With the conclusion of the 2025 GRAMMYs, you may be feeling disappointment looming in your hearts as you realize that the Recording Academy has once again seemed to deliberately ignore Kpop. However, apparently, there is a clear explanation for this Kpop snub at the 2025 GRAMMY nominations.
Korean industry insiders have gathered and explained what happened with K-pop at the 2025 GRAMMY Awards. And, like it or not, they may have a point. So, what did these industry experts say? Join us in the discussion below.
Biggest K-pop Snub at 2025 GRAMMY Awards: No Nomination, No Performance
The 2025 GRAMMY Awards just concluded on February 2, 2025 (local time), with many brilliant global artists winning and performing at the ceremony.
As glamorous as the award ceremony was, this year’s GRAMMYs greatly disappointed the entire K-pop community. Why? Because the Recording Academy seemed to have ignored K-pop altogether this year.
When the Recording Academy revealed all the artists they selected for the 2025 GRAMMY nominations, the K-pop community immediately erupted in controversy.
Among all the big names on their list, the GRAMMYs selected no K-pop acts for the 2025 nominations. Instead, K-pop artists only appeared through collaborations with other mainstream artists—aespa as a part of Coldplay’s Chris Martin on Jacob Collier’s Djesse Vol. 4, and Stray Kids with their “Deadpool & Wolverine” OST collab.
The controversy escalated further when K-pop wasn’t just snubbed from nominations—it was also missing from performances.
At the 2025 GRAMMY Awards ceremony, not even a single K-pop artist performed on stage. Despite some of K-pop’s biggest releases this year, including the monumental hit of Rosé’s “APT.” with Bruno Mars, the GRAMMY Awards invited no K-pop artists to perform on stage at the GRAMMY Awards 2025.
This lack of nominations and performances only fueled the backlash against the Academy for delivering the biggest K-pop snub at the GRAMMY Awards 2025.
But apparently, it was not without reasons.
No K-pop at the 2025 GRAMMYs: An Explanation by Korean Industry Insiders
On February 3, Korea Herald releases a comprehensive report, discussing the lack of K-pop performance and nominations at the 2025 GRAMMY Awards.
While the disappointment is understandable, industry insiders suggest that this year’s K-pop snub wasn’t entirely unexpected—and their reasoning may have a point.
K-pop is Still Seen as a Subculture in the US
According to music critic Lim Hee Yun, despite its undeniable global success, K-pop is still largely perceived as a subculture in the Western music industry. Unlike Latin pop or Afrobeats, which have solidified themselves as distinct genres, the Recording Academy views K-pop as a niche market rather than part of the mainstream.
Not only that, but the GRAMMYs has also been famous for its highly exclusive and extremely conservative views. That is why it is truly challenging for K-pop acts to break through.
“K-pop is still a subculture in the US. While BTS and BLACKPINK enjoy worldwide popularity, the genre as a whole remains niche, supported mainly by dedicated fans.
Also, the GRAMMYs are an American awards show created by key figures in the US music industry to recognize their own.
This award is highly conservative and exclusive. So the fact that K-pop groups have received nominations three times was nothing short of a miracle.”
Lim Hee Yun.
No BTS-Level Global Act Yet?
Another major reason why K-pop was absent at the 2025 GRAMMYs is the lack of a group with BTS-level dominance. To this day, BTS is the only K-pop group ever receiving GRAMMY nominations.
“No K-pop group apart from BTS has ever been nominated, and no group has reached their level of influence yet.
While Stray Kids and TXT have impressively grown, they haven’t reached the scale required for GRAMMY consideration.”
An Official from a K-pop agency.
This highlights a crucial factor: while groups like Stray Kids, SEVENTEEN, TXT, and aespa are making waves internationally, they haven’t yet achieved the same industry-wide impact BTS had at their peak.
K-pop’s Musical Identity and the GRAMMY’s Standards
One of the biggest hurdles for the K-pop snub at the 2025 GRAMMY Awards is the lack of recognition for its musicality.
“Latin pop and Afrobeats have been accepted as genres, but K-pop lacks a clearly defined musical identity in the Western music industry.”
An Official from a K-pop agency.
Indeed, K-pop managed to captivate the global audience with its performance-driven nature. However, the GRAMMYs favor vocal and instrumental artistry more than just choreography and stage production. This could be a key reason why K-pop struggles in receiving recognition from the Recording Academy.
“The Recording Academy tends to apply stricter musical criteria.
While K-pop’s massive popularity doesn’t mean it lacks artistic achievement, it seems the GRAMMYs doesn’t view it as meeting its standards. It’s just that K-pop doesn’t seem to have enough aspects that align with GRAMMY’s evaluation criteria.”
Jeong Deok Hyun, a Culture Critic.
This means that even if K-pop has successfully dominated global charts and social media, it was not enough for the GRAMMYs.
Is the GRAMMYs’ Racial Bias at Play?
Still, the public also questioned whether the infamous racial bias has truly influenced this biggest K-pop snub at the 2025 GRAMMY Awards.
Artists like Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, and The Weeknd have previously spoken out about the lack of recognition for non-white artists at the awards. And with 3,000 Recording Academy members voting each year, some critics feel that the GRAMMYs favor well-established Western artists over international acts.
So, did this bias contribute to the biggest K-pop snub at 2025 GRAMMY Awards? Nobody knows for sure. But this factor is something fans and experts continue to question.
Will the GRAMMYs Ever Acknowledge K-pop?
Eventually, despite this massive snub of K-pop at the 2025 GRAMMY Awards, experts believe that change is inevitable. Yes, the GRAMMYs might be slow to adapt, but they can’t ignore global trends forever.
“Just as the Academy Awards evolved, the GRAMMYs will also recognize a broader range of musical content over time.”
Jeong Deok Hyun, a Culture Critic.
“K-pop is expanding and growing.
It wasn’t so long ago that language barriers were an obstacle to even being nominated at the GRAMMYs. But hasn’t K-pop already moved past that?”
An Official from a K-pop agency.
What’s Next for K-pop?
Finally, instead of focusing on GRAMMY recognition, some experts believe K-pop should continue carving its own path.
After all, K-pop has successfully built a huge global presence with its own major award shows, sold-out stadiums, and record-breaking success. And the lack of GRAMMY nominations doesn’t take away from the impact of K-pop on global music.
So, while the 2025 GRAMMY snub may be disappointing, the true success of K-pop goes far beyond this mere Western recognition.
Still, what do you think about this massive K-pop snub at the 2025 GRAMMY Awards? Please share your opinion in the comments.
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Source: Korea Herald.
