With BTS' win at this year's Billboard Music Awards (BBMA) and surge in their popularity in the US with Billboard chart records, is a Grammy nomination next?
Billboard invited music experts to discuss the possible nominees for the 2018 Grammy's Best New Artist award.
Host Kevan Kenney, Vibe news editor Shenequa Golding, Vibe music editor Mikey Fresh and music journalist John Norris discussed the complicated Grammy rules for Best New Artist.
Quoting the Grammys, Norris said the Best New Artist is for "a new artist who releases during the period of eligibility, the first recording which establishes the public identity of that artist. Though this is not necessarily the first album."
In June last year, the Recording Academy, which organizes the Grammy Awards, amended its rules for the Best New Artist Award.
To qualify as an entry for the award, an artist, duo or group "must have released a minimum of five singles/tracks or one album, but no more than 30 singles/tracks or three albums," according to the Recording Academy.
In addition, the nominee "may not have entered into this category more than three times, including as a performing member of an established group" and "must have achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and impacted the musical landscape during the eligibility period."
Mikey Fresh said the possible nominees this year are SZA and Logic.
Kenney mentioned BTS as a possible nominee given their international success to which Mikey Fresh agreed.
"Definitely, if you look at the impact of artists like BTS, K-pop supergroup. They won a Billboard award (this) year. They could but are they eligible? I know there's very, very strict guidelines," Mikey Fresh said.
According to Norris, "It depends on whether or not this is the first release in the US. And that, again, establishing a public identity for them in this country. It's interesting to see. It would be a good look for the Grammys to have a more inclusive..."
"You can't deny the global impact of K-pop . . . in America," Mikey Fresh said.
Recently, the Grammy website published an article about BTS regarding their album "Love Yourself: Her" and Billboard rankings.
It said that the album's lead single "'DNA' is visually intravenous, as intended, as is its dancing, colorful graphic storytelling, and chart performance. Inviting comparison with Psy and Wonder Girls, 'DNA' and BTS have broken into the mainstream."
It noted that "DNA" charted at No. 67 on the Billboard Hot 100 from its debut rank of No. 85 that erased the No. 76 rank of Wonder Girls' "Nobody" in 2009.
Nominations for the 60th Grammy Awards will be announced on November 28 while the show will be telecast on January 28 next year in New York City.
