August 26, 2025
SEOUL – Hybe, the K-pop powerhouse behind BTS, appears to be stepping up efforts to win the industry’s most prestigious accolade — the Grammy Awards — which could mark the final milestone in BTS’ already historic career.
On Friday, the company announced that CEO Lee Jae-sang was registered as a professional member of the Recording Academy, the organization that presents the Grammys. Professional membership is given to senior industry figures, including producers, journalists, professors and label executives. Members are allowed to submit entries for Grammy consideration and propose rule changes, giving them direct influence over the ceremony’s direction.
Last month, 16 Hybe-affiliated artists and producers — including Zico, Seventeen’s Woozi and Vernon, TXT’s Beomgyu and Yeonjun, Enhypen’s Jungwon, Le Sserafim’s Yunjin, Katseye, and producers Slow Rabbit, Supreme Boi and Wonderkid — were accepted as new voting members of the Recording Academy. BTS members and longtime producer Pdogg had already joined as voting members in recent years, alongside Hybe Chair Bang Si-hyuk. Voting members — over 13,000 reportedly registered worldwide — hold the power to decide Grammy winners.
Industry insiders say Hybe’s coordinated push to place executives, producers and idols alike into the Academy reflects a strategy to strengthen its organizational influence in hopes of finally bringing home a Grammy.
For BTS, the award would fill the last missing piece of an unprecedented legacy. The group became the first K-pop act to top both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200 charts, had achieved the most Hot 100 No. 1 singles of the decade by 2022, and amassed global acclaim across tours and records. Yet despite five nominations — starting with “Dynamite” in 2021 for best pop duo/group performance — the group has yet to win a Grammy.
“BTS has already achieved everything possible for a Korean group and for a pop star — from wealth to global recognition,” said music critic Lim Hee-yun, Monday. “What remains is the Grammys. Even Hybe insiders have said privately that the group must win one.”
Lim noted that repeating chart-topping sales or Billboard achievements adds little at this stage.
“Winning a Grammy would complete the puzzle for BTS,” he said.
Still, he warned that the path remains steep.
“K-pop is still treated as a subculture. BTS and Blackpink may enjoy global popularity, but the genre is seen as niche,” Lim said.
An entertainment official echoed that sentiment, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“Latin pop and Afrobeats have been recognized as musical genres, but K-pop’s identity is still tied more to performance than to a distinct sound. In the US, it is not yet accepted as fully musical in itself,” the official said.
Music critic Jung Duk-hyun added that the Grammys applies a stricter bar for musical achievement.
“K-pop’s popularity doesn’t mean it lacks artistry. But in the Grammys’ eyes, it has not yet reached the level they consider award-worthy,” Jung said.
