“I think the Grammys are the last part, like the final part of the whole American journey.” - RM (for Esquire 2020).
About a month back, on November 24th of 2020, BTS along with ARMY entered a new realm of achievements when Megan Thee Stallion announced BTS as a nominee for the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category. They stood amongst other renowned Western Pop artists such as Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa, etc. “Dynamite,” BTS’s first all-English song, which has broken numerous records this year, secured not only the group’s first-ever Number 1 on Billboard Hot 100 but also bagged this Grammy nomination.
Image credits: Recording Academy/Grammys
Needless to say, millions of people held their breath together with the boys on that day. The atmosphere prior to the nomination was that of intense anticipation and scrutiny. More than half of ARMY on this day, including both baby and veteran, was aware of how BTS had been snubbed in the last Grammys. It is followed by the painful memory of RM posting on Weverse with the caption, “Bogo Sipeo,” or translated to, “Miss you,” to pacify the heartbroken fans.
The Road to Grammys
Even after having a successful year with their then charting albums Love Yourself: Answer and Love Yourself: Tear — which were considered the year’s top physical sellers in the U.S market — and outselling stadiums in comparison to their Western counterparts; the Recording Academy didn’t think these achievements were even near to being enough to land a nomination.
Grammys have always occupied a position of importance in BTS’s goal list. The first time Yoongi revealed to the universe that he wanted a Grammy, it only played off as a dream that seemed a tad bit too ridiculous to the other members to become a reality.
Image Credits: Weverse
Image Credits: Liam McEwan’s YouTube Video
The group made their first appearance at the Grammys in 2019. Decked up in Korean-designer suits, they left with the words “We will be back” ringing in everyone’s ears.
Image Credits: YouTube “Billboard” Screenshot
The First Step
Promptly after, BTS did indeed stay true to their statement and returned to the 2020 Grammys, this time, for a collaborated stage performance of “Old Town Road” with Lil Nas.
Image Credits: GETTY Images
“We Could Actually Win”
As we fast-forward to the second half of 2020, BTS released “Dynamite,” which brings in a paradigm shift in the world of BTS and the Kpop industry as a whole. From the highest number of views in 24 hours on YouTube, to a Billboard-All-Kill (BAK) for two weeks and still reigning in the top 10 of Billboard Hot 100 seventeen weeks later, Dynamite proved to be a revolution!
Image Credits: @BTS_twt
This shift in the atmosphere gifted the boys with courage to be more vocal about the Grammys; their desire for a solo stage is well-justified. From disregarding their own wishful thinking of getting a Grammy, to believing that they deserve a Grammy as much as any other singer does, if not more, BTS has come a long way as artists.
But is it enough to be satisfied with, when a group from Korea who submitted entries for eight categories gets nominated for only one? Is it enough that the song with countless records broken couldn’t even land a Record Of The Year nomination? As one might put forward the baseless argument of “language” — back in 2018, “Despacito” landed three major nominations. Whilst the song didn’t really win in any of these categories, the artists did receive overwhelming support.
Let’s put aside their Korean album for a second here. Even their ALL-ENGLISH song was denied a nomination for ROTY or SOTY, and sadly, but not surprisingly, the boys didn’t really see any support from their fellow artists regarding it. So, amidst this hierarchy of languages, a Korean boy band is supposed to thank their stars, be happy with the bare minimum respect and acknowledgment, and move on?
Map of the Soul: 7 is considered by many to be BTS’s peak of artistry, which was overlooked and stepped on because it was composed in a language not commonly spoken. It’s so ridiculous that it makes one question if the industry’s reaction would have been any different had a Western artist produced a similar album. It makes one question if all these numbers and statistics turn to naught for the jury because they come from a women-dominated fandom.
When Jimin says in the Vanity Fair video “...it validates our worthiness as artists,” to most ARMYs this hits a rather sad note — that the boys genuinely feel highly regarded only after an American validation that evidently wants little to do with PoC artists.
Image Credits: Vanity Fair YouTube Screenshot
BTS has brought about a phenomenal change in the world of music, not only as unparalleled artists but also as human beings. From saving precious lives to changing the norms of how a boyband is perceived, do BTS really need a Grammy to validate their boundless achievements or their larger than life existence?
It’s a bitter-sweet journey, especially for ARMYs who have been here all along, who want to give BTS the whole world and everything they truly deserve. We take pride in this nomination that the boys worked for and greatly desired, and swallow the anguish caused by the plain, bigoted snubs. In the very end, BTS truly only have ARMY and each other.
“You and I, we will win in the end.
We will win so naturally,
making sure no one sees us coming.”
- Kim Namjoon
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Written by Ananya
Edited by Aury
Checked by Esma
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