BTS almost didn’t perform at the Grammy Awards.
The K-Pop boy band – which comprises Jungkook, V, J-Hope, Jimin, Jin, RM and Suga – eventually took to the stage at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas last Sunday (03.04.22) as part of the annual ceremony but now producers have revealed that the performance almost didn’t happen due to COVID-19 regulations.
Producer Ken Winston said: “There were times when we were worried they weren’t gonna be able to be here. J-Hope had COVID and was quarantined. And he wasn’t allowed to fly until Saturday, the day before the show, Jungkook was in Vegas with COVID, but then unless he got two negative tests, he wasn’t allowed to come. It was very tense. We were very nervous.”
The awards show boss went on to explain that when the spectacular performance of their mega-hit ‘Butter’ did eventually take place, he was so “excited” because he knew what the boys had been through to get there.
Speaking on the ‘Rolling Stone Music Now’ podcast, he added: ” I was actually so excited by that one, not because it was better than anyone else’s, but simply because I knew what those seven guys had been through to get it to that level… I do think those guys are unbelievably talented. I am sort of in awe of what they do each time.”
However, while the star-studded evening featured performances from pop superstars such as Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, Ken admitted that bosses would have “loved” to have seen more hip-hop performances, noting that organisers are unable to always “get the quota right” and claimed that some artists were lost in the move from the show’s usual hosting city of Los Angeles.
He said: “We would’ve loved a bit more hip-hop. We’re not always going to get the exact quota that we want. We’re always trying. It was definitely not a conscious decision to only have Nas as a hip hop performance… We lost a couple of artists in the [show’s] move from L.A. to Vegas. So, you know, s*** happens. We did our best.”