Grammy who? ARMY says ceremony doesn't deserve BTS.

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Grammy who? ARMY says ceremony doesn't deserve BTS.

Boy band BTS [BIG HIT MUSIC]

Boy band BTS [BIG HIT MUSIC]

 
BTS left the 64th Annual Grammy Awards empty-handed Sunday.
 
The boy band was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for the second year in a row, this time for its megahit "Butter" (2021), but the Grammy instead went to American singers Doja Cat and SZA's duet "Kiss Me More" (2021) during the ceremony held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
 
The announcement baffled many who anticipated that BTS would this year become the first-ever K-pop artist to win a Grammy, especially considering the record-breaking success of "Butter." The song immediately shot to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 upon its release in May 2021 and claimed the top spot for a total of 10 weeks, becoming the longest-reigning No. 1 song of 2021 on the chart.
 
BTS's fans, dubbed ARMY, launched a social media campaign to express their unwithering support for the boy band with a slew of posts that read, "We are proud of you." They also criticized the Grammys, exclaiming "BTS deserves a Grammy, but the Grammys don't deserve BTS."
 
So why was BTS snubbed for the second time, despite its extremely successful chart performance?
 
"The category itself [Best Pop Duo/Group Performance] was not advantageous for BTS," said pop culture critic Kim Heon-sik. "'Butter' topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 weeks. I believe it deserved to be nominated for Album of the Year or Song of the Year. Best Pop Duo/Group Performance is more about how well multiple artists collaborated to create a performance. But the concept of K-pop groups like BTS, which is not a one-time project but a long-term team effort, is a bit vague when judging it as a collaborative performance."
 
BTS's "Butter" (2021) topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for a total of 10 weeks. [BIG HIT MUSIC]

BTS's "Butter" (2021) topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for a total of 10 weeks. [BIG HIT MUSIC]

 
Pop music and media studies professor Lee Gyu-tag at George Mason University Korea, author of "The K-pop Age" (2016), added that even popular group acts in the United States did not have much luck with the Grammys when they were popular in the early 2000s.
 
"To me, the biggest reason as to why BTS has been unable to win a Grammy is that the Grammys have never been that fond of teen pop boy bands and girl groups," Prof. Lee said. "Bands like New Kids on the Block, *NSYNC and the Spice Girls were all very popular but only received a few nominations at best, never a Grammy. It's not necessarily about the Grammys being old-fashioned; [26-year-old] Doja Cat is a young artist but won. The Grammys just seems to prefer non-group acts that involve less production by other people."
 
The general sentiment among BTS fans boils down to "disappointed, but not surprised," as a large part of ARMY has already been expressing anger and a lack of expectation since last year. After BTS failed to take home an award at last year's Grammy Awards in March, many fans expected BTS to have better luck this year. However, this year "Butter" was only nominated to one category, which was also not one of the top four "general field" categories — referring to Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist — much to the dismay of fans.

 
After this second Grammy snub, ARMY seems convinced that the Grammys have been giving BTS the "bare minimum" of nominations simply in order to have the band perform at its ceremony for publicity, without giving the group any actual awards.
 
"Aside from whether BTS won an award or not, the Grammys having BTS perform is rather unpleasant because their intentions are so obvious," Prof. Lee said. "Last year, BTS's performance came at the end of the show. This year, the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category was announced unusually late, toward the end of the ceremony. It's obvious that although BTS's music style is not in line with what the Grammys prefer, they still use BTS for ratings. The Grammys get a significant boost in ratings thanks to BTS, but won't acknowledge the group accordingly in terms of actual awards."

 
BTS also hinted at the frustration during a red-carpet interview prior to the ceremony. "These two years were so exhausting and devastating, and if we get the Grammys, you know, it all pays back and pays off," said RM, the group's leader.

 
BTS performs "Butter" during the 64th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony held in Las Vegas on April 3. [AFP]

BTS performs "Butter" during the 64th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony held in Las Vegas on April 3. [AFP]

 
Some go so far as to call the ceremony the "Scammys," implying the Grammys are a scam. The term was popularized in recent years as the Recording Academy, which hosts the Grammys and whose members vote for the winner, has been accused of favoritism and bias against non-white artists.
 
"Unlike the Billboard Music Awards, which is based on the chart's data, or the American Music Awards, which reflects fan votes, the Grammys are determined by votes from members of the Recording Academy, who are industry insiders," said Kim. "It has a reputation for being elitist and ends up becoming a party of their own. Despite actual popularity or commercial success, if the voting members are unfamiliar with the form of K-pop idol music or artists from non-English-speaking countries, especially in Asia, it's unlikely to be accepted as a Grammy winner. Unless the system changes drastically or new categories are added, the Grammys won't be able to evaluate K-pop properly."
 
Some fans are urging BTS to not attend Grammy Awards ceremonies in the future.
 
"Rather than asking why BTS didn't win, the real question is whether BTS even needs a Grammy," said Prof. Lee. "BTS already has achieved most things artists can. The Grammys have shown itself to not be a fan of BTS's style of music, so why should BTS care about winning one? Apart from the symbolic value, there's not much reason. In that sense, not attending altogether is not a bad idea."
 
Nonetheless, BTS holds the title as the first and only Asian artist to be nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, which the Grammys established in 2012. "Butter" has recorded the most No. 1s by an Asian artist in Billboard history. The boy band will also hold four runs of concerts in Las Vegas on April 8, 9, 15 and 16.

BY HALEY YANG [yang.hyunjoo@joongang.co.kr]
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