New Delhi, Aug. 2 -- SEOUL - Before the sun set on the announcement, millions of people who had already heard "Aliens" a hundred times started listening again.

BTS declared Thursday that it will not submit music for consideration at the 2027 Grammy Awards, refusing to participate in the Recording Academy's inaugural Asian pop music performance category in a move the group framed as a matter of principle rather than prestige. By Friday, "Aliens," a B-side from the group's ARIRANG album, had climbed to number one on iTunes Top Songs charts in 78 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Brazil, and Australia.

The song's central metaphor, seven figures who arrived on Earth speaking a different language and never q...