The United States’ one of the three major music awards, the ‘Billboard Music Awards’, has elicited mixed reactions from K-pop fans with the addition of a K-pop category ahead of the award ceremony
On the 26th of last month (local time), the ‘Billboard Music Awards’ introduced a K-pop category for this year’s ceremony due to the growing influence of K-pop. It includes four categories: Top Global K-pop Artist, Top Global K-pop Album, Top Global K-pop Song, and Top K-pop Touring Artist.
According to the list of nominees released by the Billboard Music Awards, BTS’s Jimin is nominated in four categories, including Top Selling Song, Top Global K-pop Artist, Top K-pop Album, and Top Global K-pop Song. Another member of the same group, Suga, is nominated for Top K-pop Touring Artist, while Jungkook is nominated for Top Global K-pop Song, setting up a friendly competition within the team.
The rookie group NewJeans, who achieved the distinction of being the most nominated K-pop artist within a year of their debut, has been nominated in four categories: Top Billboard Global (excluding the United States) Artist, Top Global K-pop Artist, Top K-pop Album, and Top Global K-pop Song. Tomorrow X Together (TXT) has been nominated for Top Global K-pop Artist and Top K-pop Album for their popularity gained with their February release, ‘Cupid.’ The group ‘Fifty Fifty,’ which gained popularity with the release of their single, is nominated for Top Duo/Group and Top Global K-pop Song.
Global icons Blackpink and Twice, representing the third generation of girl groups, are also in the mix. Blackpink is nominated for ‘Top K-pop Touring Artist,’ while Twice is nominated in three categories, including ‘Top Global K-pop Artist.’ Stray Kids, under the same label as Twice, is also nominated in the ‘Top K-pop Album’ category, competing alongside Twice, Jimin, TXT, and NewJeans.
Following the announcement of the nominees by Billboard, there have been contrasting reactions in some quarters. While some view the inclusion of K-pop in award categories, following the ‘American Music Awards’ (AMA) last year, and now the ‘Billboard Music Awards,’ as an acknowledgment of K-pop’s status as a mainstream genre in the U.S., others interpret it as a measure to curb K-pop’s popularity. Some believe it’s an attempt to limit major awards in popular categories to K-pop groups that have a strong presence in the public vote.
The ‘2023 Billboard Music Awards’ will be held on the 19th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, USA. It will be live-streamed through Billboard’s official social media channels. As one of the three major music awards in the United States that recognizes artists who have made significant achievements in the given year according to the ‘Billboard Charts,’ the event is expected to garner attention on how it deals with the ambiguity of the ‘K-pop genre.’
Source: MoneyS
