Did Stray Kids Submit to the 2027 Grammys? No, JYP Confirms

Stray Kids will not be in the running at the 2027 Grammy Awards. JYP Entertainment said Friday that the group submitted no entries for the 69th Grammys, according to reports from Billboard and the BBC relayed by the Korea Herald on Saturday. The agency gave no reason for the decision.

The move places the eight-member group alongside BTS, which announced on July 29 that it would not submit music for the awards cycle. The two acts are among the most commercially successful K-pop groups in the United States, and both would have been natural contenders for the Recording Academy's new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category.

The Recording Academy announced that category in June as one of five additions to the 2027 awards. To qualify, a submission must make meaningful use of at least one Asian language. Gold Derby had listed Stray Kids among its early contenders, together with ATEEZ, Hearts2Hearts, CORTIS and the Philippine group BINI.

BTS framed its own decision in terms of how its music is categorized. "We hope our music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language," the group said, as quoted by the Associated Press. Recording Academy chief Harvey Mason Jr. responded that he was "saddened" but would "understand and respect" the choice. The academy has also said that recognition in a genre category and recognition in the General Field are not mutually exclusive, meaning an act could in principle compete in both.

JYP has not said whether Stray Kids' decision is connected to BTS's position or to the new category. The agency's statement, as reported, says only that nothing was submitted.

On August 14, the academy said it was reconsidering parts of the category and was in dialogue with the artists and the industry, according to Music Business Worldwide. It has not announced any change to the rules since then.

The calendar leaves little room for one. First-round voting runs from October 12 to 22. Nominations will be announced November 16, and the ceremony is scheduled for February 7, 2027. Submissions have already closed, so a group that did not enter cannot be nominated this cycle.

Stray Kids have charted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 multiple times, and the Grammy decision does not affect their touring or release schedules. The absence does remove two of K-pop's biggest American draws from a category created in part to recognize the genre.

This is a new development since August 21, when we reported on the Grammy submission deadline and BTS's decision. The open questions now are whether the academy changes the category's rules before the 2028 cycle and whether other major K-pop acts follow BTS and Stray Kids out of the race.