“HYBE RESPECT TAEHYUNG” — Fans Criticize BIGHIT MUSIC for Ignoring BTS V’s 2024 UK Music Video Awards Nomination

BTS’ Taehyung, also known as V, has been nominated for the Best Pop Video International at the 2024 UK Music Video Awards for his track FRI(END)S. On September 30, BIGHIT MUSIC, a subsidiary of HYBE, shared a news article via their official X account from Sports Kyunghyang, acknowledging RM and V for their important nominations in the British awards.

Leading the group, BTS’ Kim Namjoon, known as RM, has received three nominations for his music video LOST! from his second solo album, Right Place, Wrong Person. His nominations include Best Alternative Music Video International, Best Production Design in a Video, and Best Visual Effects in a Video.

However, fans expressed their discontent regarding BIGHIT MUSIC’s post, questioning why V’s nomination was not given proper recognition. Notably, the news article highlighted all three nominations for BTS’ RM along with V’s FRI(END)S nomination.

In the caption of their post, BIGHIT MUSIC tagged both RM and V, although V was referenced in Korean as “#뷔.”Fans noted a previous tweet from the company that focused solely on RM’s three nominations, further igniting their frustration.

International fans rallied under the hashtag “HYBE RESPECT TAEHYUNG,”urging the company to acknowledge V with a separate post that highlights his achievements. One fan on X (formerly Twitter) noted:

“So where is Taehyung’s UKMVA news? @BIGHIT_MUSIC. HYBE TREAT TAEHYUNG FAIRLY. HYBE RESPECT TAEHYUNG”

Many fans criticized HYBE for allegedly undervaluing BTS’ V’s accomplishments. One fan remarked:

“You now pick and share an article written by Lee Seonmyung, the most rabid of mhjs lapdogs, who has repeatedly defamed Namjoon and other BTS members. The same journalist we’ve been emailing you to sue for months,”another fan expressed.

“1. Posted for other member but didn’t post for Taehyung… 2. Could not even add his full name, who is KIM? There’s 3 KIMs in BTS… 3. adding unnecessary negative subs to fuel hatred on him,”another fan commented.

“Where is Taehyung’s separate post for his UKMVA nomination,”one user questioned.

Additionally, fans pointed out that BIGHIT MUSIC had not acknowledged V’s Layover Vinyl release. In contrast, the company had announced the Vinyl releases for other BTS members’ solo projects, including Jimin’s FACE in October 2023 and Suga’s D-DAY in April 2024.

“This ridiculous company never leaves a single chance of sabotaging and disrespecting Taehyung. We have to tag them for everything why?!”one fan lamented.

“If someone can make a Qoo post about these issues pls do: – Bighit not posting for Layover Vinyl’s release – Bighit not making a separate post for his UK MVA nom – Bighit-Hybe’s shady captions targeted at Taehyung.”another fan urged.

“Two of the BTS members got nominated, but @BIGHIT_MUSIC posted only for RM while ignoring BTS V?!”another user pointed out.

“Worth watching”— Billboard Philippines praises BTS’ Taehyung’s FRI(END)S for its direction & cinematography

FRI(END)S was released on March 15, 2024, by BIGHIT MUSIC while V of BTS was serving his military duty since December 2023. Due to his military service, the song’s promotion period was shorter. Nevertheless, the track topped the iTunes Worldwide Song chart in 87 countries within just 24 hours of its release.

The music video, directed by British photographer Samuel Bradley and featuring British actress Ruby Sear (known for The Gentleman), also secured the #1 spot on the Global Top Music Videos chart. The song revolves around V’s desire to advance a relationship with someone special, but the narrative takes a tragic turn as he dies in a vehicle accident, leaving the conclusion open-ended. Currently, the song has accumulated over 358 million streams (358,937,611) on Spotify, and the music video has garnered over 49 million views on YouTube as of September 30, 2024.

Billboard Philippines highlighted V’s FRI(END)S in their July 3, 2024, article featuring the top ten music videos of the year, commending the outstanding cinematography. Unlike typical romantic music videos, the opening features V expressing his disgust at couples around him. The article’s writer noted:

“While the story of the music video — which I am, admittedly, confused by — is immensely compelling on its own, the cinematography on its own makes it worth watching.”

The list also recognized IU’s Love Wins All MV, in which V starred as the male lead.

In related updates, BTS’ Taehyung enlisted for military service on December 11, 2023, and is expected to be discharged in June 2025. He is currently serving in the Special Duty Team (SDT) within the special forces unit after being deployed on January 18, 2024.

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