The Record Academy's K-pop glass ceiling has been broken.
Stand down, Army. The Recording Academy's snubbing of BTS has come to an end, as the boy band has received their first proper GRAMMY nomination, making history all over again as they become the first K-pop group to break into a major GRAMMYs category.
Nominations for the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards were unveiled on Tuesday, with BTS being recognized in Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for their English-language single, "Dynamite."
The group's official Twitter account shared a video of some of the members reacting to their nomination. In the clip, V, Jungkook, RM and Jimin are seen eagerly watching Megan Thee Stallion read the pop category nominations before breaking into celebration when their name appears onscreen.
BTS began chipping away at the GRAMMYs' K-pop glass ceiling in 2019, when their album Love Yourself: Tear was nominated for Best Recording Package. (Had it won, the award would have gone to art director HuskyFox.) The same year, they marked another milestone when the boys became the first K-pop group to present at the GRAMMY Awards.
Yet the following year, no K-Pop acts were nominated in any field. (BTS did make an appearance at the ceremony to perform "Old Town Road" alongside nominee Lil Nas X.)
Just yesterday, Esquire ran an interview with BTS in which RM acknowledged that the band was hoping to be nominated, adding, "I think the GRAMMYs are the last part, like the final part of the whole American journey."
Considering the official cutoff for the 2021 GRAMMYs was Aug. 31, we'll keep our eye on the 2022 nominations for Album of the Year nominations for BTS' BE (Deluxe Edition) (released in November), as well as more K-pop love for should-be Best New Artist contenders BLACKPINK.
The 63nd Annual GRAMMY Awards will take place on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT and broadcast live on CBS.
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