BTS and the Grammys: a story of nominations and the fight for recognition

Among the enormous collection of awards and records BTS has racked up over the years, one honor held a special place for a long time. The members never hid that they wanted to win a Grammy, so ARMY followed every step they took toward that award with special attention. There were historic moments, huge performances, and new nominations, but the win never came.

The first step happened back in 2019, when BTS became the first Korean act to present an award at the Grammys. A year later, they returned as performers, joining Lil Nas X for his massive Old Town Road performance. They still didn't have a nomination of their own, but a group that had been watching the Grammys from Korea just a few years earlier was now standing on its stage.

The real turning point came in November 2020. Dynamite was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, giving BTS their first Grammy nomination as performers. The members' reaction to the nominations announcement has remained one of those BTS moments that's hard to forget, they waited together for the result, and once their name was read out, they jumped off the couch and started celebrating.

At the March 2021 ceremony, they performed Dynamite from Seoul, but the award went to Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande for Rain on Me. There was disappointment, but the nomination itself was historic. BTS had done something no K-pop act had managed before them in that Grammy category.

A new chance came the following year. Butter was nominated again for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, and this time BTS delivered one of their most striking Grammy performances at the ceremony in Las Vegas. A spy concept, Jungkook's entrance from a height, Jin at the control panel, and choreography with jackets turned a few minutes of Butter into one of the most memorable performances of the night. The award still went to someone else, Doja Cat and SZA for Kiss Me More.

The members didn't hide their disappointment afterward. Winning a Grammy had been a goal, and they wanted it, but RM said after the ceremony that simply being there, delivering their own performance, and landing a second nomination in a row was also something worth appreciating.

For the 2023 ceremony, the story spread beyond a single category. My Universe, a BTS and Coldplay collaboration, was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, while Yet to Come earned a Best Music Video nomination. BTS was also tied to a nomination for Coldplay's album Music of the Spheres for Album of the Year, thanks to their contribution to the record. The award didn't come that year either.

So one of the biggest names of their generation went without a Grammy despite years of nominations, performances, and massive global success. That's exactly why the relationship between BTS and the Grammys became a somewhat frustrating story for ARMY over time. Every new nomination brought hope that this could finally be the year, and every ceremony ended without the award.

But even without a win, the road they traveled remained significant. From their first Grammy stage appearance as presenters, through their first nomination for Dynamite, to the spectacular performance with Butter, BTS covered ground in just a few years that had been almost unthinkable for a K-pop act before them. The Grammy they wanted so badly never arrived, but the door they walked through no longer looked the same as it had before them.