BTS to be absent from Billboard Music Awards: sources

K-pop supergroup BTS will not attend the upcoming 2022 Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs) even though it is highly likely to bring home multiple prizes, sources in the music industry said Monday.

The sources said the septet has recently decided not to attend the awards ceremony to be held in Las Vegas on Sunday (U.S. time).

The event is considered one of the three biggest music awards in the United States, along with the American Music Awards and the Grammy Awards.

The South Korean band scooped up four prizes at last year’s BBMAs, making it its fifth consecutive year to win at least one award at the awards show.

The band has received seven nominations for the upcoming event. It got nods in six categories — top duo or group, top song sales artist, top Billboard global artist (excluding U.S.), top selling song, top Billboard global song (excluding U.S.) and top rock song. But two songs — “Butter” and “Permission to Dance” — were nominated in the top selling song section.

It is the most nominations the group has ever received at the BBMAs.

BTS is highly likely to win multiple prizes as its 2021 megahit “Butter” sat atop Billboard’s Hot 100 main singles chart for 10 non-consecutive weeks.

The group reportedly plans to deliver a virtual acceptance speech if it wins an award with no plans to perform on stage.

The sources say BTS will instead focus on preparing for “Proof,” its new album set to drop June 10.