On Sunday, Dec. 13, The Korea Times released an interview with a Grammy expert to reveal how likely it is for them to be nominated next year. Keep on reading to see the chances.
No one can deny that 2020 has been an amazing year for BLACKPINK, even during the coronavirus pandemic. This year alone, BLACKPINK became the first K-pop girl group to sell over one million copies of their album with the first full-length album simply titled "THE ALBUM." The ssaid album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart and topped the iTunes chart in 57 countries.
The music video for "How You Like That," which was released as a pre-release from "THE ALBUM," immediately garnered over 100 million views on YouTube only 32 hours after its release. At the time, BLACKPINK broke the for most views within the first 24 hours, and the music video to surpass 100 million views the fastest. This record has since been broken by BTS with "Dynamite." "How You Like That" bagged the "Song of the Summer" award at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards.
Due to the number of accomplishments the girls had this year, BLINKs and media outlets, including Billboard, had expected they would be nominated for a Grammy. YG Entertainment even submitted nominations for four categories: "Best New Artist," "Record of the Year," "Song of the Year," and "Best Pop Duo/Group Performance," with the latter three submitted to represent their song "Ice Cream (feat. Selena Gomez)."
However, they did not score a nomination. To discover the chances of bagging a nomination, The Korea Times contacted Grammy experts in Korea and the United States to figure out.
Showing Off Their Artistry
According to K-pop expert and Billboard K-pop columnist Jeff Benjamin, BLACKPINK needs to display their artistry and creativity more. The group needs to show off more of their identity as artists and have their members contribute more to their creative process. He mentions how members Jisoo and Jennie had co-wrriten the title track of "THE ALBUM," "Lovesick Girls," but barely spoke up about it.
He said, "To be acknowledged by the Grammys, I think the artists need to show that they are credible musicians first. It would be extremely beneficial for BLACKPINK to up about more about themselves as artists and the way the members have contributed to their music and overall career."
Korea-based critic Jung Min Jae agrees, saying that BLACKPINK needs to show artistic integrity to impress The Recording Academy.
Release a Hit Song
Jung stressed the importance of having a hit song. While BLACKPINK song "Ice Cream" with Selena Gomez debut at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, by the second week it slipped at number 49. He claims that this implies that the song was not widely appreciated by the general public in the West for a long period of time.
He says the group needs a more impactful song like BTS's "Dynamite." He claims that if BLACKPINK proves that they can maintain their spot on the Hot 10 chart, it would help prove their popularity in the West.
Still, Jung says that BLACKPINK has a huge chance of being nominated next year. He noted how a number of foreign media outlets had thought BLACKPINK would be nominated this year, meaning that they stand out in the Western market. They are most likely to be nominated for "Best Pop Duo/Group Performance."
Understand Grammy's Conservative System
Danny Lee, the founder and chief agent of ASIAN Agent, has dished on the conservative nature. Since its inception in 2012, the Grammy category of "Best Pop Duo/Group Performance" has yet to nominate an American female pop group, and that the category has been more open to male pop groups, such as the Backstreet Boys and BTS.
BLACKPINK's huge fandom is not in a place to help them earn the nomination. Unlike the Billboard Awards and the American Music Awards, where fans can help vote, the Grammy's voting system is comprised of professional experts and vetted musicians alone.
Members of the Recording Academy vote through ballots to determine the final nominees, and it is extremely beneficial to be friends with the rank-and-file voting members to even be nominated for the Big 4 categories. The Grammys have shown a visible bias towards white males and that up until BTS, the only Asians who have been recognized in the Grammys are English-speaking.
For BLACKPINK, they have already accomplished so much. What needs to change is the Grammy's system.
Do you think BLACKPINK will be nominated next year?
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Written by Alexa L.
