#2021 AMAs Artist of the Year

[angstics]

i finally articulated my opinion on my "is gerard way doing drag" question. my definition of drag is when a person impersonates, exaggerates, or appropriates a mode of gender expression. drag can be artistic or political (or both). drag can be an identity. drag and transgender identity are confused as the same thing. for some, it is. what is considered cross dressing can also be considered drag. it's important to note that drag is essential to queer culture, and how the us government harasses queer people through cross dressing, and now anti-drag, laws. we wouldnt be here talking about pop artists doing drag without drag performers and nonbinary-trans-gnc people.

to some people, a self-identified man in a female-identified dress is drag. "cross dressing" depends on cishet norms. queer people, especially nonbinary-trans-gnc people, have called to dismantle the assignment of gender to clothing. under that lens, a man in a dress is just a man in a dress -- for it to be drag, context and intent matters. that's how you get women doing female drag, or androgynous people doing what gerard way's been doing this last year on tour.

in asking "is gerard way doing drag?", im assigning importance to the topic. does it matter? within my understanding, drag is about intent and context as much as gender presentation. intent and context is what makes something important. therefore: understanding why the question is important solves it.

male music artists have a long history of cross dressing and doing drag. there's a good chance plugging any dude into a search engine with "drag" or "skirt" will bring something up. bowie, queen, nirvana, manic street preachers, placebo. here's a list. newer artists: lil nas x, harry styles, anthony green, pete wentz, young thug. some are impersonating female caricatures, some are masculinizing female clothes (long, ill-fitting, straight). some, like molko and lil nas, wear feminine clothes without exaggerating or masculinizing. gerard is in that same grey area.

male music artists have a long history of cross dressing and doing drag -- photos: "i want to break free" mv by queen (1984) / placebo in london (oct 1998) / lil nas x at audacy beach festival (dec 5, 2021) / fall out boy at rock for people (june 17, 2022)

all that history is why it was so weird when kerrang called gerard's riot fest "dress and heels" "a compelling show of contrarian anti-rock star eccentricity". it is not anti-rock star, at least not as described. it may be compelling, contrarian, and eccentric, but no reviewer really cares to analyze why. the closest they get is by identifying non-binary connection (them.us) and its relation to the "minefield that is American gender politics today" (latimes.com).

fans were struck by way's outfits for a lot of other reasons.

1. we have to get it out of the way that they just looked hot -- gerard is perpetually attractive, skirts are pretty. easy equation.

2. he has a long history of gender nonconformity. more on that in my #mcr queer studies tag. gerard is a 45 year old famously androgynous person who doesnt do labels, aligns himself with gender nonconformity (2014 reddit ama, 2018 advocate article, 2015 he/they tweet), and doesnt seem to care to be known as a man.

3. the tour outfits were well-fitted. many were crafted by skilled designer marina toybina and her team. which leads to ->

4. the outfits were very casual and very feminine. as mentioned, most men opt for masculine, ill-fitting skirts. which is to say they are NOT showing leg and they are definitely not showing ass. gerard doesnt steer clear from shortness or tightness or movement. he also dresses in ways people dress day to day -- the miniskirt is as casual as the shorts as casual as the jeans. there's some discussion to be had about what casual means -- he could be imitating expected presentation or just using basics, like his frequent shirt and pants.

the miniskirt is as casual as the shorts as casual as the jeans -- photos: firefly music festival (sept 23, 2022) / uncasville (sept 1, 2022) / eden project night 1 (may 16, 2022)

5. there was variety. many outfits, many types. he wasnt just doing pure femininity. some looks were high concept, some low concept. some gendered, some genderless. some feminine, some masculine. it was playful. its honesty evident in its fluidity yet cohesiveness. expanded in the next points ->

6. they incorporate elements of masculinity and gender neutrality concurrent with the feminine. his aggressive, energetic performance style often doesnt mind what people are seeing when his skirt lifts or shirt droops. he has little to no make-up -- if he does, it's stage and not glam. the closest he gets is the agender black swan look at boston night 1, the stage contour at wwwy night 3, and dubious lipstick at firefly. he also maintains the same hairstyle: barely styled, not straightened-curled. pinned a few times, gelled back some other times.

he has little to no make-up -- if he does, it's stage and not glam -- photos: boston night 1 (sept 7, 2022) / when we were young night 3 (oct 29, 2022) / firefly music festival (sept 23, 2022)

7. the character outfits weren't caricatures, like green's sleazy hooker or queen's uptight housewives. gerard's characters were appropriated but not exaggerated. cheerleader, nurse, manson girl, jackie o, princess diane, st joan. all figures of pop culture. he wore them as they were. even comparing green and way's similar white-green cheerleader costumes there's a difference in presentation. green wears long leggings, way wears shorts. green's costume is based on a stranger things character, way's is a custom remade vintage outfit. green exhibits the masculinization of feminine clothes which way subverts. this comparison highlights what makes way's outfits different, and therefore exciting to talk about.

