BTS, the biggest pop act in east Asia, have withdrawn themselves from the 2027 Grammy awards, intimating that their decision is due to the addition of a new award for best Asian pop music performance. There have therefore been fears in the Asian pop sphere that the category could end up ringfencing Asian pop artists away from contention in the top categories. He said: “The Asian Pop category was created to celebrate the depth, diversity and extraordinary growth of pop artistry coming out of Asia. Photograph: Jill Connelly/EPAThe majority of lyrics in Golden and APT are in English, so they may not have qualified for the new Asian pop category, which requires “meaningful use” of an Asian language. Other new categories being added for 2027 are best R&B collaboration or duo/group performance, best traditional pop vocal performance and best traditional folk album.