BTS’s Suga: Why a Grammy nomination would mean the world
Seemingly overnight, K-pop band BTS took the world by storm. However, for those who followed the group since their debut in 2013, it’s been a long journey. Their adoring fan base, the BTS ARMY, helped the group rise to international fame and straight into the history books.
BTS & BTS ARMY witnessed historic achievements for the band and the K-pop genre. The group made history with the album Love Yourself: Answer – the only album to make the Billboard 200 for a full year (currently at 93 weeks), BTS had three concurrent charting albums and were the only K-pop group with multiple No. 1 albums. They’re also the fastest music group to claim four No. 1 albums since The Beatles.
BTS also made history with performances & awards shows. They were the first Korean act on Saturday Night Live and the first foreign group to perform a solo concert in Saudi Arabia. They were also the first artists to be nominated and win Billboard’s top duo/group award.
After garnering Billboard accolades, BTS inches closer to recognition from the Grammys. Although BTS was already the first Korean act to perform during the awards show, Suga has his eyes set on a bigger prize.
Suga’s dream
Suga desperately wants to win a Grammy. In an interview with Variety, he explained, “I grew up watching American award shows, so obviously we all know and I know the importance of the Grammys. It’s a dream anyone working in music has.”
A Grammy is a goal shared by the whole group. RM added in the interview, “[The Grammys] motivates us to work harder. As Suga said, if you’re in music, the Grammy Awards are something that you cannot help but to look toward and set as an eventual goal.”
BTS snubbed from 2020 Grammys
The Recording Academy has yet to nominate BTS for a Grammy. In recent years, the Recording Academy has come under fire for its lack of diversity for its four big awards (Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist). BTS’s snub at the 2020 Grammy Awards isn’t shocking but highly disappointing as the K-pop group has outpaced many American artists in sales.
The Recording Academy needs to take a page out of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Korean director Bong Joon-ho and his movie Parasite cleaned up at the Academy Awards. Joon-ho won Best Director, and the film won Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and the newly named Best International Feature Film awards. Parasite was the first international film to win the Academy’s top honor.
Time is running out on BTS
South Korean law decrees all men between the ages of eighteen and twenty-seven must enlist in the military as active-duty soldiers. The oldest member Jin, 27, was supposed to enlist this year but received a year extension due to BTS’s success.
Time is limited for BTS. The youngest member, Jungkook, is twenty-three, and K-pop groups tend to lose South Korean fans for evading military service. None of this is lost on the group, so they’re motivated to win a Grammy together before it’s too late.
BTS continues to inch closer to a Grammy nomination & award. In 2019, they became the first Korean group to perform at the Grammys. They shared the stage Little Nas X’s performance of his hit “Old Town Road”. BTS also presented an award at the Grammys, becoming the first Korean group to do so. All that’s left for BTS is a headlining performance at the Grammys, a nomination, and an eventual win.
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We believe it’s about time the Recording Academy recognizes BTS’s accomplishments. What do you think? Will BTS win a Grammy next year? Let us know!
