The Grammys are known across the world for being among the most prestigious awards for musicians. This year, BTS showed up at their own recreated Grammys red carpet dressed in Louis Vuitton and gave a “dynamite” performance at the end of the show. With their “undeniable charisma” (Ryan, 2021) and the beautiful Seoul skyline in the background, BTS truly “[lit] it up” with their performance (BTS, 2020).

However, for many ARMYs, the Grammys once again proved to be a disappointment as BTS was snubbed and used for clout and views. On the days leading up to March 14th, BTS were considered to be the top contender for the “Best Pop Duo/Group Performance” award, which their song “Dynamite” was nominated for. To the surprise of millions, “Dynamite” lost to “Rain On Me.”

Needless to say, ARMYs all over the world were infuriated when BTS lost, trending various hashtags on Twitter such as #BTSOurGreatestPrize, #BTSOurGreatestGift, #LightItUpBTS, and more. ARMYs have also made a point to push BTS’s chart-topping single Dynamite to 1 billion streams and have re-charted all of their albums on US iTunes.

Several ARMYs on Twitter have expressed their disappointment, calling the Grammys out for their “xenophobia” (kai 🌸, 2021) and “racism” (tere missing taetae, 2021). On the podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour, Stephen Thompson and Cyrena Touros (2021) elaborate, “Given how much of that telecast they spent promoting that performance . . . The Grammys were certainly willing to trade on BTS’ success and were not particularly willing to acknowledge ‘Dynamite’, which is a fantastic song.”

This is the third consecutive year that the Grammys have used BTS for clout and rode off their immense talent and well-deserved popularity. Dropping 51% from last year’s viewership, the nearly four-hour Grammys this year received 9.2 million real-time views (Bauder, 2021), while Jungkook’s one-hour live received 22 million real-time views (agz⁷ 🌸 jungkook, 2021), over double that of the Grammys.

BTS were not the only celebrities snubbed at the Grammys. After not receiving a single nomination for his record-breaking year, The Weeknd announced that he will not submit his music for the Grammys again. Halsey also did not receive a nomination, and has called out the Grammys in an Instagram story for accepting “'bribes' that can be just ambiguous enough to pass as 'not-bribes’ (Jokic, 2021). Zayn Malik and Teyana Taylor have also pushed for the Grammys to be transparent about their process and less prejudiced.

At the end of the day, the Grammys have lived up to their reputation of being prejudiced towards people of color. On the other hand, non-ARMYs and ARMYs around the world have expressed support towards BTS, especially after their show-stopping performance. Hopefully, as the public outcry for more transparency and fairness in the judging process grows louder and louder, the Grammys will catch up to the same time period as the rest of the world.

References

Lead Image: BigHit Entertainment [@BigHitEnt]. (2020, March 14). [#오늘의방탄] 새로운 목표와 자극이 생기다!? 더 열심히 달릴 예정인 방탄소년단 화이팅! 🏃🏻‍♂️🏃🏻‍♂️ ARMY 사랑해 알라뷰 💜 #방탄소년단 #7방탄완전소중 #전세계아미코마워용. [Image]. Twitter. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EwfnZstVcAA-XRF?format=jpg&name=4096x4096