green exhibits the masculinization of feminine clothes which way subverts -- photos: saosin in garden grove, ca (oct 27, 2022) / mcr in nashville, tn (aug 23, 2022)

8. and when he played with masculinity, it was in a way that was dubbed "boydrag". the new jersey night 2 casino singer look was a dramatic caricature that heightened masculine features until they were pure style... the defintion of camp. he had a mustache -- thin like john waters or a confirmed bachelor, and drawn on with eyeliner. he had a suit -- a pink-gold, glittery woman's cut jacket with a glittery bowtie and pleated shirt. the dramatic flair is accentuated by the black eye make-up, the frank sinatra "my way" cover, the drum tag: "the house always wins".

the defintion of camp -- photos: new jersey night 2 (sept 21, 2022) 1 / 2

when i asked which outfits others considered drag, all replies identified the casino singer and jackie o as drag and the rest as "just clothes". this relation made me understand why the rest couldnt be drag despite all the connections i talked about above. the jackie o outfit doesnt exaggerate the source like casino singer, but the source itself is both highly dramatic and highly gendered. cheer is gendered but not highly dramatic, st joan dramatic but not highly gendered. diane is gendered and dramatic, but not highly. the list goes on and on. it's a fine line. especially cheer could tip into drag for me.

but the source itself is both highly dramatic and highly gendered -- photos: mcr at riot fest (oct 12, 2022) / jackie kennedy onassis (jan 3, 1971)

if drag is understood in this way, simply wearing gendered clothes isnt drag. the look itself has to be about the performance of gender, however that may be presented. that’s the importance of classification. we can see what the artist is doing.

[jmdbjk]

Episode 5: WELCOME!

Beyond the Star, produced by HYBE Media Studio

BTS continues to break records with Butter and Permission to Dance.

Whereas Dynamite was intended to be a feel good song for the fans during trying times, Butter was a little more intentional. BTS did not think they would release another single after Dynamite and the BE album but the pandemic was wearing on so out of many songs that they were sent to consider, they chose Butter. Namjoon rewrote most of the rap and the rest, as we keep saying, is history.

Butter broke Dynamite's Youtube premiere record of peak concurrent viewers with 3.9 million as well as other viewer number records.

Butter debuted at #1 on the BBHot100 and charted at #1 for 10 non-consecutive weeks. "Smooth like butter" became the catch-phrase of the summer of 2021.

And FINALLY, BTS heads to Los Angeles at the end of November 2021 for their first performances with a live audience. The world is still trying to emerge from all the covid restrictions but this is their chance. The U.S. has opened the doors and they go for it.

They will be one of the first artists to perform at the brand new SoFi stadium.

They are going to give it their all because things are still uncertain. Performing concerts with live audiences, being able to perform physically after such a long break and the fear or dread of NOT being able to perform again with an audience was the biggest thing weighing on them. Yoongi seemed optimistic and Namjoon said he hoped so but was afraid of having his feelings hurt again.

They realize their bodies are aging and that before the pandemic, as we know, they were driving their bodies into the ground physically with their grueling schedules.

It was 2 years between performances with a live audience – Love Yourself/Speak Yourself in Seoul, October 2019 to PTD LA, November 27, 2021.

Watching them prepare, as a group, for a major concert is awesome. These behind the scenes are very precious because they now know what it feels like to go through the motions of a live performance WITHOUT an audience.

The quality of their preparation and rehearsals increased. They had time to talk about the performance and production. They changed some things that they previously did during concerts. They said their energy levels were even higher than ever.

(PTD concert remix of Fire needs to be released this year. Just sayin.)

After they finally perform in front Army, they have mixed feelings. Relief, excitement, trepidation that this might be the last time. It was still a time when they didn't know if they'd get to perform again after PTD LA. One thing we learn is that they realized if they didn't get to perform once back in Seoul, that would be it for three years because of enlistment. Enlistment was the wall they faced every single day.

But as we know, the Seoul shows did go on in March 2022 and the Las Vegas shows in April and we also know how the rest of 2022 went.

We see them enjoying some free time in Los Angeles while in-between concerts, something they never got to do before. I think they made the free time a requirement when doing concerts. Their bodies needed to rest.

We see them win AOTY at the AMAs.

It is more serendipity because Namjoon mentioned a little bit before in this episode that he'd thought about quitting until he realized they belonged on that stage and knew that's what had to happen. Jin says the previous 2 years were a time for them to reorganize themselves and they were able to release Dynamite, Butter, Permission to Dance and reach even more overseas fans and make their concerts even more exciting.

Jungkook says they were not expecting to win AOTY at the AMAs. Winning Artist of the Year at the AMAs enabled them to view it as yet another door opening to their future.

