Grammy-Winning Producer Claims BTS Was the Grammys' "Dream" First Winner of New Category

Producer and songwriter Sleep Deez, who contributed to the Black Eyed Peas' Grammy-winning album The E.N.D., has weighed in on the Recording Academy's new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category, claiming those behind it saw BTS as the ideal first winner.

During a recent livestream, Sleep Deez said he spoke with people involved in creating the category. According to him, they told him "the award wasn't created for BTS," but admitted "they'd be lying if they said that them being the first to win wouldn't be the Grammy's dream."

He said the reasoning was that a BTS win would instantly establish the category's prestige. "BTS winning the first one would mean that other artists in the future would want to follow the same path and win that award because BTS won it," he recalled.

Sleep Deez, who co-produced Jungkook's solo track "My Time" from "Map of the Soul: 7," has been openly supportive of BTS' decision not to submit their music for the 2027 Grammy Awards. He argued that the Academy stood to benefit more from BTS' global influence than the group would from the new category, and questioned whether it would ultimately separate Asian artists rather than place them on equal footing.

His comments came after BTS announced they would not submit their music for the 2027 Grammys, saying they hoped music would be recognized for what it is rather than divided by language or region. The Recording Academy, meanwhile, has maintained that the category was created to broaden recognition for Asian artists, not to separate or limit them.