vmas 2019

The VMAs Now Have a K-Pop Category, That’s How Old You Are

Photo: Lester Cohen/WireImage

When MTV announced the VMA nominees earlier on Tuesday, they also revealed a big change: the addition of a whole new category for K-pop, as well as one spotlighting “Videos for Good” (in which Taylor Swift’s “You Need to Calm Down” is nominated, of course). However, not all fans of the extremely popular K-pop group BTS are happy about this. According to Variety, a “BTS army uprising” is brewing on Twitter over what some fans see as a decision meant to keep K-pop groups out of the main categories. BTS’ only nominations outside the category are for “Boy With Luv,” their collaboration with Halsey. However, the category also means there are five other K-pop acts that have invites to the VMAs now: Blackpink, Monsta X, Tomorrow X Together, NCT 127, and EXO. So it’s possible that, in the long run, the category could result in more exposure for other, non-BTS K-pop groups. Or at least it’ll let you know who the big K-pop groups are, so you can look cool in front of your teen cousins at Thanksgiving.

The VMAs Now Have a K-Pop Category, That’s How Old You Are