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| K-pop superstars BTS, left, and Busan indie band Say Sue Me / Courtesy of Yonhap, Say Sue Me |
By Jon Dunbar
The Korean Music Awards (KMAs) announced nominees for the 16th KMAs on Tuesday. Not surprisingly, BTS dominates, with seven nominations in five categories. But hot on the idol group's heels is Busan's Say Sue Me, with five nominations in five categories. The two face each other in three categories ― Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Artist of the Year.
The two music groups couldn't be farther apart from each other, yet both are setting new highs in spreading Korean music globally.
BTS has little to worry about, and nothing left to prove. The band already won the Billboard Music Top Social Artist Award in both 2017 and 2018, earning accolades from President Moon Jae-in, and was named KMA Musician of the Year in 2018.
"BTS' personal involvement in their music and more approachable aspect play an import role in contributing to their success," said Hope Nadezhda, director of Hallyu Magazine. "BTS can really be a great example for others in the K-pop industry to analyze and try out on global audiences, to not be afraid to expand and go into places others have not tried. There's no such thing as a standard for K-pop globally; you set the standard yourself, and that's exactly what BTS has done."
"They seem to be inspiring younger generations to feel comfortable in who they are, and be happy with themselves," said Philip Brett, founder of Angle Magazine which covers music and culture in southern Korea. "If that leads to fans exploring more of their own creativity, great. Their success will increase the soft power of the K-pop label, and as a result increase interest in Korean music in general both from the global listening audience and the music industry."
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| BTS members on the red carpet at the 2018 Melon Music Awards in Seoul on Dec. 1. Yonhap |
The seven-member group has broken through where previous boy bands failed. Worldwide fans have responded to their authenticity both on social media and in their music. In some ways, because of this they share common ground with indie bands, also known for their down-to-earth approachability and real-life experience, compared to your typical idol groups.
"BTS, indie bands and, say, underground hip-hop and lots of Western musicians across the spectrum are seeking generally to convey a sense of authenticity," said Stephen Epstein, director of Asian Languages & Cultures at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand and co-producer of two documentaries on Korean indie music.
"BTS does a great job of connecting with their fan base and coming across as trying to keep it real. Their lyrics address issues head on like in the song Idol which has lyrics that definitely resonate with various Korean punk bands. I mean, structurally it's not so different from Rux lyrics: I am who I am, and I'm going to stay this way to the end, and if you don't like it or want to diss me, well you can just f-off."
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| Say Sue Me is nominated for five Korean Music Awards in five categories. / Courtesy of Say Sue Me |
Say Sue Me is about as far from BTS as possible, both stylistically and geographically ― the quartet is located in Busan, far from the epicenter of Korea's music scene. Their music is jangly, dreamy indie rock with reverb.
"They may well be my favorite Korean band ever," Epstein said of Say Sue Me. "While their influences are obvious, those influences are also pretty impeccable ― most notably Yo La Tengo, but with clear Velvet Underground and Pavement references among others; they also manage to blend things in a way that they sound original. I also like the way they bring a very strong sense of local place ― Busan ― to their music."
They're signed to U.K. indie label Damnably, and they've performed at Austin's prestigious South by Southwest (SXSW) festival last year and will return again this year. They also toured Europe last year and are returning to the U.K. again this year.
"The optimist in me would like to think they're nominated because of their hard work, great songwriting, wonderful live show and persistence through difficult times," Brett said. "On the other hand, there's a cynical train of thought that Korean acts which don't fit the standard categorization or current trends of music in Hongdae need to be successful overseas before they're appreciated at home."
This unlikely showdown between BTS and Say Sue Me is made possible at the KMAs, Korea's main awards ceremony that considers merit over sales. Winners are determined by a panel of music critics and industry experts, narrowing the field between big business K-pop and other genres, such as indie, metal, folk and jazz.
"It's great that so many independent acts can be nominated alongside pop groups with huge popularity worldwide for the same awards," Brett said. "Awards in America or other Western countries rarely include any acts the general public have not heard of. If it brings more attention or paying fans to the independent scene here it can only be a good thing."
The three interviewees all agree BTS is likely to sweep the awards.
"I think BTS can enjoy the awards now, and have earned them," Brett said. "All the same, we've seen how K-pop groups cycle through and are replaced by newer versions, while Say Sue Me's approach has potentially brought them longevity. When it comes down to it, awards are nice, but making a living from your music is the best thing for musicians."
His remark seems to reference Lee Lang's KMA acceptance speech in 2017, in which she said she would have to sell her trophy for income.
BTS is the only K-pop idol nominee for Song of the Year and Artist of the Year.
Other notable nominees include 55-year-old Jang Pil-soon, nominated in four categories, and vintage-tinged indie-rock band Kiha and the Faces, the KMA Musician of the Year for 2012 and winner of seven previous KMAs, which announced last October the group would disband after releasing its fifth full-length album. This year's Lifetime Achievement Award has been granted to Yang Hee-eun, 66.
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| Jang Kiha, frontman of rock band Kiha and the Faces, performs at the 10th Korean Music Awards in 2013, the year after winning Musician of the Year. The band announced its breakup last October, after 10 years together. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar |
The only other two K-pop groups named are BoA and Red Velvet.
"It actually feels strange that other big name artists are mostly excluded," Nadezhda said. "If the judging is more focused on the group's personal contributions to making of the songs and creative content then I feel that less popular K-pop groups, the underdogs so to speak, are being unnoticed and excluded from the pop category where BTS is placed.
"It would feel more right to nominate less popular idol groups; it's a much more equal and fair battle between the indie artists and the small company K-pop groups, who both put in a lot of effort and personal work into every song that they produce. Or perhaps to create a separate category for the top K-pop acts, as these guys are also talented but on a different level."
The award ceremony will take place Feb. 26 at the Guro Arts Valley Theater.
