--- title: Why BTS's Grammys 2021 Performance Matters description: BTS made history with "Dynamite" at the 2021 Grammys, making them the first K-pop act to perform one of their own songs for the show. canonical: https://time.com/5946730/bts-2021-grammys/ author: Raisa Bruner article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2021-03-15T03:57:07.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-24T09:46:18.049Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Why BTS's 2021 Grammys Performance Matters og:description: BTS performed "Dynamite" at Sunday night's ceremony og:url: https://time.com/5946730/bts-2021-grammys/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt37ec750f08bf3054/698a17eb929fadcbdebf72e7/bts-grammys.jpeg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards - Arrivals og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why BTS's 2021 Grammys Performance Matters twitter:description: BTS performed "Dynamite" at Sunday night's ceremony twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt37ec750f08bf3054/698a17eb929fadcbdebf72e7/bts-grammys.jpeg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why BTS's Grammys 2021 Performance Is Important for the Award Show's Future  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Mar 15, 2021 3:57 AM UTC  Jungkook, V, Suga, Jin, RM, Jimin and J-Hope of music group BTS attend the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on January 26, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. Jungkook, V, Suga, Jin, RM, Jimin and J-Hope of music group BTS attend the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on January 26, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.FilmMagic—2020 Axelle/Bauer-Griffin  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Mar 15, 2021 3:57 AM UTC BTS and their fans were disappointed at Sunday night’s Grammy Awards in Los Angeles when the award for best pop duo/group performance ended up going to Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande. But the [South Korean group](https://time.com/entertainer-of-the-year-2020-bts/) still made a historic mark on the Recording Academy’s evening with a high-energy, sharply-produced performance of “Dynamite.” (Viewers had to wait until the very end of the nearly-four-hour show for the big moment.) It was not their first appearance at the Grammys: that was [in 2019,](https://time.com/5515897/grammys-2019-when-where-nominees-performers/) when the septet presented an award. It wasn’t even their second time; that was during 2020’s show, when they made a cameo for [Lil Nas X’s performance](https://time.com/5771389/bts-grammys-performance/) of “Old Town Road (Remix),” popping up onstage to join in for a verse of that hit song. But the third time was the charm for BTS getting primetime treatment and plenty of airtime—and making history. There were over a dozen performances at the Grammys on Sunday night, from the vivacious duo of Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion to a politically resonant song from [Lil Baby](https://time.com/collection-post/5937671/lil-baby/) and Killer Mike. BTS, however, stood out by becoming the first South Korean act to ever perform one of their own songs at a Grammys show. BTS [dominated airwaves](https://time.com/entertainer-of-the-year-2020-bts/) over the past year with their crossover English-language hit [“Dynamite.”](https://time.com/5920020/bts-dynamite-performance-person-of-the-year/) But they had been challenging the previous limits of success for K-pop and Korean acts for years, making their first big U.S. awards show appearance in 2017 after developing a reputation as a [social media sensation](https://time.com/5912998/bts-army/) thanks to their vocal fanbase, known as ARMY. It has been a long road for K-pop—an over-broad genre categorization—to gain recognition and acceptance by the global music establishment, despite its status as a [multi-billion dollar industry](https://time.com/5899791/bts-bighit-ipo/) with powerful international appeal. Even breakthrough acts, like chart-topping “Gangnam Style” singer PSY and earlier groups including Big Bang and Girls’ Generation, found the Grammys blind to their musical successes. And though the Grammys [have been criticized](https://time.com/5526740/grammys-2019-review/) for shortsightedness, especially in [recent years](https://time.com/5943639/grammys-2021-controversies/), the awards show remains a global standard and mark of achievement. (It’s also worth noting that popular boy bands, including One Direction and 5 Seconds of Summer, also struggled with Grammy recognition.) BTS’s performance is part of much-needed change toward increased respect for non-Western acts. Even though BTS went home empty-handed, their status as official Grammy performers suggests a more welcoming Grammys stage in the future, one that may begin to provide much-deserved visibility for acts of all origins. 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