2027 Grammys: Drake, BTS and Stray Kids opt out. Who skipped and why

Some of the world’s biggest acts will not be in the race for the 2027 Grammys. Billboard reported on 5 October that Drake did not submit any of his three 2026 albums, joining K-pop groups BTS and Stray Kids, who also stayed out. First-round voting starts on 12 October, so the field is now set. Here is who opted out and why, how the 2027 Grammys timetable works, and what it means for African and Nigerian artists.

By Editorial Team

What we know

• Drake (REPORTED). Sources told Billboard that Drake did not submit Iceman, Maid of Honour or Habibti, or any of their songs, for the 2027 awards. Rolling Stone and Billboard Canada have followed the report. Drake has not commented publicly.
• BTS (FACT). In July, BTS said they would not enter their album ARIRANG. “We hope music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided into region or language,” the group said in a joint statement, as quoted by Consequence.
• Stray Kids (REPORTED). Their label, JYP Entertainment, told the BBC that “Stray Kids did not submit for the Grammys”, according to Consequence and Billboard Canada. The group has not given a reason.
• The category stays (FACT). On 1 October the Recording Academy confirmed that its new Best Asian Pop Music Performance award will go ahead in 2027. “We understand this conclusion will not satisfy everyone, and that never feels good,” chief executive Harvey Mason Jr. said.

How the 2027 Grammys timetable works

The Grammys only consider music that has been formally entered. If a recording is not submitted, it cannot appear on the ballot, the Recording Academy says. That is why opting out matters: it removes an album from contention entirely. These are the key dates, from the Academy’s own guide:

• Eligibility period: music released from 31 August 2025 to 28 August 2026.
• Entries: 7 July to 21 August 2026. This window has closed.
• First-round voting: 12 to 22 October 2026. Members choose the nominees.
• Nominations announced: Monday 16 November 2026.
• Final-round voting: 10 December 2026 to 7 January 2027.
• The ceremony: Sunday 7 February 2027 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, shown on ABC, Disney+ and Hulu.

The Grammys are voted on by Recording Academy members, who are music professionals, not fans. Our guide to how Grammy voting works explains the two rounds in more detail.

Why Drake is sitting out

Drake has a long, uneasy relationship with the Grammys. He last attended the ceremony in 2019, when he won Best Rap Song for “God’s Plan”. Ahead of the 2022 awards he withdrew his Certified Lover Boy nominations, and he has not entered a solo album since, Billboard Canada reports. He did enter Her Loss, his joint album with 21 Savage, for the 2024 ceremony. Rolling Stone notes that it lost Best Rap Album to Killer Mike’s Michael.

This year he appears to have signalled the decision in his own lyrics. On “Make Them Know”, the closing track of Iceman, he raps: “This album, I’m never submittin’ it.” Iceman was one of the year’s biggest rap albums in the US, so his absence leaves a gap in the rap categories.

Why the K-pop acts are staying out

The K-pop opt-outs are about something different: the new Best Asian Pop Music Performance award. It is one of five new categories for 2027. The others are Best Latin Song, Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance, Best R&B Collaboration or Duo/Group Performance and Best Traditional Folk Album, ABC News reports.

The Academy says the Asian pop award is meant to recognise K-pop, J-pop, C-pop and other Asian pop recordings that make meaningful use of one or more Asian languages. BTS’s objection is that a separate regional category could push Asian artists out of the main pop awards. Consequence reports that Mason said in August the Academy was considering scrapping the category, before confirming on 1 October that it would stay. Stray Kids’ label confirmed their decision a day later.

What it means for African and Nigerian artists

The Asian pop debate will sound familiar to Afrobeats fans. The Academy added Best African Music Performance for the 2024 ceremony, and South African singer Tyla won it first with “Water”. Supporters said it gave African artists a guaranteed spotlight. Critics worried it could keep them out of the main categories. Our history of Nigerian Grammy winners shows how Nigerian artists have done in both the African and the general categories.

The calendar also matters for Nigerian releases. Anything released after 28 August 2026 counts for the 2028 Grammys, not 2027. That includes the three Nigerian albums due on 16 October, which we preview in our guide to the 16 October releases.

There is also a reminder here about award categories more widely. MTV’s Video Music Awards dropped their Afrobeats category this year, as we reported in Burna Boy and Tems at the 2026 VMAs. How awards bodies sort music by region and genre is still being argued about.

What happens next

• First-round voting runs from 12 to 22 October. Nominees are revealed on 16 November.
• More artists may say they did not enter. Consequence says it will keep its list updated.
• The Grammys are one of several big award dates coming up. Our 2027 awards and festival calendar lists the rest.

More music coverage: Music.

Photo credits: Featured image: Drake in concert, July 2016. Photo: The Come Up Show, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0). Source. In-article image: BTS at the White House, May 2022. Photo: The White House, via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain). Source.

Sources

• Billboard Canada: Drake reportedly did not submit Iceman, Maid of Honour or Habibti to the 2027 Grammys (Oct 2026)
• Rolling Stone: Drake won’t submit any of his three albums to the Grammys, report says (Oct 2026)
• Consequence: 2027 Grammys — Drake, BTS, Stray Kids won’t submit music (6 Oct 2026)
• Recording Academy: How to submit your music for the 2027 Grammys — key dates
• Recording Academy: The 2027 Grammys will take place Sunday 7 February 2027
• ABC News: Grammys add five new categories, including first Asian pop award