#SCAMMYs
Format
Senior Art & Design Exhibition
Faculty Mentor Name
Marie Anna Lee
Faculty Mentor Department
Art, Media, Performance, and Design
Abstract/Artist Statement
My frustration over BTS's snub at the 64th Grammy Awards inspired me to create a series of Instagram posts satirizing the award show by metaphorically comparing the Grammys to a scam and pointing out the Recording Academy's xenophobia against Asian artists. To illustrate the lack of credibility of the Grammys as an award show, I parody their slogan, "Music's biggest night," as "Music's shadiest night." As part of another post, I rewrote a line from BTS's Grammy-nominated song "Butter" to "snub it, fub it roll." By fusing internet slang with recognizable elements such as the song's branding and lyrics, emojis, and the iconic gramophone, I hoped to mock and comment on the Grammys' persisting racism.
In 2021, the South Korean septet was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance with their second English song, "Butter," which broke world records previously set by "Dynamite." "Butter" became the only song to achieve a 10-week reign at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the bestselling song of 2021 selling nearly 2 million copies in the U.S. alone (Forbes). On April 3rd, 2022, BTS was passed over again to an American artist.
How credible is the Academy when it continues to deny and dismiss the world's most successful boyband? This recurring pattern of nominating BTS, inviting them to perform, then snubbing them, using their name for ratings, confirms how rigged the show is. Despite the group's musical talent, BTS has not won a Grammy up to this point because they are not American. The Academy refuses to give BTS a Grammy because they cannot accept that an Asian group has surpassed the success of any American artist. Until the Academy addresses its systemic racism, the day we see BTS receive a Grammy is far away.
Location
Reynolds Art Gallery
Start Date
12-4-2022 9:00 AM
End Date
13-5-2022 5:00 PM
#SCAMMYs
Reynolds Art Gallery
My frustration over BTS's snub at the 64th Grammy Awards inspired me to create a series of Instagram posts satirizing the award show by metaphorically comparing the Grammys to a scam and pointing out the Recording Academy's xenophobia against Asian artists. To illustrate the lack of credibility of the Grammys as an award show, I parody their slogan, "Music's biggest night," as "Music's shadiest night." As part of another post, I rewrote a line from BTS's Grammy-nominated song "Butter" to "snub it, fub it roll." By fusing internet slang with recognizable elements such as the song's branding and lyrics, emojis, and the iconic gramophone, I hoped to mock and comment on the Grammys' persisting racism.
In 2021, the South Korean septet was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance with their second English song, "Butter," which broke world records previously set by "Dynamite." "Butter" became the only song to achieve a 10-week reign at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the bestselling song of 2021 selling nearly 2 million copies in the U.S. alone (Forbes). On April 3rd, 2022, BTS was passed over again to an American artist.
How credible is the Academy when it continues to deny and dismiss the world's most successful boyband? This recurring pattern of nominating BTS, inviting them to perform, then snubbing them, using their name for ratings, confirms how rigged the show is. Despite the group's musical talent, BTS has not won a Grammy up to this point because they are not American. The Academy refuses to give BTS a Grammy because they cannot accept that an Asian group has surpassed the success of any American artist. Until the Academy addresses its systemic racism, the day we see BTS receive a Grammy is far away.