K-pop acts received zero nominations when the Grammy Awards announced the full lineup of its 2025 nominees. Beyoncé led the pack with 11 nominations for her album Cowboy Carter, surpassing Taylor Swift and others.
While fans anticipated a harsh snub for BTS, they still hoped to see stars like Lisa, Jennie, Stray Kids, Seventeen, and other globally successful acts on the list. To their surprise, not only were these names absent, but K-pop acts received no nominations at all, with only two briefly mentioned.
Kpop receives zero nominations in 2025 Grammy
Grammy one of the biggest in the industry, has often faced criticism for its bias against Asian artists, particularly in the K-pop scene. As the nominations approached, K-pop fans were hopeful, especially since several major groups had submitted their work for consideration. For example, BLACKPINK’s Lisa put forward her track New Woman for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, while also vying for Best New Artist and Best Pop Solo Performance with her song Rockstar.
Stray Kids had a strong presence too, with their submissions like Ate for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album, and Chk Chk Boom for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Music Video, and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Fans eagerly waited to see if these global K-pop stars would finally get the recognition they’d been hoping for but were left disappointed.
K-pop acts mentioned in the 2025 Grammys
In addition, two K-pop groups were indirectly connected to the nominations. Aespa teamed up with Coldplay’s Chris Martin on Jacob Collier’s Djesse Vol. 4, which received a nomination for Album of the Year. Stray Kids contributed to the Deadpool & Wolverine soundtrack, which is up for “Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media.” Meanwhile, on an individual level, BTS’s Jungkook was mentioned on Usher’s Coming Home, a track from Usher’s album, which was nominated for Best R&B.
“Jungkook is the most overlooked artist in the music industry, I swear! Last year, Seven, and this year, SNTY-I’m just so mad. Golden made and broke so many records,” one frustrated fan vented at the Grammys. “Thriving everywhere, even after a year of release, and you’re telling me it got no nominations? F**K YOU, GRAMMYS.” Another fan questioned, “How do these Grammy voters choose who to nominate? They pick the same artists each year. Do they even listen to the submissions, or just choose who they like?” A third fan simply added, “Well, what we expected from racist Grammys.”
So far, BTS remains the only K-pop group to receive direct nominations at the Grammys, with five nominations over the past three years. However, despite their massive success, they have yet to win any awards. K-pop fans have long accused the Grammys of leveraging BTS’ star power to boost viewership. Since then the members have embarked on military service and released solo projects that continue to chart at the top, but none of these efforts have resulted in nominations.