BTS Grammy Nominated After Dominating the AMAs; South Korea to Revise Military Service Exemptions For K-Pop stars
BTS continue to climb higher, winning the biggest award at the annual American Music Awards and receiving the group’s second Grammy nomination. Furthermore, South Korea schedules a National Defense committee subcommittee meeting, to discuss the possibility of K-Pop stars receiving an exemption from mandatory military service.
Featured Image: recordingacademy (IG) BTS Performing at the 63rd Grammy ceremony
BTS Sweep American Music Awards
On Sunday, superstar K-pop group BTS swept the major awards at the American Music Awards. By winning the Artist Of The Year award, BTS not only beat out successful artists like Ariana Grande, Drake, Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, and The Weeknd, but became the first Korean act to win the award in history.
In addition to Artist of the Year, the seven members of BTS also took home Favorite Pop Duo/Group and Favorite Pop Song (Butter) at the coveted AMAs.
“Nobody could have ever bet on the odds of us standing here receiving this award, except y’all, Army,”
“Seven boys from Korea, united by a love for music. … This whole thing is a miracle.”
BTS (RM) at the AMAs ceremony
For more BTS news/updates, keep reading here:
BTS Grammy Nomination and the Recording Academy
After winning two of the three most respected awards in the American music industry, many fans turned to the Grammy Nomination announcement ceremony, held on Tuesday and live-streamed internationally, for more good news for the beloved group.
Fans and the rest of the Korean music industry have anticipated a Grammy win for the group after BTS received their first nomination last year.

How are Grammy Nominations selected?
The Grammy Nominations are decided upon by eligible voting members of the Recording Academy. The Recording Academy includes singers, producers, sound engineers, music critics, and other music-industry experts.
- The first round of voting finished on November 5th.
- The final round of voting will last from December 6th until January 5th.

BTS were one of the Nomination Presenters on the Nomination Announcement ceremony on Tuesday
BTS Grammy Awards 2021/2022
After a hugely successful record-breaking year in which BTS truly showcased their incredible talent and global icon-status, fans and music industry experts predicted multiple nominations from the Recording Academy for BTS in the Pop awards and categories.
However, to the surprise and confusion of the whole world, the seven members of BTS received just one nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group, the same nomination that BTS lost to Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande at the 63rd Grammy Awards.
Other nominations for Best Pop Duo/Group for the 64th Grammy Awards include:
- Tony Bennett/Lady Gaga
- Justin Bieber/Benny Blanco
- Coldplay
- Doja Cat/SZA.
The lack of nominations for BTS has not aided the Recording Academy and its reputation for significantly lacking of racial diversity, with many listeners accusing the Academy of not weighing racially non-mainstream musicians equally.
Fans and listeners will have to tune into the Grammy Ceremony on January 31st for the final results.

BTS Performing at the 63rd Grammy ceremony
Meanwhile, the members of BTS have simultaneously been preparing for their much-anticipated first four concerts after the COVID-19 pandemic. BTS’ upcoming “Permission To Dance On Stage” performances will be held on November the 27/28th and December 1/2nd at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
BTS Grammy Similar News
The Future of BTS and Upcoming Military Service (?)
Furthermore, the members of BTS are also the talk-of-the-town back home as South Korea hosts the National Assembly defense committee subcommittee meeting.

During the National Assembly defense committee subcommittee meetings, discussions will revolve around possible revisions to the military service act to grant service exemptions to pop musicians.
- With the international spread of K-pop, Korean pop artists have helped share Korean music and culture to millions across the globe, simultaneously raising the nation’s global image and standing.

BTS at the American Music Awards Red Carpet
“Under the current law, all able-bodied Korean men are obliged to serve in the military for 18 to 22 months. Upon recommendation by the culture minister, however, international award-winning athletes and classical musicians are allowed to complete basic military training and 544 hours of community service over 34 months while remaining an active professional.”
The Korean Herald
After exemption bills proposed by lawmakers in 2021, the Korea Music Content Association is pressuring the defense committee subcommittee to reach a conclusive resolution during the upcoming meetings.

The Korea Music Content Association
- The Association has stressed that the upcoming meetings are the final chance for the members to receive any further exemption, with the BTS eldest member Jin only able to postpone his service until the end of 2023 (under 2020’s military service act revision exclusively for the members).
The KMCA also urged the government to abandon their unfair treatment for pop artists compared to classical musicians with mandatory military service.

Eldest BTS member Jin is currently only able to postpone his mandatory military service until the end of 2023.
Other successful K-Pop Stars currently serving their mandatory military service include EXO‘s Sehun, Chen, Baekhyun, and Chanyeol, Day6’s Sungjin and Young K, and SHINee’s Taemin, among others.
With ARMY and other K-pop fans watching eagerly, the members of BTS continue defining the Korean music industry and the international music industry as a whole. One of the most successful pop sensations of our lifetime, all eyes follow BTS as they continue to pave the way for Korean artists and the future of music globally.