It’s long overdue, but the Grammy Awards have finally awarded K-pop. “Golden,” the smash hit from KPop Demon Hunters, has scored the genre’s first win in the written for visual media category.
In addition to the written for visual media category, “Golden,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for much of this summer, was nominated for song of the year, with co-writer Mark Sonnenblick also earning a nomination for the song, and the pop duo/group performance category.
“[I’m] so, so proud to be Korean. Growing up, people didn’t know where Korea was or what Korea was, and that’s why it’s so incredible to have the song ‘Golden’ being sung all over the world, singing the Korean lyrics word by word,” KPop Demon Hunters songwriter and singing voice of Rumi, EJAE, told press at the 2026 Grammys.
“It means so much and I think this award is about that representation,” she continued. “Today is about celebrating culture and music that unites all culture, and we need that right now. It’s a great honor to have.”
The David Guetta remix of “Golden” was also nominated for best remixed recording at the 2026 Grammys. KPop Demon Hunter’s soundtrack itself was nominated for best compilation soundtrack for visual media. The song of the year nomination marked the first time a K-pop group’s song has been nominated in the general field. Blackpink member Rosé also became the first K-pop artist to be nominated in the general field for “APT,” which also got a nomination in song of the year as well as for record of the year.
Rosé had her own moment in the spotlight, serving as the opening performer of Sunday’s Grammy telecast. The 27-year-old K-pop star was joined by collaborator Bruno Mars for an electrifying performance of “APT.” The pair brought the house down, the ceremony showing a hoard of attendees dancing to the song in the front row.
The Blackpink member has become a trailblazer for the K-pop genre globally. She was the first K-pop artist to score a nomination in the general field, the first Korean soloist to be nominated and the first Korean soloist perform at the ceremony. She joins BTS as the only K-pop artist to perform at music’s biggest night.
Rosé’s hit “APT” launched her solo career, spending 45 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. Her debut album Rosie, which “APT” served as the first single on, was released in December 2024 and debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200.
KPop Demon Hunters is Netflix’s most popular title ever. The project chronicles the adventures of Huntrix, a K-pop girl group comprised of three members who also just happen to fight monsters from the underworld. In addition to topping the Netflix charts, its soundtrack has spent several weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart. THR first broke the news in August that a sequel film is in talks at Netflix and Sony Animation. However, it was confirmed late last year that the directors and studio had confirmed their deals with the streamer for the next installment.
Despite multiple nominations for boy group BTS, before Sunday, the Grammys had yet to award the wildly popular world of K-pop. Sunday’s ceremony was a huge win for K-pop’s presence in the U.S. market. In case the last near decade hasn’t been clear enough, K-pop’s popularity is here to stay.
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