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🇰🇷 South Korea /Culture & Society

European media backs BTS's Grammy boycott, decries 'racist' new award

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • European media largely supports BTS's decision to boycott the Grammy Awards, criticizing the Recording Academy's new 'Best Asian Pop Music Performance' award as discriminatory.
  • Critics argue the award categorizes music by region and language, which is musically and linguistically nonsensical and amounts to prejudice.
  • The boycott is seen as a powerful rebuke to the Grammys, highlighting concerns about the awards' historical treatment of non-Western artists and potential attempts to curb the influence of K-pop.

The Recording Academy's decision to introduce a new award category for 'Best Asian Pop Music Performance' has ignited controversy across Europe, with media outlets largely siding with the South Korean group BTS in their boycott of the Grammy Awards. French newspaper Le Figaro headlined its report, "Belittlement and racism. Grammy, shooting itself in the foot by creating 'Asian Pop' award," fiercely criticizing the move.

Belittlement and racism. Grammy, shooting itself in the foot by creating 'Asian Pop' award.

— Le FigaroThe French newspaper's headline criticizing the Grammy Awards' new category.

Sociologist Sylvie Octobre, affiliated with the French Ministry of Culture, told Le Figaro that the Grammy's action is akin to claiming all European music is the same because it was created by Europeans. She described it as "musically and linguistically nonsensical. It is belittling and racist." The article suggests the award's "hidden purpose is to check the soft power of Asia," drawing parallels to China's past cultural restrictions. It posits that instead of outright bans, the US is using symbolic institutions like the Grammys to manage the influence of artists like BTS, fearing they might dominate awards traditionally won by American artists.

It is nonsensical musically and linguistically. It is belittling and racist.

— Sylvie OctobreA sociologist affiliated with the French Ministry of Culture commented on the Grammy's categorization of music.

European media also echoed sentiments that the Grammys stand to lose more from BTS's absence. Grace Cao, former vice president of the American Sociological Association, commented that BTS has the leverage to make such a decision, possessing far more social media followers than the Grammys. She wryly noted, "Even Jungkook's dog is more popular than the Grammy Awards ceremony." Octobre added that the Grammys are "shooting themselves in the foot" by aiming for universality while creating arbitrary ethnic and racial categories unrelated to music.

The Grammys need us but don't value us.

— J BalvinThe Colombian singer's past statement reflecting dissatisfaction with the Grammy Awards.

Spanish media, already critical of the Grammys' perceived neglect of Latin music, reacted strongly to the proposed 'Best Latin Music Performance' award. El País argued that adding secondary categories based on origin or language would further marginalize artists from these regions in the main categories, which are already dominated by North American and British artists. The article recalled Colombian singer J Balvin's 2021 statement, "The Grammys need us but don't value us," highlighting years of dissatisfaction from artists whose commercially successful and culturally impactful work has gone unrecognized.

Even Jungkook's dog is more popular than the Grammy Awards ceremony.

— Grace CaoFormer vice president of the American Sociological Association commented on BTS's influence relative to the Grammys.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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