Sour butter! When BTS took the stage at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, April 3, fans got a surprise: a cameo appearance from Olivia Rodrigo.
The K-pop group began their performance of “Butter” with several members seated in the audience at different tables, and one of them — V — happened to be sitting next to the “Drivers License” songstress, 19. The South Korean pop star, 26, whispered something into Rodrigo’s ear, leading fans to wonder what he might have said.
“OH MY GOD BTS AND OLIVIA RODRIGO THE DUO I DIDNT KNOW I NEEDED,” one social media user tweeted on Sunday. “I thought V was going to kiss Olivia Rodrigo,” added another fan who couldn’t help noticing how close the duo were sitting. “V just whispered in to Olivia Rodrigo’s ear… are you KIDDING ME???????” tweeted one viewer, reflecting the sentiment of many BTS fans who were watching the show.
Earlier in the evening, BTS spoke to E! News about which musicians they’d like to collaborate with in the future, and V mentioned Rodrigo’s name. As one fan pointed out on Twitter: “When someone asked bts who they wanted to collab with v said ‘olivia [rodrigo]’ and now this.” (Other group members named Lady Gaga, J Balvin and Snoop Dogg.)
BTS’ performance was potentially in jeopardy earlier this week after Jungkook tested positive for COVID-19. “After arriving in Las Vegas, he felt a slight discomfort in his throat and promptly took a rapid PCR test and a standard PCT test,” the band’s record label, Big Hit Music, said in a statement on Monday, March 28. “While being under self-quarantine as a proactive measure, the result of both tests came back positive, and Jungkook was confirmed with COVID-19 on Monday.”
At the time, Big Hit said that Jungkook’s participation in the scheduled performance would be “determined by the local regulations on COVID-19 while we are actively in discussion with the awards organizer.” Several days later, however, the label announced that the group member, 24, had made a full recovery.
“We would like to inform you that BTS member Jungkook was released from quarantine as of the 2nd (Sat) local time in the United States after being diagnosed with COVID-19,” Big Hit said in a statement on Saturday, April 2. “During quarantine, he developed a mild sore throat, but has recovered.”
Jungkook’s bandmate Jin, for his part, also had a health scare shortly before the Grammys. Last month, the “Epiphany” singer, 29, underwent surgery on one of his fingers after damaging his tendons. He performed during the awards show on Sunday, but his left hand was in a cast. The band’s set included a playful nod to his injury, with Jin spending the first part of the performance in an area set up to look like a control booth.
