Harvey Mason Jr., the CEO of the Grammy Awards, has released a statement following the decision of South Korean boy group BTS to pass on this year’s awards. On the Recording Academy’s official Instagram account, the CEO said he understood the decision and explained the new category added this year.
All BTS members released a statement earlier this week on their respective Instagram accounts.
READ: BTS to skip Grammy Awards: ‘We hope music will be recognized and loved for what it is’
“I am saddened to hear that BTS has chosen not to participate in the Grammy Awards process this year, but as a music creator, I understand and respect their decision,” Harvey expressed.
He then explained how the new category–– The Asian Pop–– is not meant to discredit Asian artists but rather to recognize more work. He maintained that the new category won’t hinder an artist from entering and submitting their work to the General Field categories.
“The Asian Pop category was created to celebrate the depth, diversity and extraordinary growth of pop artistry coming out of Asia. The spirit of this new category is to shine a dedicated spotlight on these important artists. More categories mean more artists’ work is recognized. It’s never to divide, but to expand who is recognized by our 15,000 Grammy voters,” he expressed.
Harvey asserted that regardless of genre, artists are eligible to be considered for other categories in the Recording Academy–– including Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year.
“Those categories remain open to any eligible recording, regardless of genre. Recognition in a genre category and recognition in the General Field are not mutually exclusive. An artist can absolutely pursue both,” he assured.
He maintained that the organization is here “to serve music and all the people who make it.”
“As we continue to expand the reach, our membership and our awards, regardless of geography or language, I want to emphasize that we will continue to listen to the global music community and work to honor and celebrate all the artists whose music moves the world,” the statement ended.