BTS wrapped up their SOLD-OUT MetLife Stadium concert with beautiful fireworks and a fully packed crowd, lighting up the entire sky and creating a truly magical moment.
[NEWS] Three time Grammy winner Indian musician Ricky Kej speaks about the Grammys, BTS and the Illusion of Inclusion
“By creating geographically bounded categories like “Best Asian Pop” or “Best African Music Performance,” we aren’t fully integrating world music into the main stage and risk excluding diverse regions from the historically prestigious categories that carry the most weight. It inadvertently sends a message that international excellence is celebrated primarily within a designated corner”
"Another fundamental issue is that “global diversity” is still frequently viewed through an American-centric lens, focusing primarily on the vibrant diaspora within the U.S."
https://t.co/SQoRs2BXTO
What bothers me most is how grammy people are reacting to BTS choosing not to submit their music. BTS are allowed to look at what is being offered, decide that it does not align with what they believe music should represent, and walk away. They did not attack or tear down anyone. They did not tell other Asian artists to not participate. They simply said that they did not want their music to be boxed in a region or language.
Representation that artists are cannot be questioned is not representation. Inclusion that demands gratitude and compliance is not inclusion. BTS do not owe the grammys their participation just because they created a category and attached the word “Asian” to it.
Saying that the grammys were turned down by one of the biggest Asian artists is part of the problem. BTS are not merely one of the biggest Asian artists, they are one of the biggest artists in the world Period
Yes, they are korean.. asian, and they have always been proud of that identity but their identity should not be used to reduce the scale of their success. Nobody constantly introduces major western artists as one of the biggest North american or european artists. They are simply called global artists and BTS deserve the same.
The claim that BTS rejected the category as some bold move to get more press is also so ridiculous. Do you know BTS? They do not need to manufacture controversy for publicity. They are already receiving global attention.. they are on a soldout world tour, every stop becomes a massive event. 7 insta stories did not suddenly make the world notice BTS.. the world was already watching.
BTS once openly wanted a Grammy. They submitted their music, attended the ceremonies, performed. For them to walk away from something they once genuinely wanted takes conviction. They are essentially saying, we wanted this, but not like this. It id them standing for their morals.
Their are so many issues with Asian pop category. Asia is the largest and one of the most culturally diverse continents in the world. It has ~50 countries, 1000s of languages and deeply rooted musical histories with tens of thousands of pop artists. All of that cannot be pushed into one category and presented as meaningful representation.
If this is truly about inclusion, where are the american or european pop categories? Why are western artists treated simply as artists, while asian artists are grouped according to their continent? It is segregation disguised as inclusion.
Putting every asian artist into one designated space does not recognize the incredible art coming from asia. It feels more like an attempt to quiet years of criticism about xenophobia by offering asian artists a seat in the room while still keeping them away from the main table.
And saying that asian artists can technically still submit to the main categories does not answer the criticism. The issue is why a continental category like this needs to exist in the first place.
If asian artists are good enough to compete in the main categories, then what is the reason of this category? If the purpose is to give them recognition because the grammys repeatedly fail to recognize them alongside western artists, then the solution should be fixing the bias within the main categories, not creating a box and calling it progress.
Many asian artists have equal or greater success, cultural impact, global influence, and audience power than western artists who are routinely nominated. So what exactly is this category suggesting? That asian artists are not big enough, talented enough, or worthy enough to compete directly with the west?
Because that assumption is xenophobic.
It is not meaningful inclusion when an entire continent is placed into one category so the institution can congratulate itself without changing who it considers worthy of its most prestigious awards.
BTS rejected being reduced to a regional label when their music, influence, and audience are global.
army dalam satu minggu udah lawan right wing politician, disebut criminal organization, lawan grammys voter yg ngamuk, tapi hey besok konser bts dimulai lagi