Will K-pop Break Through the Grammy’s Wall? BTS Members, FIFTY FIFTY and More Aim for Nominations
While BTS has paused their group activities, their challenge for the prestigious Grammys continues. This time, can they succeed?
The voting for the nominations of the 66th Grammy Awards has reportedly begun, and numerous K-pop artists have thrown their hats into the ring.
The Grammy Awards is one of the most prestigious music awards in the US, alongside the American Music Awards and the Billboard Music Awards, making it one of the “big three” music awards in the country.
BTS became the first K-pop act to be nominated for the Grammy Awards for three consecutive years, but they haven’t won yet.
As BTS is on a hiatus due to members’ I mandatory military service, this year, attention is focused on whether the formidable Grammy fortress can be breached by BTS members as soloists, as well as by other K-pop artists such as Stray Kids, TXT, FIFTY FIFTY, SEVENTEEN, and TWICE.
BTS may be on a group hiatus, but their solo releases continue at the highest level of American music awards, the Grammy Awards. RM’s solo album “INDIGO” has been submitted for nomination in the Pop Vocal Album category, with the title track “Wild Flower” in the Pop Duo/Group Performance and Music Video categories. Jin is challenging in the Pop Solo Performance and Music Video categories with the song “The Astronaut.”
Suga has submitted his solo album “D-Day” for consideration in the Rap Album category, and the title track “Haegeum” for Rap Performance and Music Video nominations.
J-Hope has entered the race with his solo track “On The Street” in the Pop Duo/Group Performance and Music Video categories. V’s solo album “Layover” is submitted in the Pop Vocal Album category, with the title track “Slow Dancing” in the Pop Solo Performance and Music Video categories.
Jimin and Jungkook, who have previously topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart as soloists, have submitted their songs “Like Crazy” and “Seven” for consideration in major Grammy categories, “Record of the Year” and “Song of the Year.”
In addition, Jimin has also submitted entries in several other categories, including Pop Vocal Album, Pop Solo Performance, and Music Video, while Jungkook has submitted “Seven” in the Pop Duo/Group Performance and Music Video categories.
Even though BTS has yet to take home a Grammy as a group, the fact that both Jimin and Jungkook ranked No.1 on Billboard Hot 100 this year with their solo songs indicates the hope of them being nominated in the final Grammy Awards.
Besides BTS members, several K-pop groups that have achieved remarkable success in the past year have also submitted entries for the Grammys.
FIFTY FIFTY, amid a a legal dispute with their agency, is knocking on the Grammy door for the first time. Their hit “Cupid,” which spent the longest time on the Billboard singles chart among K-pop girl groups, is submitted for consideration in the categories of “Record of the Year” and “Song of the Year.”
Stray Kids, who achieved three consecutive #1 on Billboard 200 album, is competing for the Best New Artist award. TWICE has submitted “Ready To Be” for consideration in the Album of the Year category, and “Set Me Free” in the categories of Record of the Year and Song of the Year. TXT has submitted their songs “Back For More” and “Sugar Rush Ride” for consideration in the Pop Duo/Group Performance and Music Video categories, respectively.
The Grammy Awards follow a process where artists submit their music to the categories they desire, and Recording Academy members will vote to select the final nominees and winners.
The first round of voting for nominations takes place from November 11th to November 20th. The Recording Academy members then cast their first-round secret ballots, followed by final voting to determine the winners.
The Grammy Awards are renowned for their prestige and influence in the field of music and are considered one of the most prominent awards alongside the Academy Awards for film, the Emmy Awards for television, and the Tony Awards for stage performances.
However, the “Grammy Wall” has been particularly high for K-pop, and criticisms of the Grammys’ conservatism towards dance groups and non-white artists have been ongoing.
Despite achieving global success with English-language singles such as “Dynamite” and “Butter” on Billboard Hot 100 for a record-breaking 10 weeks, BTS was nominated only for “Best Pop Duo/Group Performance” at the 64th Grammy Awards, leaving fans disappointed.
Source: daum
