Archive · 24 Sep 2026
Ricky Kej Criticizes Grammys’ New Best Asian Pop Category
Ricky Kej is a musician who has won three Grammy Awards.
He said he does not like having a separate Grammy category just for Asian pop music.
He worries that this could keep Asian artists away from the biggest award categories.
Kej said the Grammys need to decide whether they mainly represent the United States or the whole world.
If they represent global music, he believes they should understand different cultures better.
He also said awards should recognize musical skill, not just popularity or sales.
In his view, traditional music from Asia can be just as technically impressive as Western music.
He thinks music categories should not be limited by regional or cultural boundaries.
His comments followed discussion about BTS not submitting music for the Grammys this year.
Three-time Grammy winner Ricky Kej said he opposed creating the Best Asian Pop Performance category.
Kej argued the category could separate Asian artists from more historically significant Grammy categories.
He said the Grammys must clarify whether they are a United States award or a global music institution.
Kej criticized the focus on Asian pop that resembles American production styles while traditional Asian music receives less recognition.
His comments came amid discussion of BTS choosing not to submit music for Grammy consideration this year.
- Who
- Three-time Grammy winner Ricky Kej, with discussion also involving BTS and the Grammys.
- What
- Kej criticized the Best Asian Pop Performance category and called for broader, more culturally sensitive recognition of Asian music.
- When
- The comments were made in an interview amid this year’s Grammy submission discussions.
- Where
- The interview was with NDTV’s Hardika Gupta; the articles do not specify a location.
- Why
- Kej believes a separate Asian pop category may exclude Asian artists from major categories and overlook traditional Asian musical forms.
Separate Asian Recognition
Cross-Regional Recognition
How Asian music should be awarded
Separate Asian Recognition
A dedicated Asian pop category provides a specific space to recognize Asian artists within the Grammys.
Cross-Regional Recognition
Ricky Kej argues that Asian artists should compete in historically significant categories alongside artists from other regions rather than being confined to a separate category.
What music deserves attention
Separate Asian Recognition
The new category focuses on Asian pop music, including music that may be more familiar to Western audiences through its production style.
Cross-Regional Recognition
Kej says traditional music from India, Korea, China, the Middle East, and other parts of Asia also deserves recognition for musicianship, technical skill, and improvisation.
- Speaker
- Ricky Kej
- Grammy record
- Three wins and four nominations
- Disputed category
- Best Asian Pop Performance
- Kej’s concern
- The category may separate Asian artists from historically significant Grammy categories.
- Broader issue
- Whether the Grammys represent primarily the United States or the global music industry.
- Music standards
- Kej said recognition should focus on musical excellence rather than charts, sales, streams, or popularity.
- Related development
- BTS decided not to submit its music for Grammy consideration this year.