edaily reports the venue as Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles .
The Academy's position going in is that the field is healthy without them. In its October 1, 2026 confirmation that the category debuts unchanged, it said the inaugural year drew a "robust" number of submissions, and pushed back on the segregation criticism by noting that artists from Asian markets remain eligible in the General Field — Record, Album and Song of the Year — and in any genre category whose criteria they meet . The Academy has not published a submission count, so "robust" stays unquantified until nominees are public.
So the practical takeaway for fans is a two-date calendar. Mark November 16 to see whether the debut class reflects what Harvey Mason jr. called "one of the most significant and sustained forces in the global music industry" , and February 7 to see who collects it. Neither Stray Kids nor BTS can appear in that category this cycle — but both can vote in it.
Frequently asked questions
Did Stray Kids give a reason for not submitting to the 69th Grammys?
No public reason has been given. JYP Entertainment confirmed the non-submission to Edaily in a single line — "It is true that they did not submit an entry" — and offered no explanation . Neither the group nor the agency has tied the choice to the new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category; only the sequence of events links the two. Sports Kyunghyang reported on October 2, 2026 that the submission window, which closed August 21, 2026, passed without any Stray Kids entry .
What is the Best Asian Pop Music Performance category?
Best Asian Pop Music Performance is a new Grammy category the Recording Academy announced on June 16, 2026, taking effect for the 69th Grammy Awards . It is a singles and tracks award for vocal performances, presented to the performing artist, and recognizes "artistic excellence in Asian pop music performances originating from or widely recognized within Asian markets, including but not limited to K-pop, J-pop and C-pop, with meaningful use of one or more Asian languages" . An Asian language must play a significant role rather than appear as isolated words or adlibs; recordings performed entirely in English are not eligible and stay eligible elsewhere; and musical style, not the performer's ethnicity or nationality, determines eligibility .
Why did BTS also skip the Grammys this year?
BTS declined to enter by choice, announced in a joint message from all seven members in late July 2026 — dated Wednesday, July 30 by TIME . Variety renders the statement as: "We have decided not to submit for Grammy consideration this year. We hope our music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language" . Translations differ by outlet, so the wording is best quoted with its source named. The decision, widely described as a boycott, removed the group's 2026 comeback album ARIRANG from contention; TIME reports that record debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and reached No. 1 on Apple Music in 115 countries and regions .
When are the 69th Grammy nominees announced and when is the ceremony?
Nominees for the 69th Grammy Awards are due to be announced on November 16, 2026, and the ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, February 7, 2027, airing on ABC with streaming on Disney+ and Hulu . Edaily reports the venue as Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles . The Academy confirmed on October 1, 2026, in a statement to Variety, that Best Asian Pop Music Performance will debut unchanged at that ceremony .
Can Stray Kids members still vote on the Grammy category they skipped?
Yes. All eight Stray Kids members became Recording Academy voting members in 2026, so they can take part in selecting nominees and winners in a cycle in which the group entered nothing . The same applies to BTS, whose seven members have held voting membership since 2019 and have five nominations and no wins to date . Voting membership is separate from submitting work, which is why both acts remain inside the process while absent from the ballot.
Watch / Sources
- Rolling Stone — BTS' RM Talks About the Band's Identity, 'Fighting Demons', and the Meaning of Life | Cover Story
- DKDKTV — BTS - COME BACK HOME Korean Reaction!
- StarScope K-Report — BTS Brings the Star Power While KiiiKiii and AND2BLE Mark a New Generation
Last updated: 2026-10-03. Reviewed against the Recording Academy's published category text, the Academy's October 1 statement to Variety, and Sports Kyunghyang's and Edaily's October 2 reports.
Official Sources
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This article was written using information collected and analyzed by NAMANE's in-house K-pop research AI engine. We use AI technology to bring you faster, broader coverage, and in the process some details may occasionally differ from the latest facts. For important information such as dates, venues, and prices, please double-check with official sources.
