No Blackpink Grammy nominations? Jennie, Jisoo, Rosé and Lisa sold a million albums, clocked 700 million YouTube views of How You Like That and released hit Netflix documentary Light Up the Sky – why wasn’t it enough?
Music critics cite the underwhelming Ice Cream – the collaborative song with Selena Gomez – as one reason the K-pop girl group was overlooked, but the bigger problem might be the Grammys’ conservative scoring system
It’s understandable, then, that fans of the quartet, as well as the pop culture media and world at large, expected Blackpink to be on the nominee list for the 63rd Grammy Awards taking place on January 31, 2021. But this didn’t happen.
More artistry required?
A greater display of artistry and creativity could be key, according to Billboard’s K-pop columnist Jeff Benjamin.
“To be noticed at the Grammys, I think the artists first need to show that they are credible musicians,” Benjamin said. “It would be extremely beneficial for Blackpink to open up more about itself as an artist and the way the members contribute to their music and overall work.
“In the case of ‘The Album’, Jisoo and Jennie were part of writing the lead track Lovesick Girls. I wish they spoke more about this in interviews as it is a very impressive accomplishment. Without that credibility, it is challenging to be taken seriously, because the Grammys are believed to honour excellence in popular music.”
Seoul-based critic Jung Min-jae, who writes for music magazine IZM, agrees. He said one of the challenges for Blackpink is to exhibit artistic integrity that could impress the Grammys’ organiser, the Recording Academy, an American association of music professionals.