In the past few years, even from the decades of the twentieth century, it seems that more international genres are coming into the spotlight of the United States. But when one would think that it's making the country more open to the idea of international music, awards shows come into play.
Most recently, the Video Music Awards, or VMAs, are under fire with the addition of a new category called "Best K-Pop" for their award show voters. Many fans of the groups nominated are upset by the idea that the groups are not nominated alongside other big-name artists. Specifically, armys (the fandom name of the popular K-Pop group BTS that I've talked about a lot on a few articles) are asking why the group, who in the past two years since their American debut, wasn't nominated in big-name categories.
If someone didn't have a brain, they would think nothing of it and think it's fair. But if you actually look at the categories, you have artists like Shawn Mendes, a Canadian born singer, and Five Seconds of Summer, an Australian based band, nominated for some of the bigger categories but they are not American.
This leads people to think that this is an issue of racism. Personally, I think it is. But not only for Asian artists, but other POC artists.
Upon research, it would seem that in the previous year the VMAs put up a category called "Best Latin" which was where the Latin songs were. But even the winner of that song category ("Mi Gente" by J Balvin and Willy Williams) weren't seen in any other categories or even the big name categories. Jalvin and Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny were seen winning in the Song of Summer category but it was also with Cardi B for the song "I Like It". Send it back to 2017 when "Despacitio" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee was at the height of its popularity, but it was featuring pop singer Justin Bieber as well. That collaboration was nominated for a VMA award, but it didn't win.
The rise of K-Pop, thanks to BTS, has brought more Korean groups onto the American scene. They're touring the United States, attending events like the popular KCon, and meeting their fans in the country as well. Most recently, a group called The Rose announced on Vlive (an app where K-Pop artists can go live and interact with their fans as well as post variety type shows) that they were going to tour the United States and their fans, Black Rose, are excited for them.
But is it fair for groups and solo artists who are trying to break into the mainstream American music system, and it is a struggle if you're not American or white or native English speaking, to be treated like this at American music award shows? Being almost segregated from chances at winning big name categories in somewhere that is not their home country by production companies?
To end, I think that this category was bogus. If you think that I am being dramatic, well I was in drama club and while although I didn't act, I know how to so leave the room thank you.
