Ye No Longer Performing at Grammys

his April 20, 2019 file photo shows Kanye West performing at the Coachella Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. (AP)
his April 20, 2019 file photo shows Kanye West performing at the Coachella Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. (AP)
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Ye No Longer Performing at Grammys

his April 20, 2019 file photo shows Kanye West performing at the Coachella Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. (AP)
his April 20, 2019 file photo shows Kanye West performing at the Coachella Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. (AP)

Ye will not be performing at the Grammys this year. A report published in The Blast said that the musician was told Friday that his act had been pulled from the show, which is set to take place on April 3.

A representative for Ye, who changed his name from Kanye West, confirmed the information in The Blast article in an email to the Associated Press. She did not offer additional comment.

Ye had not been confirmed yet as someone set to perform at the show, which has announced acts such as Billie Eilish, BTS, Lil’ Nas X and Olivia Rodrigo. Ye’s album “Donda” is nominated for album of the year. Representatives from the Recording Academy have not responded to multiple requests for comment.

According to reports, the decision was made in response to his “concerning online behavior.”

Trevor Noah, who is hosting the Grammy Awards, called Ye’s treatment of his ex-wife Kim Kardashian “more and more belligerent” on The Daily Show last week.

“What we’re seeing here is one of the most powerful, one of the richest women in the world unable to get her ex to stop texting her, to stop chasing after her, to stop harassing her,” Noah said.



International K-Pop Fans Thrill to Prospect of BTS Reunion 

Fans of K-pop band BTS wait for photos near an ARMY Bomb during the annual 2025 BTS Festa celebrating the BTS' debut anniversary in Goyang, South Korea, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
Fans of K-pop band BTS wait for photos near an ARMY Bomb during the annual 2025 BTS Festa celebrating the BTS' debut anniversary in Goyang, South Korea, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
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International K-Pop Fans Thrill to Prospect of BTS Reunion 

Fans of K-pop band BTS wait for photos near an ARMY Bomb during the annual 2025 BTS Festa celebrating the BTS' debut anniversary in Goyang, South Korea, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
Fans of K-pop band BTS wait for photos near an ARMY Bomb during the annual 2025 BTS Festa celebrating the BTS' debut anniversary in Goyang, South Korea, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)

Thousands of international fans of K-pop megastars BTS gathered on Friday in the suburbs of Seoul amid mounting excitement over an expected reunion of the group after its members complete mandatory service in the South Korean military.

This year's BTS Festa marks the 12th anniversary of the group, which last performed together in 2022 and has not toured since 2019 because of the global pandemic and subsequent military service obligations of its members.

It was unclear if any of the recently discharged performers would appear at the festival organized by the group's management agency, HYBE.

But that did not dampen the enthusiasm of fans, some of whom flew in from around the world hoping to spot some of the superstars at the gathering or at a pair of solo concerts by BTS rapper J-Hope as he wraps up his "Hope on the Stage" world tour.

"I want to enjoy everything because there are many things to do here and ... I hope to see the guys maybe," said Karla Linan Saucede, 33, who travelled from Mexico with her sister and friends.

"It's gone past excitement and into almost being numb," said Ayla O'Ryan, 45, from Scotland, adding that she planned a visit this month to practice Korean in the capital so that she could attend.

BTS' members Jimin and Jungkook discharged from the South Korean military on Wednesday, become the fifth and sixth to complete their service. Members RM and V were discharged on Tuesday and the last to finish will be Suga on June 21.

While details of a reunion have not been released, the group is expected to hold its largest ever world tour in 2026, says NH Securities, one of South Korea's largest investment firms.

Shares in HYBE jumped 11.3% in June as brokerages raised their sales estimates and target price for the agency ahead of the group's comeback.