Grammy-nominated Bangtan Sonyeondan!
Why it still matters for BTS to get recognized by music's biggest night
The 65th Grammy Awards nominations are officially out, and BTS is nominated for not one, but THREE awards!
For the third year in a row, BTS has been nominated for “Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.” This time, for “My Universe” with Coldplay.
This did not come as a big surprise considering that Coldplay has often been a darling of the Grammys, and that BTS has a pretty good track record for getting recognized in this category.
However, the shocker for me came moments later, when “Yet to Come” was nominated for “Best Music Video.” This was an extremely pleasant surprise, because the Grammys have rarely chosen to recognize foreign artists in mainstream categories such as this one. BTS are also nominated for a third award as featured artists on Coldplay’s album Music of the Spheres.
While BTS certainly has tough competition against Harry Styles and Taylor Swift in the music video category, I have high hopes they’ll finally get some glory in the “Pop Duo/Group” section of the awards.
Since the news was announced, many fans have taken to Twitter to express their happiness and pride for BTS. RM, the group’s leader even shared the nominations on his Instagram stories.
But many have also described hesitancy and cynicism over the Grammys as a whole. When BTS lost their category this past April, many fans took to social media to dub the awards show as the “Scammys.”
“We all know why BTS performed near the start and then their category near the end. They just wanted viewership,” one person tweeted.
Others described feeling used, and felt BTS were taken advantage of for their massive fame. This brought back memories of the previous year where BTS performed their hit single “Dynamite.” The Grammys kept promoting the performance throughout the show, only for it to happen towards the very end.
I agree that the Grammys were likely using a large fanbase to keep people watching. After all, live television is a business!
But for all of its questionable decisions over the years (which deserves another post of its own), I believe the recognition should be celebrated.
Every artist dreams of this moment. It’s not every day a couple of kids from South Korea make it in a crowded field of North Americans. We should be proud of them.
I too, was sad for the boys when they lost their category this past year. But it was their reaction from a Grammys vlog that really changed my mindset on the whole thing.
“We lost, but we fought well!” says Jin.
“Why do you think we lost?” Suga responds. “We won and we fought well.”
“It’s not a win or a loss. We simply gained something today,” Jimin chimes in.
“Gained and fought!” the rest of the members say.
That was enough to make me emotional, and excited for the future.
Yes, a Grammy would be the icing on top of the cake. And the boys do deserve it.
But I also took those Jimin’s words as a sign that BTS would continue to work on better music, and to further push their craft to the next level.
That’s why I’m choosing to focus on the positives right now. Because as we’ve already seen from the boys, a Grammy nomination MEANS A LOT.
The truth is, BTS continues to make significant strides for the K-pop industry and South Korea as a whole. I would even argue that no other artist from their country comes remotely close right now.
This also marks the third year in a row BTS is nominated for a Grammy award. That’s HUGE. And while they have yet to win an award, their presence alone at music’s biggest night means people are paying attention and rooting for them.
What’s more, “Yet To Come” and “My Universe” are two songs that feature Korean lyrics. RM, Suga and J-Hope also become Grammy-nominated songwriters with the recognition of the latter. To me, that shows music in other languages is increasingly being accepted in the mainstream. That means BTS’s efforts, (plus the fandom’s) is working.
Don’t get me wrong, I desperately want BTS to win this time around. But for all of the Grammy’s flaws, BTS’s historic nominations has helped open the door for other K-pop artists to strive toward.
If that isn’t already a win, I don’t know what is.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Fact checkers and editors are important, but few and far in between. They also deserve to be paid fairly. At this moment, I am doing this on my own for free. Accountability is important to me, so please address corrections and concerns by sending me an email at bunnipopnewsletter@gmail.com
The good news keeps on coming!
Some breaking news last night: J-Hope will be performing a solo stage at the next Mnet MAMA Awards! The stage will be called “I Am Your Hope.”
“We wanted to create something unique, that can only be seen from MAMA,” says CJ ENM Chief Producer Yoon Shin Hye on J-Hope’s upcoming performance.
“We wanted to create one scene where music combines and unites everyone.”
While she was mum on details, we thankfully won’t have to wait super long! The awards take place November 29 and 30th. I can’t wait to see what J-Hope has in store for us!
Finally, read me elsewhere!
A piece I started on this very newsletter has now been turned into a published essay on a new Asian American news website called Joysauce! Read my piece on why “The Astronaut” and BTS’s Jin goodbye means a lot to me. I was NOT expecting the graphic, but I do look forward to seeing Jin update us as he embarks on his military duties!
I tuned in for the Grammy nominations stream and was just as shocked when I saw YTC nominated for best music video. WHAT?! A Korean song nominated??? I am so proud of BTS and to see this music video nominated... it means a lot to us ARMYs.
I'm looking forward to J-Hope's MAMA performance! I don't know what to expect but after what he showed at Lollapalooza, I'm prepared to be blown away again. Arson is such a hype song and has grown on me immensely since first listen. I'd love to hear that and Safety Zone! Do you have any songs you're hoping he will perform on the MAMA stage?