Kacie on K-pop: Why does BTS ‘give a shit about’ the GRAMMYs?
At the end of BTS’s first show of their four-show Las Vegas residency, each member of the group stood in front of their thousands of fans and gave their ending “ment” speeches. Like the six other members, leader RM explicitly mentioned another event the group attended while they were in Las Vegas: the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards.
“We’ve heard all of the stuff about the GRAMMYs, why give a shit about it? Let the haters hate, let the lovers love. We didn’t come to Vegas for the GRAMMYs, we came for the ARMYs,” RM said in his speech, referencing the group’s fandom name.
It was an interesting statement on RM’s part, considering their performance at the award show was a mere five days before and that they’ve spent years chasing this honor — in a 2018 interview with Jimmy Fallon, rapper Suga said the group’s next move would be to “go to the GRAMMYs.”
The group has gotten close to the achievement multiple times. In 2018, their album “Love Yourself: Tear” was nominated for Best Recording Package, a category that honors a physical album’s artwork, followed by two nominations for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance in 2021 and 2022, for “Dynamite” and “Butter,” respectively.
Yet, it’s confusing that despite how successful both singles were on the charts — “Dynamite” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and “Butter” had the biggest song debut ever on Spotify, with over 11 million global streams — neither track was able to secure the group a win.
It’s also important to note that both of these songs were performed fully in English, a move I never thought BTS would make. In a 2017 “On Air with Ryan Seacrest” interview, when a fan asked if the group would ever produce an all-English album, RM responded sarcastically, “Thanks for the good advice. You should definitely come to our label and work with us.”
I’ve always had mixed feelings about BTS’s all-English songs. Don’t get me wrong, I think that the remixes of their originally Korean language songs with American superstars, including Nicki Minaj, Lauv and Sia, are strategic and were great ways for them to expand their American fanbase without sacrificing their roots.
But, in all honesty, that’s what their all-English songs feel like to me: sacrificial.
Beyond the language though, BTS’s all-English songs even adopt music video concepts with references to American culture: retro donut shops in “Dynamite,” McDonald’s advertisement-esque shots in “Butter” and Western-inspired outfits in “Permission to Dance.”
It’s really hard for me to watch BTS essentially push their culture aside, clearly reflected in the language in which they sing, in an attempt to secure validation from the American music industry. I detest the fact that BTS hasn’t performed on a weekly Korean music show since they promoted “ON” in February 2020. I hate the fact that BTS thinks they have to sacrifice such an integral part of their identity for validation from the American music industry.
And yet, despite my frustration, a part of me does understand why the group is making some of these choices.
In an industry dominated by white executives, it makes sense that a song performed in English would have a better shot at winning a GRAMMY than a song performed in a foreign language. It sadly makes sense that the group and their company seem to think that the only way BTS will be able to win a GRAMMY is by submitting to the norms and standards of those who have the power to give them one.
In no way do I mean to invalidate BTS’s desire for a GRAMMY, or the methods that they’re taking to earn one. But after their second failed attempt at a GRAMMY, maybe RM was on the right track with his speech at that concert on Friday: “Why give a shit about it?” Clearly, the thousands of ARMY seeing BTS at their four sold-out shows in Las Vegas don’t, and neither should they.
Kacie Yamamoto is a junior writing about Korean pop music. She is also an associate managing editor at the Daily Trojan. Her column “Kacie on K-pop” runs every other Thursday.