[Sportschosun Reporter Jo Min-jeong] Chung Tae-young, vice chairman of Hyundai Card, publicly backed BTS's decision to decline submissions to the Grammy Awards and sharply criticized the Grammys' new judging system.
On the 29th, Chung posted an article on his social media account titled "The Grammys' new Asian pop category and BTS's justified refusal to submit." Referring to the Grammys' newly created "Best Asian Pop Music Performance" category, he asked, "Is it really just a misunderstanding to think this means Asian musicians are being separated on purpose?"
He went on to question the practice of classifying music by region, saying, "Then shouldn't Bad Bunny and Ricky Martin also be categorized separately and given a Latin music award?" Using BTS as an example, he added, "BTS songs have a high proportion of English lyrics, so how would that be explained? Does that mean music from Singapore or India, where English is not spoken, is not Asian pop?" He continued his criticism, saying, "This is the first time I have heard music being divided by language. Then are you saying Wagner's and Verdi's operas belonged to different fields?"
Earlier that day, BTS said through their individual social media accounts, "We decided not to submit any songs to the Grammys this year," adding, "We hope music will be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language."
In the music industry, the decision is being interpreted as a de facto protest against the Grammys' newly established "Best Asian Pop Music Performance" category. The category is aimed at works from Asian music genres such as K-pop, J-pop and Chinese pop that make meaningful use of one or more Asian languages.
As the controversy spread, Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of The Recording Academy, explained, "The Asian pop category was created to highlight the diversity and growth of Asian music," adding, "It does not exclude artists from major general categories, and it is not intended to separate them."
Meanwhile, BTS is continuing its global tour activities with its fifth full-length album, "Arirang," released this year.
Reporter Jo Min-jeong mj.cho@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
