In June, the Recording Academy announced a new category for the 2027 ceremony: Best Asian Pop Performance. It seems to force multiple genres together that would never have been, under other circumstances, in the same category. In the case of Best Asian Pop Music Performance, it creates a flattening of genres. In fact, BTS already proved to be a powerful force in the U.S. even with their language and origin, earning five nominations, three of which were under Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. If they’re going to win, it should be a win that’s truly earned among the best of the best, not in a tokenized category.