No K-pop Acts at 67th Grammy Awards; BTS Remains the Only Experiented Group... Still Seen as a “Subculture” in the U.S.

The 67th Grammy Awards were held in Los Angeles last Sunday, with no K-pop groups receiving any nominations. Industry insiders and music critics appear to have anticipated this outcome. This year’s ceremony saw world-class artists such as Beyoncé (11 nominations), Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Post Malone, Charli XCX, and Sabrina Carpenter nominated for major categories, but not a single K-pop artist was included. To date, BTS is the only K-pop group to have received Grammy nominations. The group first appeared at the Grammys in 2019 as presenters, performed in a special performance segment in 2020, and then received nominations for three consecutive years. They even performed on stage during the awards show in 2021 and 2022. Industry insiders attributed the absence of K-pop at this year’s Grammys to the lack of groups with global dominance on par with BTS. A representative from a K-pop agency said, “Apart from BTS, no other K-pop group has been nominated, as none have yet reached their level of influence. Although Stray Kids and TXT are showing growth, they have not reached the scale required to be considered for Grammys.” He also pointed out that K-pop’s musical identity has not yet been recognized by the Grammy committee. “Latin pop and Afrobeat have established themselves as distinct genres, but K-pop lacks a clearly defined musical identity within the Western music industry. In the U.S., the performance-oriented nature of K-pop, which is a key element of the genre, still struggles to gain acceptance in the industry,” he added. Music critic Im Hee-yoon expressed a similar view, describing K-pop as a niche market in the U.S. He said, “K-pop is still a subculture in the U.S. Despite the global popularity of BTS and BLACKPINK, this genre remains a niche market driven by dedicated fans.” He further commented, “The Grammys are a conservative and exclusive American awards show created by key figures in the U.S. music industry to get their own music recognized. The fact that K-pop groups have been nominated three times is almost a miracle.” Meanwhile, the Grammys have faced criticism for decades over racism and discrimination. Beyoncé holds 99 Grammy nominations and 35 awards, but she only won an album award this year after four attempts, having previously won the Record of the Year award just once in 2010 with “Single Ladies.”