Holding sold out concerts in huge stadiums, performing at the top of their game, winning huge awards at western award shows, these things legitimized them being asked to represent their country at the UN and other global and international diplomatic conferences.

I know... they were asked to do this BEFORE they won the Artist of the Year at the AMAs, and BEFORE the PTD shows, and it is because of what they'd accomplished before those things, but it further drives the point home that BTS will continue in the future to be a big player in the music industry worldwide and they already know this.

Jungkook says they aren't sure what the future holds yet but ignoring what's happened is not an option.

Tae says they want to remain the artists who impart a positive influence.

They have finally realized what their purpose is and they are realizing the influence they wield.

[lesbiansloveseokjin]

day 520/548 of seokjin’s military service

this selca was posted on 211122, the day of the 2021 AMAs, with the caption:

ARMY heart

(trans cr: Faith @bts_trans)

Artist of the Year win:

Favorite Pop Duo or Group win:

Favorite Pop Song win:

BTS performances from that day:

BTS Episode filmed that day:

the boys went live after the AMAs:

interviews from that day:

Red Carpet interview

Access Hollywood

Spotify

ET

People

bonus post from Becky G from that day:

How it started ➡️ How it’s going ❤️ @/BTS_twt

[kithtaehyung]

kim seokjin | butter @ amas 2021

[jeonjan7]

BTS x AMAs.😍

My handsome boys.😍

Congratulations for winning.🏆🏆🏆

1. Artist Of The Year

2. Favorite Pop Duo/Group

3. Favorite Pop Song

So proud for you guys.👏🏻

Got ARMY behind us.💛🌟

[btsarmyline]

Look at these two 🥺🥺🥺🥺

[voxyldy]

11.21.2021

[PHOTOS]

.@BTS_twt RM and the members delivered speech as the ARTIST OF THE YEAR!! Jungkook clenches his heart, too nervous to continue talking, while the others tease him! 😆 Last pic shows ARMYs in background. History is still in making by BTS! 💜👏 #AMAs  #BTSxAMAs  #ARMY

Source: Kpop Herald

[sherwynphilip]

⚠️ History made as BTS becomes 1st Asian in history to win 'Artist of the Year' @ AMAs

2021 American Music Awards (211121)

BTS has just won their very first Daesang at an American Awards show, winning 'Artist of the Year' at this years AMAs. And with this, they have just made history as the very first Asian act to ever win a Top Category at any American awards show.

BTS edged out Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Drake, The Weeknd and Olivia Rodrigo for the night's top award.

BTS swept ALL 3 categories in which they were nominated, becoming this year's most awarded artist at the AMAs.

🏆 Artist of the Year

🏆 Favorite Pop/Rock Duo or Group

🏆 Favorite Pop Song (Butter)

BTS' first AMA nomination (and win) came in 2018 for 'Favorite Social Artist.' With tonight's clean sweep, they've won ALL their AMA nominations since their first award three years ago.

BTS has now won 9 AMA trophies overall:

2018

🏆 Favorite Social Artist

2019

🏆 Favorite Duo or Group Pop/Rock

🏆 Favorite Social Artist

🏆 Tour of the Year

2020

🏆 Favorite Social Artist

🏆 Favorite Duo or Group Pop/Rock

2021

🏆 Artist of the Year

🏆 Favorite Pop Song (Butter)

🏆 Favorite Duo or Group (Pop/Rock)

The American Music Awards aired live on Sun., Nov. 21, 2021, on ABC from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET.

#BTS #방탄소년단 #BTSx2021AMAs

Congratulations, BTS! You make ARMYs so, so proud. 👏👏👏

💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

BONUS:

Cardi B representing all ARMYs tonight 😊

video source: @AMAs

[rainbowkookie]

NO, I’M NOT OKAY AND I KNOW YOU’RE NOT OKAY TOO !!!!!!

[lettertolife]

"FOCUS ON...?" AOTY BTS @AMAs 2021

So Our Boys swept the AMAs and now are the First Asian act to Win Artist Of The Year award in AMAs. YAYAYAYAYAYAY 😍💜

I became an Army this year (Yeah even I question myself on being this late 🙁) after Grammy's and honestly I got into their music later, I became an Army solely based on their interviews and random YouTube videos. These Seven men share such warm bonds with each other and overall that it overwhelms me 🥺 The first thing that stayed with me was the relation these men have among themselves. They all have different equation with each other yet they value each relation equally, which is very rare to see in such a huge group. Slowly I got into knowing them and in their music and there is no going back. Anyway this was My First Award Ceremony of BTS and I had also actively participated in voting so I was very excited for the Awards. In my country the awards (Red carpet) was broadcasting at 5 Am. So I only slept like for an hour and fifteen minutes. I caught the red carpet, My Universe Performance, Best POP DUO/GROUP Award, Best POP SONG award but I'm so unfortunate that fatigue took over and I slept through The Artist Of The Year Award and only woke up when Becky G had finished her award speech🤦🏻‍♀️ But fortunately I caught the iconic BUTTER performance. Anyway moving on from my bad luck, The Boys claimed the AMAs for themselves.

