Xenophobia in the Music Industry: BTS’s Historic Grammy Nomination
On November 25th, 2020, BTS made history with their Grammy nomination for “Best Pop Duo/Group Performance” for their summer-hit song, “Dynamite.” The Grammys will be held on March 14th, 2021, and we will find out if this achievement will go beyond this prized Grammy nomination.
BTS is one of the most popular boy bands in the world, breaking multiple YouTube view records, reaching No. 1 on Billboard Artist 100, Billboard 200, and Billboard Hot 100, harboring a huge fanbase—the list goes on. The Korean artists debuted in 2013, and are now recognized worldwide for their mesmerizing performances. After receiving this treasured nomination, the seven-member band made history by becoming the first K-pop artist to get nominated for the Grammys.
On August 21st, 2020, BTS released their first fully-English single, “Dynamite.” The music video reached 101.1 million views within a day of release, breaking the record for highest YouTube views in 24 hours. As of today, it has accumulated over 895 million views—the third most viewed video on their YouTube channel. With a large fanbase, English lyrics, and a radio-friendly pop tune, the song gathered attention on local radio stations and social media. The pleasing visuals, simple lyrics, and charming dance also made it easy for all audiences to enjoy.
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Undoubtedly, the song amassed great popularity, fulfilling BTS and their label’s overarching objective—to captivate the Western audience. Some fans have shown disappointment in the path BTS seemed to be taking, abandoning their experimental and unique sounds, and artistic integrity prominent in songs that didn’t harbor as much recognition. However, the fans, known as ARMY, still rejoiced and showered them in congrats after the news went public. With the acronym BTS standing for Bangtan Sonyeongdon (방탄소년단) which translates to Bulletproof Boy Scouts or Bangtan Boys, and “Beyond the Scene,” the devoted fandom was named by BTS’s own company, Big Hit Entertainment. The acronym ARMY stands for Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth, carrying the meaning that the fans will always be with BTS.
The nomination is a huge step for the K-Pop and American music industry, although it dials focus on past signs of xenophobia at the Grammys, as well as raises questions for the future. The awards are voted on by the Recording Academy, which consists of professional artists, producers, engineers, and songwriters, many of whom select multiple contenders to receive recognition at the annual ceremony. In the past, the public, celebrities included, have called out the system on its xenophobia—is there diversity? Do the members have personal bias towards certain artists, especially based upon their race and/or ethnicity? Some past incidents that can be found as unjust include Macklemore winning “Best New Artist” over Kendrick Lamar (2014), and Beyonce’s Lemonade album losing to Adele (2017). The MTV Music awards is another American music event brimming with controversy. This establishment decided to isolate K-pop as its own category—does this imply that K-pop music should be removed from the overall realm of “pop?” Why does the language barrier have to separate the two?
BTS strived relentlessly for Grammys nominations before, but their attempts never succeeded till now. The group has even performed at the arena in 2020, but alongside Lil Nas X to perform his song “Old Town Road.” Since then, however, the Recording Academy has made efforts to stimulate a more diverse community. They added 1,700 members consisting of 40% women, 47% people who don’t identify as white, and 55% people under age forty. More black and female artists have been nominated this year compared to years prior.
This raises the question about why BTS was only nominated this year. Although the Recording Academy has developed in diversity, “Dynamite” was recorded in English to appeal to Western audiences. Do people still regard this song as K-pop, even if the language isn’t Korean? In fact, it was said by BTS that recording the song in English had been a last minute decision. Would BTS have been nominated if “Dynamite” hadn’t been in English? These questions can be interpreted differently—there isn’t one clear answer. However, BTS’s previous album, Map of the Soul: 7, which was released in February 2020, received no nominations, which fans may argue was more deserving of one because of its exploratory and exceptional nature. Their latest album BE (released November 2020) also attained significantly less attention, with currently 283 million views for their title track, “Life Goes On.” This record cannot compare to the 895 million views accumulated with the “Dynamite” music video.
Only time will tell if xenophobia in the American music industry will curtail. Still, this nomination is a huge step for objectively listening to music without the judgement of race and nationality, although it continues to be a learning curve to realize that music transcends language.