Stray Kids reportedly did not submit their music for Grammy consideration this year, following the introduction of the new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category. Their agency, JYP Entertainment, confirmed on Friday that the group filed no entries before the August 21 deadline, though they declined to specify a reason or comment on whether the new category played a role.
The Stray Kids Grammy submissions decision is particularly notable because all eight members accepted invitations this year to become Recording Academy voting members, giving them the right to vote on nominees and winners even as they kept their own music out of the running. The group had been widely cited as a leading contender for the new category, thanks to their Billboard 200-topping album This & That and its title track reaching No. 38 on the Hot 100.
Stray Kids’ move follows BTS, who announced in July they would not submit their music as a form of protest against the category. The Recording Academy has defended the award, saying it was created to “celebrate the depth, diversity and extraordinary growth of pop artistry coming out of Asia” and that genre submissions do not preclude artists from competing in the General Field categories. The 69th Grammy Awards are scheduled for February 7, 2027.