From the moment they stepped on the Red Carpet, American Music Industry knew BTS was here. The Cheering was crazy, deafening and everything amazing. As soon as the Loud Cheering started the Hosts were like "Oh BTS is here" and I couldn't have been more proud of our ARMYs💜. They kept the thunder going and at the end it felt more like BTS concert than AMAs😂🙈 but other than this what caught our attention was...

"FOCUS ON"

When the Boys won the AOTY Award and started giving their acceptance speech, Our nervous & excited Jungkook kept using the word 'Focus On' (and before he could finish his speech Jin jokingly pulled him away from the mic) and even after the Awards the BTS live was also named as "FOCUS ON". ARMYs have been left intrigued as to What the "FOCUS ON" implies, is it some sort of a tease to their next album or solo?. or it could be a simply BTS Hyungs teasing their Maknae for being nervous during the acceptance speech.

Of course one of the reasons why Jungkook was tugged away before he could finish his speech is that BTS had exceeded their time limit and Wrap Up sign was flashing for them but as a Baby ARMY and ARMY in general I would like to believe that BTS is teasing us about their upcoming adventures.

Apart from this, Our Boys enjoyed the event. They were completely immersed and enjoying their first on stage performance of MY Universe with Coldplay and also they were performing in front of ARMYs after 2 years and you are my universe was their first song to us 🥺. Suga gave his acceptance speech in Korean and I was brimming with happiness in that movement. The Boys couldn't believe that they won that award and it was visible by their chaotic & adorable movements on stage while the Acceptance Speech for AOTY award. During RM's verse in BUTTER the Boys turned the Stage in Purple colour indicating their never ending love for us and honestly I'm still teary from that.

I LOVE YOU Bangtan Boys💜

I hope you always succeed in all your ventures and keep loving yourself as well as us and be this innocent and adorable forever. And I wish I can attend your Concert soon🥺💜

These are few favourite clips from today's event. And some beautiful photographed moments from todays event.

I'VE COMBINED THE CLIPS INTO THIS VIDEO HOWEVER CREDITS TO THE ORIGINAL UPLOADER OF THESE CLIPS.

ALSO THE KIM BROTHERS STOLE MANY HEARTS!

[bts5sosqueen]

HUGE CONGRATS to the boys for having nothing short of an awesome night at the AMAs! They won Favorite Pop Song, Favorite Pop Duo or Group, and ARTIST OF THE YEAR!!!

I’m definitely a proud noona tonight!

[p4st0ral]

[kairavasan]

AMAs 2021

The AMAs were just so justifiable this year. Maybe it’s cause my fav artists won what I wanted them to win.. or maybe they were actually up to mark!

[jeonjan7]

I Love them so much.💙

[mapofthemazeinthemirror]

BTS getting to perform in front of people after 2 years. BTS getting to perform My Universe and Butter live for the first time. BTS opening and closing the show. BTS taking home every award they were nominated for. BTS winning Artist of the Year. BTS making history. They deserve it all.

[sherwynphilip]

⚠️ BTS becomes 1st Asian act in history to ever be nominated for 'Artist of the Year' at AMAs

2021 American Music Awards (211028)

BTS are in contention for the top award at this year's AMAs. They are nominated in 3 categories overall, namely:

🏆 Artist of the Year

🏆 Favorite Pop Duo/Group

🏆 Favorite Pop Song (Butter)

While nominations are decided by the awards organizers themelselves, winners of the AMAs are decided fully by the fans. And thus, it is no surprise that BTS have had quite a streak at the first music awards show where they were first invited to perform on US television.

BTS' first nomination (and win) came in 2018 for 'Favorite Social Artist.' They have been nominated 5 more times in the next two years. They've won ALL their AMA nominations since their first award three years ago.

BTS' total trophy on AMAs so far:

2018

🏆 Favorite Social Artist

2019

🏆 Favorite Duo or Group Pop/Rock

🏆 Favorite Social Artist

🏆 Tour of the Year

2020

🏆 Favorite Social Artist

🏆 Favorite Duo or Group Pop/Rock

To vote, visit the 2021 AMAs voting page on the Billboard website HERE, or via TikTok HERE.

Voting ends on 16th Nov, 11:59 PM (EST), or 17 Nov, 2 PM (Korean Standard Time).

The voting rules are as follows:

The American Music Awards are set to air Sun., Nov. 21, 2021, live on ABC from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET.

#BTS #방탄소년단 #BTSx2021AMAs

Congratulations, BTS! Now let's go win those trophies. 👏👏👏