BTS & The GRAMMYs: The History of BTS' Involvement with The GRAMMY Awards

One presentation, two performances and three Grammy Award appearances later, BTS has been nominated for their second GRAMMY award for Best Pop Duo or Group. After releasing two globally successful English language tracks, "Butter" and "Permission to Dance", ARMYs (BTS' fandom name) and music lovers all over the world were hoping to see BTS get multiple nominations at this years upcoming GRAMMY Awards. But the GRAMMY Nomination List fell short for BTS; They were only nominated for one GRAMMY Award. Yes...one nomination. But even with the one nomination, the most important question is, will BTS finally turn from GRAMMY Award Nominees to Grammy Award Winners?

Note: While famous artists and music fans across genres have expressed their dislike for the GRAMMY Awards by boycotting and calling The Recording Academy out for having a "corrupt" system, some ARMYs have expressed the same feelings for the award show. While social media has been flooded with thoughts and opinions recently on BTS' nomination this year, it is safe to say that ARMYs are still going to be there to support BTS and their one nomination. Though, the nomination list did not result in what ARMYs hoped for, they will continue to provide positive support for BTS; Knowing how much the members want to win a GRAMMY award.

So what's the history behind BTS and the GRAMMY Awards? Let's take a look back at the 61st Grammy Awards in 2019 and work our way to the present day -- it's going to be bumpy ride.

61st GRAMMY Awards (2019)

At the 61st GRAMMY Awards in 2019, while BTS themselves were not nominated for a GRAMMY Award, their album, Love Yourself?轉?Tear, was nominated for Best Recording Package. Did BTS and ARMYs look forward to this nomination? Yes and no. Yes, because BTS finally had a music product that got nominated for a GRAMMY Award and it was a clear first step to BTS becoming more involved with the GRAMMY Awards ceremony. No, because BTS themselves were not nominated and nor was their actual music. While ARMYs were happy for one of BTS' most successful albums being recognized and being nominated for an award, they were also confused as to why BTS and their music did not have other nominations in other categories; Especially, after The Recording Academy and the GRAMMYs acknowledged BTS over the years through their articles and special promotions like BTS attending GRAMMY U and the GRAMMY Museum. This GRAMMY Award season is still a wonder too many ARMYs.

While BTS was not able to receive the GRAMMY Award for Best Recording Package, the members were seen having a great time during the ceremony; From Jungkook getting goosebumps as he watched Dolly Parton perform to the BTS members singing along with Alicia Keys as she performed to "Empire State of Mind", ARMYs were cheering on BTS in the arena and from all over the world as they saw the members living their dream of being at the GRAMMY Award Show. BTS even had the special opportunity to present the award for Best R&B Album; Which they presented to now GRAMMY Award winner, H.E.R.

But the biggest moment of the night for BTS was when RM stated, "And we'll be back." This is in reference to BTS showing their appreciation for being invited to present an award at the GRAMMYs and for being able to attend the ceremony in general. But what RM said was based on his belief that BTS will back at the GRAMMYs; One day to hopefully perform on the GRAMMY stage, be nominated for an award, and hopefully, win a GRAMMY award...and man was he right! Well, to some extent.

62nd GRAMMY Awards (2020)

"Yeah, I'm gonna take my horse to the Seoul Town Road" - Lil Nas X (Feat. RM). From Seoul, South Korea to Los Angeles, California, BTS attended and performed at the 62nd GRAMMY Awards in 2020. Though, BTS was not nominated for any awards that year, ARMYs were super excited to see BTS perform on the GRAMMY Award stage; Which they all knew was a dream for BTS, after Suga stated in a 2018 and 2019 interview that their next step was to attend, perform, and hopefully win an award at the GRAMMYs; This is known as the Suga affect -- where Suga predicts or wants something and it ends up coming true. Basically it's said as, "what Suga wants, Suga gets."

