The 2025 Grammy Award nominations have dropped, and once again, K-pop fans are left shaking their heads in disbelief. Despite the global dominance of the genre and the extraordinary achievements of artists like BTS members Jimin and Jung Kook, K-pop has been conspicuously absent from major Grammy categories this year.
For years, fans have called for K-pop’s recognition at the prestigious music awards, especially given the genre’s global influence and chart-topping success. But as the list of Grammy nominations rolled out for 2025, one glaring absence was clear: no K-pop artists were nominated for major awards. This has sparked widespread outrage across social media, with fans and critics alike questioning the Grammys’ continuing disregard for K-pop.
Jimin, one of the most popular members of BTS, achieved a monumental feat this year with his solo single, Like Crazy. The track not only shattered records but also became a global sensation, breaking numerous streaming and chart records. From topping the Billboard Hot 100 to becoming the first solo K-pop artist to earn a platinum certification from the RIAA, Like Crazy was a monumental success. Yet, despite this massive commercial achievement, it was completely shut out of the Grammy nominations for 2025.
Similarly, Jung Kook who has enjoyed tremendous global success, particularly with his collaborations and his own solo work also failed to secure a nomination. Jung Kook’s “Seven,” featuring Latto, dominated the charts and was widely hailed as one of the best pop songs of the year. Not only did it top Billboard charts, but it also broke streaming records across platforms. Despite these successes, it was not enough to earn a spot in any of the major Grammy categories.
BTS, the group that catapulted K-pop into the global spotlight, has previously faced snubs from the Grammys, with their notable achievements largely overlooked. While BTS earned a Grammy nomination in 2021 for Dynamite, they did not win. The 2025 nominations seem to continue this trend of ignoring the groundbreaking success of K-pop artists. Many fans believe this pattern reflects a deeper issue of bias within the Grammy voting process.
K-pop’s global influence cannot be understated. In recent years, artists like BTS, BLACKPINK, Stray Kids, and NewJeans have amassed millions of fans around the world, with music streaming platforms, concerts, and merchandise sales providing solid evidence of the genre’s mainstream appeal. Despite this, the Grammy Awards often regarded as the most prestigious music honor in the U.S. have been slow to fully embrace K-pop in any meaningful way.
Critics argue that K-pop’s exclusion from major categories is not just an oversight but a systemic issue. They point to the Grammys’ historic difficulty in recognizing genres that originate outside of Western music, especially when it comes to Asian artists. Despite the Grammy Awards expanding to include more diverse categories in recent years, the most prestigious nominations such as Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist have continued to evade K-pop artists.
As soon as the 2025 Grammy nominations were announced, fans flooded Twitter and other platforms with messages of frustration. Many K-pop fans have taken to social media to express their dismay using the hashtag #GRAMMYsSoWhite, a movement that has historically called out the lack of diversity in Grammy nominations. The overwhelming consensus among K-pop fans is that the genre’s contributions to global music deserve greater recognition and respect.
With the Grammy Awards once again failing to acknowledge the massive cultural impact of K-pop, many fans are asking whether the show will ever truly embrace the genre. While K-pop continues to break boundaries in music and culture, the ongoing snubs suggest that recognition by the Grammys may still be a distant goal. For now, fans and artists alike are left hoping that future nominations will finally reflect the true diversity and global influence of contemporary music including K-pop.
The 2025 Grammy nominations have once again left K-pop artists like Jimin and Jung Kook without the recognition they deserve. Despite record-breaking successes, the genre continues to face an uphill battle for acknowledgment in mainstream Western music awards. Whether the Grammys will ever fully recognize the global phenomenon of K-pop remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the fans aren’t giving up the fight
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