A partial list of confirmed submissions circulating online included K-pop acts such as IVE, KiiiKiii and FIFTY FIFTY, alongside artists from other Asian music markets including AKB48, BABYMETAL, BINI, Jay Chou, PSYCHIC FEVER, Hikaru Utada and YOASOBI.
The list is not a complete record of all entries and does not represent the final nominees. It only indicates artists and songs that have reportedly been entered for consideration.
Best Asian Pop Music Performance is a new category debuting at the 69th Grammy Awards in 2027. According to the Recording Academy, it recognizes contemporary Asian pop music, including K-pop, J-pop and C-pop, and requires eligible recordings to make meaningful use of one or more Asian languages.
The reported absence of entries from Korea’s four largest entertainment companies sparked discussion on TheQoo, where some commenters interpreted the decision as the agencies collectively avoiding the new category.
Much of the reaction instead focused on Starship Entertainment after IVE appeared among the reported submissions. Some users criticized the company for entering the group when other major K-pop agencies had apparently stayed out, while others questioned the concept of combining K-pop, J-pop and other Asian pop markets under a single award category.
However, there is currently no evidence in the source that the major Korean agencies coordinated their decisions or collectively agreed to boycott the category, and the companies’ individual reasons for not submitting have not been established.
Netizen Reactions
The sampled comments largely criticized Starship Entertainment for reportedly submitting IVE while the Big Four agencies stayed out, with several users sarcastically describing the situation as a failed “group project.”
1. Starship seriously can’t read the f*cking room.
2. Starship is seriously shameless.
3. It’s not like Starship hasn’t seen the online reactions, so why are they doing this? Honestly, even winning it would feel kind of lame, and looking at that list, they probably won’t get it anyway... If you don’t submit and don’t win, at least it doesn’t look embarrassing... Do they seriously have no humiliation sensor or what....
4. Honestly, for this “group project” to work, Japan would have to stay out too. But since they probably can’t get into the main categories anyway, they submitted a ton trying to win this one instead.
5. It would be one thing if they separated J-pop and K-pop... but they’re completely different;
6. Starship might not be a major agency, but IVE’s status... they’re not really at the level where they need to desperately chase something like this, are they???
7. They really suck at this group project.
8. I can understand FIFTY FIFTY wanting whatever attention they can get given their position and circumstances, but what is Starship doing? IVE isn’t at a level where they should be desperate for just any award.
9. Starship idiots ă…‹ă…‹
10. Ah, the group project fell apart.
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