With the popularity of Lil Nas X's song, "Old Town Road", his performance included a variety of the remixes that released featuring other artists; One of the remixes included in the performance was "Seoul Town Road", which featured all 7 members of BTS. While the remix track was originally only with Lil Nas X and RM, the leader of BTS, all 7 members rocked out on stage performing "Seoul Town Road." You can watch the full live-performance on BANGTANTV.

Want to see how BTS gets ready for the GRAMMYs? Check out their BTS EPISODE for the 62nd GRAMMY Awards! This BTS EPISODE is special because we got to see a behind-the-scenes look at the members having a great time on the red carpet, meeting and performing with Lil Nas X, and watching their time in their hotel room post-award show -- where they usually conduct V-Live streams to talk about their experience at the award show. To see them go from GRAMMY Award Presenters to GRAMMY Award Performers within a year was an exciting moment! While the performance was not for their own song, seeing the members get invited to the GRAMMY Award Show two years in a row still seemed like a dream to them. But let's acknowledge RM's manifestation from the previous year about saying how the group would be back at the GRAMMYs...and they did!

63rd GRAMMY Awards (2021)

Finally, we hit the timetable where BTS received their first GRAMMY nomination! With the success of their first full-length English language track, BTS was nominated for Best Pop Duo or Group with their first ever #1 Billboard Hot 100 Chart topper, "Dynamite". As seen in the video above, most of the members stayed up to watch the GRAMMY Nomination List -- Anyone else believe that BTS knew how it felt to be an international ARMY in that moment because of how they stayed up late to watch content in another timezone? Comment down below if you did! Anyways, the members reactions were priceless and it was a moment we all would never forget. Try and watch ARMYs reaction videos on YouTube as well -- they are priceless just as much as BTS' reaction.

Besides BTS' styled looks, HD quality red carpet photos and an explosive performance of "Dynamite" on a skyscraper in the middle of Seoul, BTS and ARMYs night did not go the way they expected. Though, RM did clearly state that he told the members to not get their hopes up on winning the award for Best Pop Duo or Group for "Dynamite", the members showed good sportsmanship and hugged it out as Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande's "Rain on Me" was announced as the winner for that category. With this BTS EPISODE, ARMYs can clearly see the excitement, nervousness, and hope that the BTS members had during that night of the 63rd GRAMMY Awards. While ARMYs were quick to Tweet or comment on Weverse about how they felt about the outcome of the category they were nominated for, ARMYs also expressed how awards are not the only indicators of an artist' success -- it's about how many people they connect with, how many people they inspire, and how many people's hearts they have touched because of their music. It's also about what BTS stands for including, self-love, creating a more inclusive environment, ending child violence, supporting music education, and more.

64th GRAMMY Awards (2022)

On November 23, 2021, BTS announced the nominees for Best Alternative Album for the upcoming 64th GRAMMY Awards. This is the first time BTS has presented for the GRAMMY Award Nomination List. It was also announced that BTS was nominated for Best Pop Duo or Group for "Butter"; Marking their second GRAMMY nomination. Many ARMYs expressed their negative feelings and thoughts on the GRAMMYs nominating BTS for only one category; But it is important to note that ARMYs are continuously supporting BTS because they know the significance of what a GRAMMY Award would mean to the group if they were to ever win one. While the GRAMMY Awards show has lost its credibility and trust with music fans and artists from all over the world, fans will always be there to support their favorite artists and their dream of winning an award.

It is unclear if BTS will be attending and/or performing at the GRAMMYs. Please stay tuned for more updates on BTS' participation for the awards ceremony. The 64th GRAMMY Awards ceremony will take place on Monday, January 31, 2022.

While the world awaits to see if BTS will be performing on the Grammy stage and hopefully turn the page from being GRAMMY Nominees to becoming GRAMMY Award Winners, let's send BTS members positive messages via Twitter and Weverse to show our support! You can also binge watch their Grammy Award performances on BANGTANTV and watch their V-Live streams before and after the GRAMMY Awards ceremonies they attended.