2021 began with a ruckus at the US Capitol building, then the GME stock upswing, the Fiasco at Kabul and ends with the first major concert of the year, BTS at SoFi stadium.
However, apparently some K-O-R-E-A-N-S were jealous of that and Melon Music Awards gave the ultimate Grand Prize, Artist of the YEar, to Lee Jieun instead of BTS.
So, while BTS has conquered the world, the Koreans declared that Lee Jieun, the singer who is #6 at the global spotify rankings among Korean figures (there is a long running debate about whether Lee Jieun is part of Kpop or not, and for the purpose of this post I will say that she is not.) is above BTS,
Even Lee Jieun appears to not expect to win the Artist of the Year award; she said everything in her Album of the Year award, and had not much to say in the greatest 'honor' given to her from Melon.
Why Melon decided to go against the wishes of the global fans and decided to declare Lee Jieun to be above BTS in Korea in 2021 is not known, but what it did means Lee Jieun has re-climbed the Throne of KPop and dethroned BTS.
Also Melon gave a Grand Prize to aespa, which did not appear, to make this award look legitimate. Whether the international i-fans will take it remains to be seen.
