K-pop made history at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) on Sunday with wins for BLACKPINK, BTS, SEVENTEEN and Lisa.
BLACKPINK and group member Lisa accomplished a few firsts during the award show held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. After their U.S. award show performance debut, the superstar quartet won an award for “Best Metaverse Performance” for their virtual concert and their music video for “Ready For Love,” both of which were collaborations with PUBG Mobile.
During the VMAs, BLACKPINK made the U.S. debut of their newest comeback single, “Pink Venom,” which will be on their forthcoming album “Born Pink.” BLACKPINK are currently completing their second music video, which is scheduled for a September release. They are also prepping for their next world tour, which YG Entertainment has called “the largest world tour in the history of a K-pop girl group.”
BLACKPINK were also nominated for “Group of the Year,” and some social media users and publications such as Rolling Stone mistakenly announced them as the winners of the award ahead of BTS, the actual victors.
The recent victory marked BTS’ fourth consecutive “Group of the Year” win at the VMAs.
Aside from “Group of the Year” and “Best K-Pop,” BTS were also nominated for “Best Metaverse Performance” for their collaboration with Minecraft, “Best Visual Effects” for their “My Universe” collaboration with Coldplay, and “Best Choreography” for “Permission to Dance.” “Left and Right,” Charlie Puth’s first collaboration with BTS member Jungkook, was nominated for “Song of the Summer.”
Meanwhile, Pledis Entertainment’s SEVENTEEN received two other nominations besides “Best K-Pop”: “Best New Artist” and “Push Performance of the Year” for December 2021’s “Rock With You.” They won “Push Performance of the Year,” making history as the first K-pop act to win in that category.
SEVENTEEN are currently on the North American leg of their “BE THE SUN” tour. In a review of their Seattle concert, NextShark said the 13-member group was “nothing short of iridescent with a spectrum of a showman’s spark.”
Other notable nominees of Asian descent at this year’s VMAs include H.E.R., Olivia Rodrigo, Rina Sawayama, Silk Sonic and Shaneesa.
Featured Image via BLACKPINK
