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The Grammys only just started and BTS have already cemented their rep as the Best Dressed Pop Stars on the Planet with their outfits. The Grammy-nominated artists appeared on the red carpet in brown, teal, white, and purple Louis Vuitton suiting looking like the fashion kings they are.
The designer choice wasn't a big surprise. Kim Namjoon, Kim Seokjin, Min Yoongi, Jeon Hoseok, Park Jimin, Kim Taehyung, and Jeon Jungkook were named Louis Vuitton's global brand ambassadors in 2021 and have been sporting designs by the label helmed by late genius Virgil Abloh's LV collections on and off-stage ever since.
BTS in their award show garb just hits differently, don't they? The seven idols' fashion is always amazing, but they are downright dangerous when they pull out all the stops for award show red carpets.
This year's Louis Vuitton looks continue a string of iconic Grammys fashion for Bangtan Sonyeondan including their LV suiting-and-sweats in 2021, their red carpet Bottega Veneta minimalism in 2020, their on-stage YSL maximalism in 2020 (a sure way to kill Kim Namjoon bias dead: remind them of blonde RM's cool guy aviators & denim jacket that night), and their 2019 Korean-designed tuxedos from designers JayBaek Couture and Kim Seo Ryong.
It's been a tense few weeks for ARMY as two of the seven idols, j-hope and Jungkook, recently tested positive for COVID-19. There was no way to know if the members would be able to get healthy enough to perform as a group on the Grammys stage—a career milestone BTS has publicly longed for. In 2020, they performed alongside Lil Nas X and others and in 2021 they had the stage all to themselves but the performance was live streamed from Seoul due to the restrictions of the pandemic. This year's performance was a chance for them to own the Grammys stage, in person, in America.
Like the third act of a Christmas movie, everything came together in a last minute miracle: j-hope's quarantine in Korea ended and he Instagrammed himself landing in America, then BTS deployed a press release assuring us that the already State-side Jungkook's quarantine had also ended. BTS assembled like the Avengers, just in time. Our OT7 would all be present and healthy for their performance live from the Grammy's stage.
While ARMY, BTS's legendarily devoted fanbase, is swooning over their Kings' appearance on the red carpet and eagerly awaiting their upcoming performance (presumably of 'Butter,' the chart-bursting single that earned them this year's Grammy nom for Best Pop Duo/Group) there is a dark cloud that dampens the excitement. The lingering sour mood of last year's alleged (but, let's face it, difficult to disprove) accusations of Grammys clout chasing coupled with the award snub for the global pop superstars still hangs heavily over the fandom.
Early this morning, ARMY began trending "BTS LOCKDOWN" on Twitter, vowing to take the social media high road no matter if BTS wins or loses. The fans will lead with positivity by filling their timelines with messages of support and praise, all while refusing to engage with trolls. It's what BTS would want: lead with love, ignore the hate.
It's a sentiment that echoes Jimin's message of comfort after last year's Grammy loss: "You all worked hard to stay by our side until this hour. Thank you for cheering us on, and because of that we have been able to have such an unthinkable experience," he tweeted alongside an overwhelmingly gorgeous selfie. "Thank you ARMY from the bottom of my heart, I am happy. I love you!"
Even if the Bangtan Boys don't take home a trophy, they've already won in the hearts of ARMY, especially thanks to their mini-residency in Vegas on April 8th, 9th, 15th, and 16th. The "Permission to Dance On Stage" tour continues from its performances in Los Angeles and Seoul. The new Vegas leg of shows sold out in a blink and will be just part of the city-wide BTS takeover. The innovative artists have set the bar even higher for everyone else in the music industry by turning Las Vegas into a weeks-long immersive BTS wonderland featuring after-parties in the city's cavernous dance clubs, pop-up cafes with prix fixe menus of Bangtan's favorite traditional Korean dishes, resort hotel rooms decked out in specialized Bangtan merch, an immersive exhibit at art space Area15, and a Bellagio Fountain takeover that will surely turn everyone's hearts purple.
The fans agree: BTS doesn't need any Grammy or other recognitions to prove their cultural impact. They've already proven themselves, time and time again, as boundary-breaking artists who will go down in history as pop legends, regardless of whether or not they carry home a gramophone tonight.
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