“Don’t play with me right now?!”: K-pop fans thrilled as BTS’ Jung Kook, TXT, and Stray Kids are rumored to attend 2023 VMAs

BTS’ Jung Kook, TXT (aka TOMORROW X TOGETHER), and Stray Kids have been rumored to attend the MTV VMAs (Video Music Awards) 2023. On August 8, the popular Twitter account @AboutMusicYT shared a lengthy list of artists who were rumored to be on the attendee list of the music festival. Among the many names such as Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Ice Spice, Latto, Dua Lipa, Post Malone, etc., three K-pop artists also made it to the list.

The rumored list made many waves in the K-pop fandom, especially as fans had various reactions and their own opinions on which idol should attend the event. However, many were also excited to see their favorites on the projected list and hoped that it would turn out to be a reality.

A rumored VMAs 2023 list mentions BTS’ Jung Kook, TXT, and Stray Kids as the only K-pop artist attendees

Although there’s still over a month left for the VMAs 2023 to be held, a rumored list of the artists supposedly attending the music festival spread across Twitter on August 2, 2023. The Twitter account About Music posted a lengthy list of celebrities rumored to attend the popular MTV event, and K-pop fans immediately began cheering.

As per About Music, BTS’ Jung Kook (who made his official solo debut last month), TXT (who recently did a collaboration with the Jonas Brothers), and Stray Kids (whose latest album 5-Star raked in incredible sales numbers) were rumored to perform at the VMAs 2023.

This is the first time all three K-pop artists would be seen at an international award show together and naturally, the K-pop fandom had a difficult time not to gush over it.

Solo fans of a particular group and fans of all three groups were excited to see their favorites be on the supposed list of attendees for the VMAs. The MTV VMAs are one of the mainstream US music events which is bound to give K-pop idols mainstream exposure.

While both TXT and BTS have had several runs, nominations, and wins at the VMAs, Stray Kids began their journey last year with a nomination for Best K-pop with MANIAC. At the 2022 VMAs, BTS, BLACKPINK, and SEVENTEEN bagged several awards.

With this year marking both TXT and Stray Kids’ first attendance at the event, if the rumored list turns true, then 2023 will become another milestone year for the K-pop industry.

Meanwhile, MTV has yet to release the nominations list for this. Considering that the event is set for September 12 at 8 pm ET at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, fans can expect the nominees to be out by mid-August. The hosts for this year’s VMAs were confirmed to be Nicki Minaj, LL Cool J, and Jack Harlow.

About the author

Afreen has been a K-Pop Content Specialist at Sportskeeda since 2021. She holds a Bachelor's degree in English Literature, along with a Post-Graduate Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication. Afreen has over 4+ years of working in various positions including being an entertainment content writer with Pinkvilla’s K-pop division Hallyutalk and CineDope, and as a copywriter at Flying Cursor.

As per Afreen, she loves her work because she gets to write about the things she is obsessed with. Her thorough research and following the two-genuine-source rule of journalism helps her produce the most accurate content, along with helping her be up-to-date with the industry.

Afreen has had the privilege to interview The Rose's frontrunner, WOOSUNG, and LIONESSES, K-pop's first openly LGBTQ+ group. She is a big fan of SEVENTEEN, Stray Kids, BTS, and The Rose for their hard work, sincerity, and the comic relief their shows provide.

When she is off her shift, Afreen explores the streets of Nottingham in the UK, cooks, and listens to new music.

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