![\"BTS](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/news-p.v1.20250825.d6fd2cbaeedd4786b36dcbd8924e2bfb_P1.jpg\")
BTS (Big Hit Music) <\/p>\nK-pop agency\u2019s growing influence in the Recording Academy seen as strategic push for long-elusive prize<\/p>\n
BTS (Big Hit Music) <\/p>\n
Hybe, the K-pop powerhouse behind BTS, appears to be stepping up efforts to win the industry\u2019s most prestigious accolade \u2014 the Grammy Awards \u2014 which could mark the final milestone in BTS\u2019 already historic career.<\/p>\n
On Friday, the company announced that CEO Lee Jae-sang was registered as a professional member of the Recording Academy, the organization that presents the Grammys. Professional membership is given to senior industry figures, including producers, journalists, professors and label executives. Members are allowed to submit entries for Grammy consideration and propose rule changes, giving them direct influence over the ceremony\u2019s direction.<\/p>\n
Last month, 16 Hybe-affiliated artists and producers \u2014 including Zico, Seventeen\u2019s Woozi and Vernon, TXT\u2019s Beomgyu and Yeonjun, Enhypen\u2019s Jungwon, Le Sserafim\u2019s Yunjin, Katseye, and producers Slow Rabbit, Supreme Boi and Wonderkid \u2014 were accepted as new voting members of the Recording Academy. BTS members and longtime producer Pdogg had already joined as voting members in recent years, alongside Hybe Chair Bang Si-hyuk. Voting members \u2014 over 13,000 reportedly registered worldwide \u2014 hold the power to decide Grammy winners.<\/p>\n
Industry insiders say Hybe\u2019s coordinated push to place executives, producers and idols alike into the Academy reflects a strategy to strengthen its organizational influence in hopes of finally bringing home a Grammy.<\/p>\n
For BTS, the award would fill the last missing piece of an unprecedented legacy. The group became the first K-pop act to top both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200 charts, had achieved the most Hot 100 No. 1 singles of the decade by 2022, and amassed global acclaim across tours and records. Yet despite five nominations \u2014 starting with \u201cDynamite\u201d in 2021 for best pop duo\/group performance \u2014 the group has yet to win a Grammy.<\/p>\n
\u201cBTS has already achieved everything possible for a Korean group and for a pop star \u2014 from wealth to global recognition,\u201d said music critic Lim Hee-yun, Monday. \u201cWhat remains is the Grammys. Even Hybe insiders have said privately that the group must win one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lim noted that repeating chart-topping sales or Billboard achievements adds little at this stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cWinning a Grammy would complete the puzzle for BTS,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Still, he warned that the path remains steep.<\/p>\n
\u201cK-pop is still treated as a subculture. BTS and Blackpink may enjoy global popularity, but the genre is seen as niche,\u201d Lim said.<\/p>\n
An entertainment official echoed that sentiment, speaking on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n
\u201cLatin pop and Afrobeats have been recognized as musical genres, but K-pop\u2019s identity is still tied more to performance than to a distinct sound. In the US, it is not yet accepted as fully musical in itself,\u201d the official said.<\/p>\n
Music critic Jung Duk-hyun added that the Grammys applies a stricter bar for musical achievement.<\/p>\n
\u201cK-pop\u2019s popularity doesn\u2019t mean it lacks artistry. But in the Grammys\u2019 eyes, it has not yet reached the level they consider award-worthy,\u201d Jung said.<\/p>\n
jaaykim@heraldcorp.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"K-pop agency\u2019s growing influence in the Recording Academy seen as strategic push for long-elusive prize BTS (Big Hit…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22118,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[264],"tags":[5433,18,117,11555,13396,19,17,18979,337,18978],"class_list":{"0":"post-22117","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-bts","9":"tag-eire","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-grammys","12":"tag-hybe","13":"tag-ie","14":"tag-ireland","15":"tag-lee-jae-sang","16":"tag-music","17":"tag-the-grammy-awards"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22117"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22117\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}