K-POP Completely Excluded from 2025 Grammy Awards...Controversy Over Ignoring Its Global Influence

The complete exclusion of K-POP from the 2025 Grammy Awards has sparked criticism that this music industry’s biggest award show is turning a blind eye to the influence of Hallyu. At the 67th Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles on February 2, global stars such as Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Sabrina Carpenter, Lady Gaga, and Bruno Mars were listed as winners, but there was no trace of K-POP anywhere. The uneasy relationship between K-POP and the Grammys dates back long. Despite K-POP dominating worldwide music markets, the Recording Academy has been slow to acknowledge this fact. In 2021, BTS made history by becoming the first K-POP group to receive a Grammy nomination, but they failed to win despite their record-breaking success. This same pattern continued, with major groups like BLACKPINK, SEVENTEEN, and Stray Kids repeatedly being overlooked. This trend persisted this year as well. The recently announced nominees for “Best K-Pop Song” included aespa’s “Supernova,” ZEROBASEONE’s “Good So Bad,” Bae Kyoung-hyun’s “Pineapple Slice,” Kiss of Life’s “Iglu,” LE SSERAFIM’s “Crazy,” BOYNEXTDOOR’s “Dangerous,” Rescene’s “Love Attack,” Kep1er’s “Shooting Star,” RIIZE’s “Impossible,” and Taemin’s “Crush.” While this list showcased fresh energy through a mix of established stars and emerging fourth-generation groups, it provoked strong backlash among fans. The most notable omissions were top K-POP artists such as TXT, Stray Kids, TWICE, IVE, SEVENTEEN, BIBI, and BLACKPINK’s Rosé, with not a single song from them included. TXT’s album “The Pre-Fall” received high praise to the extent that it was nominated for Best K-Pop Album at the Korean Music Awards (KMA, the Korean version of the Grammys), yet the Recording Academy did not select any track from that album. Fan dissatisfaction is intense. One fan expressed anger by saying, “This is why K-POP is never taken seriously,” while another criticized, “It seems the Grammys truly do not understand K-POP’s influence.” However, some experts interpret this situation positively, arguing it could serve as a bigger opportunity rather than a temporary downturn in the global K-POP market. BLACKPINK announced a new album and world tour this year, and former BTS members are scheduled to complete their military service by June. Additionally, the solo activities of BLACKPINK members like Lisa, Jennie, Jisoo, and Rosé are gaining momentum, opening the possibility that 2025 could become a turning point for the K-POP industry.