ARMYs Are Convinced BTS Is Planning A Secret Solo Performance For The Grammys
BTS will attend the Grammy Awards for the second time in a row in 2020, but, this time, it'll be as performers instead of presenters. The news has been a long time coming, since fans suspected the boys would at least attend the show after they hopped a flight from Seoul to L.A. on Jan. 18 with no confirmed U.S. appearances on their schedule. Confirmation wouldn't come until Jan. 23, though. And now that BTS' performance is confirmed, fans are all asking the same question: "Will BTS perform 'Black Swan' at the Grammys?" The group has been hyping up a huge performance on social media, and it's got fans thinking they may have more in store for Grammys viewers than what they're letting on.
Currently, the Recording Academy is sticking to their story: BTS will perform at the Grammys, but not solo. They'll be hitting the stage as part of Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" All-Stars performance. On top of BTS, the collab stage will include other artists who remixed 2019's biggest hit, like Billy Ray Cyrus, Diplo, and Mason Ramsey.
While ARMYs are thrilled BTS will be back at the Grammys, they also have a strong feeling BTS and the Recording Academy have something special up their sleeve. Although the group announced they'll perform "Black Swan" for the first time on The Late Late Show With James Corden on Tuesday, Jan. 28 — two days after the Grammy Awards on Sunday, Jan. 26 — they believe BTS will perform it at the Grammys, too.
Here are five reasons why fans think BTS will perform "Black Swan" at the Grammys.
1. They've been practicing hardcore all week.
BTS flew out to LA on Jan. 18 (a whole 10 days before their Late Late Show appearance) and, ever since their arrival, they've been practicing for an upcoming performance.
At first, some fans believed they were just practicing for their Late Late Show, but Ariana Grande's behind-the-scenes photo with BTS at rehearsals basically confirmed it was for the Grammys instead, since she's on the lineup. Shortly after sharing her photo, the news that BTS would, in fact, be hitting the Grammys stage for a performance was announced.
2. Their poses don't look like "Old Time Road" choreography.
After the Grammys confirmed BTS was performing with Lil Nas X, fans couldn't help but side-eye BTS' dance practice photos, because they seemed like they were rehearsing for a solo stage.
Based on BTS' different outfits in various photos, and their complicated poses, it's clear they've been practicing some challenging choreo over the span of multiple days, and fans think it can't just be for "Old Town Road," especially since Lil Nas X's previous performances of the song didn't include much choreo besides some groovy two-stepping and vibing with the crowd.
3) Where is Lil Nas X at rehearsal, anyway?
The Grammy said BTS will perform with Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus, Diplo, and Mason Ramsey, but, as of yet, no one else has been pictured with BTS at rehearsals (besides Ariana Grande).
In fact, Diplo isn't even in the U.S. right now. On Jan. 23, he shared photos of himself in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on his Instagram Story.
4) RM is the only one on the "OTR" remix, so what will the rest of BTS do?
In July 2019, Lil Nas X and RM dropped their "Old Town Road" remix, "Seoul Town Road." RM is the only BTS member featured on the song, so fans find it highly suspicious that all seven members are rehearsing this hard for the Grammys. Like, they look tired and sweaty in the photos they've shared.
Even if they did come up with some genius way to work BTS into the performance, a whole week of rehearsals seems a bit excessive for the amount of time they could conceivably be on stage — especially considering, by all appearances, no one else involved in the collab's presence was needed at rehearsals.
5. This inconsistency in the Recording Academy's Instagram posts.
On Jan. 23, the Recording Academy announced the "Old Town Road" All-Stars performance through three Instagram posts. Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus' posts specifically included deets about the "Old Town Road" All-Stars performance in the caption, but that wasn't the case for BTS' post.
Instead, their post read, "Are you ready to see BTS (@bts.bighitofficial) back on the #GRAMMYs stage this Sunday? 🎶✨ Tune in to Music’s Biggest Night Jan. 26, live on @cbstv! #BTSArmy." The Academy's vague caption has fans wondering if BTS is planning a solo stage, too.
So, what does it all mean? Could RM, indeed, be participating in Lil Nas X's All-Star performance, but BTS will join him on stage for a surprise comeback performance of "Black Swan"? Fans won't have an answer until Grammys night.
Theorizing is fun, but even if it turns out BTS is, in fact, just participating in Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" performance, ARMYs will support them all the same. Their faves are making history as the first Korean artists to perform at the Grammys.
