BTS & 2019 Grammy Predictions; What Are They Eligible for and What Are Their Chances?

The nominations for the 2019 Grammy Awards will not be announced until Wednesday, December 5th, yet industry insiders and fans have started speculating on who will be nominated for the various categories.

In recent years, The Grammys have received criticism for lack of diversity among the chosen nominees. In an effort to be more inclusive the number of nominees for four categories has been increased. Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist will now have eight nominees instead of five.

Asian and Asian American artists have been underrepresented at The Grammys. During the 2016 ceremony, only eight artists of Asian ancestry received nominations. In 2017 the number of Asian and Asian American nominees increased to 21; 18 in 2018. There are 84 Grammy categories with five nominees per category – a total of 420 nominations. Asian and Asian American artists make up only around 5 percent of Grammy nominees per year.

This year, BTS is one of the few Asian artists on the radar of The Grammys. In September, “A Conversation with BTS” was held at the GRAMMY Museum in LA which featured an intimate conversation with the members and industry professionals.

Member Suga has made it no secret this year that he has The Grammys on his mind. In a recent interview with J-14, the members were asked what the next step is for BTS and Suga replied with "Grammys" - his group members laughed at the thought at the time.

But what was once considered impossible for a Kpop group may soon be reality as members of the BTS ARMY have recently spotted "for your consideration" Grammy ads in Billboard Magazine. So what exactly is BTS eligible for at the 2019 Grammy Awards and who is their competition?

Music industry insiders have reported that BTS' label, BigHit, has submitted consideration for six categories at the 2019 Grammy Awards – Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop/Duo Group Performance, Best Music Video, Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album.

Here's a look at the three main categories (Album, Record, Song) and the predicted nominees.

Album of the Year

1. Everything is Love (Beyonce and Jay-Z)
2. Dirty Computer (Janelle Monae)
3. Invasion of Privacy (Cardi B)
4. Reputation (Taylor Swift)
5. Golden Hour (Kacey Musgraves)
6. Black Panther (Various Artists)
7. Beautiful Trauma (Pink)
8. Astroworld (Travis Scott)

Record of the Year

1. "This is America" (Childish Gambino)
2. "I Like It" (Cardi B feat. Bad Bunny and J Balvin)
3. "No Tears Left to Cry" (Ariana Grande)
4. "The Middle" (Zedd, Maren Morris, Grey)
5. "Apesh*t" (Beyonce and Jay-Z)
6. "Girls Like You" (Maroon 5 feat. Cardi B)
7. "Perfect" (Ed Sheeran and Beyonce)
8. "God's Plan" (Drake)

Song of the Year

1. "This is America" (Childish Gambino)
2. "Perfect" (Ed Sheeran and Beyonce)
3. "Girls Like You" (Maroon 5 feat. Cardi B)
4. "Pynk" (Janelle Monae)
5. "The Middle" (Zedd, Maren Morris, Grey)
6. "Boo'd Up" (Ella Mai)
7. "God's Plan" (Drake)
8. "Pray" (Sam Smith)

Tough competition, right? It will be a long shot for BTS to be nominated in any of these categories. Competition in the pop specific and music video categories is also fierce with only five nomination slots available.

Best Pop Vocal Album

1. Reputation (Taylor Swift)
2. The Thrill of it All (Sam Smith)
3. Beautiful Trauma (Pink)
4. Sweetener (Ariana Grande)
5. Beerbongs & Bentleys (Post Malone)

Best Music Video

1. "This Is America" (Childish Gambino)
2. "Apesh*t" (Beyonce and Jay-Z)
3. "Bloom" (Troye Sivan)
4. "All The Stars" (Kendrick Lamar feat. SZA
5. "Make Me Feel" (Janelle Monae)

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

1. "Finesse" (Bruno Mars feat. Cardi B)
2. "Girls Like You" (Maroon 5 feat. Cardi B)
3. "The Middle" (Zedd, Maren Morris, Grey)
4. "Shallow" (Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper)
5. "Perfect" (Ed Sheeran feat. Beyonce)

Of the six categories that BTS have submitted consideration for, their best shot of receiving a nomination will be for Best Music Video for their single "Fake Love."

There may be some disappointed ARMY come December 5th when nominations are announced. The Recording Academy's history of nominating less than 25 Asian and Asian American artists per year as well as stiff competition in their submitted categories means that a nomination for BTS is unlikely - no matter how deserved it is. When BTS debuted in 2013 no one expected them to get to this point in their career. As the underdogs of Kpop BTS has clenched Korean music awards and nominations when no one expected them to - perhaps they will be the underdogs of the Grammys, too.