Stray Kids Won’t Be Submitting For Consideration At The 2027 Grammy Awards, Why?

Billboard named Stray Kids a leading contender for the 69th Grammy Awards’ “Asian Pop” category — but the group never actually submitted any work for consideration.

It was confirmed on October 2 that Stray Kids did not submit any entries for the 69th Grammy Awards before the August 21 deadline. Under Grammy rules, work that isn’t formally submitted cannot be considered for nomination or voting.

Billboard included Stray Kids as a major contender in an October 1 article forecasting the “Asian Pop Grammy nominees now that BTS is out of the running.” The outlet noted the eligibility of “This & That” and “Do It,” and suggested “STAY” — the song Stray Kids made for their fandom — as a particularly striking potential submission.

Stray Kids also has the kind of U.S. chart performance that would support a nomination. “This & That,” released on August 7, topped the Billboard 200, marking the group’s ninth career No. 1 album. The title track of the same name also hit No. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100, a new personal best.

At a press conference for the new album on August 6, Stray Kids also declined to directly answer whether they would be submitting for the Grammys. At the time, Hyunjin said, “We’ve never once set out to chase an award or a record while promoting,” adding, “Our top priority is our fans being happy and satisfied.”

BTS, for its part, said in July after the Grammys created the Asian Pop category, “We’ve decided not to submit for this year’s Grammys,” adding, “We hope music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than divided by region or language.” It was effectively a boycott.

Following that, the Recording Academy, which runs the Grammys, gathered input from HYBE and other figures across the Asian music industry and began reconsidering the category — but ultimately decided on October 1 to keep the Asian Pop category as is.

Notably, all eight Stray Kids members joined the Recording Academy as voting members this year — meaning they now have a say in choosing Grammy nominees and winners, even as they sit out the category themselves with their own music.

Source: (A)