by “I was excited and nervous while performing ‘DNA’ on the AMA (American Music Awards) stage four years ago. No one would have imagined that he would receive this award on such a long journey. But our ‘Army’ (the name of the fan club) would have been imaginable.”
Group BTS (BTS) leader RM held the ‘2021 American Music Awards held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on the evening of the 21st (local time), the first Asian singer to win the ‘Artist of the Year award. ), and this is the feeling of receiving the award.
BTS swept three awards at the awards ceremony that day, including ‘Artist of the Year,’ ‘Favorite Pop Song,’ and ‘Favorite Pop Duo/Group.’ AMA is considered one of the top three popular music awards in the US, the Grammy Awards and the Billboard Music Awards.
This year’s ‘Artist of the Year’ was more competitive than ever. BTS beat out prominent nominees such as American pop star Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Olivia Rodrigo, Drake, and The Weeknd, who received the most awards at this awards ceremony (32).
In his acceptance speech, Jungkook said, “I wanted to give happiness through our music. This award is the beginning of a new chapter we will be opening. If there’s one thing I learned a few years ago, it’s that every moment is precious.”
With this, BTS won the award for four consecutive years from 2018 to this year’s awards ceremony. ‘Favorite Pop Duo/Group’ is the third consecutive year of awards. He also wrote a record of winning all the categories that have been nominated for this awards ceremony so far.
As RM said in his acceptance speech, AMA was BTS’ US television debut stage. BTS greeted local viewers in the United States by singing ‘DNA’ at this awards ceremony in 2017. That same year, it entered the US Billboard’s main singles chart ‘Hot 100’ for the first time with ‘DNA.’ The highest score was 67th.
Four years later, this year, BTS topped the Billboard’ Hot 100′ for ten weeks with ‘Butter,’ as well as the follow-up song ‘Permission to Dance’ and ‘My Universe’ in collaboration with Coldplay.
And finally, four years after entering the United States, he received the grand prize at one of the three major American popular music awards. This can be interpreted as meaning that he has not only entered the home of pop but has also established himself as the best pop star in the world. Kim Young-Dae, a famous music critic, said, “For the past few years, the American music industry has been working hard to revitalize their industry using BTS, but now BTS has become the face of the American music industry. This award marks the culmination of 20 years of global K-pop.”
Since 2006, AMA has been deciding the award winners only by popular vote without expert votes. This year, it seems that the voice of Generation Z is primarily reflected by voting on TikTok, the most popular social media platform in the United States. Critic Kim Young-Dae explained, “AMA is the most symbolic award for popularity because it is selected only by 100% fan votes.”
Park Seon-Hwa, who runs YouTube in the United States, said, “It is an event that gives great strength and courage to our compatriots that a Korean singer won the grand prize in the United States, in the most territorial music world, and at the top three American awards ceremony.” It is the three crowns of hope that makes (DNA) proud.” He continued, “The fact of winning the award is important, but breaking the invisible glass ceiling of a superpower called the United States is a big symbol. BTS reminded me that if you have the skills, you can transcend races and countries.”
International student Jeong-Yoon Lee (4th-year student at the University of California, Los Angeles) said, “It’s strange to see a Korean singer making a standout result at a big awards ceremony, but I feel like I’m getting used to it. When it comes to winning three gold medals, the popularity of K-Pop is real.”
This AMA is also a prelude to the 64th Grammy Awards on January 31 next year. The Grammys will announce the nominees on the 23rd. BTS was nominated for ‘Best Pop Duo/Group Performance’ for the first time as a Korean singer at this year’s Grammy Awards held in March but did not win. Kim Young-Dae, a critic, predicted, “It seems possible to be nominated for the 4 Grammys this year or to be awarded the ‘Best Pop Duo/Group Performance’ in the genre field.”
