The K-pop genre was a winner at the Grammy Awards for the very first time Sunday (Feb. 1), as “Golden,” the Billboard Hot 100 hit from Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters (performed in the film as girl group HUNTR/X, aka vocalists EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI), triumphed in the best song written for visual media category.
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The award was announced during the pre-telecast section of the 2026 Grammys, where EJAE was among the group of songwriters to accept the win. Also credited on the track are Park Hong Jun, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo and Mark Sonnenblick, who gave an acceptance speech on behalf of the group.
“Golden” received a total of four nominations in the 2026 awards: best song written for visual media song of the year, main-event categories song of the year and best pop/duo performance, and best remixed recording (by David Guetta).
Additionally, the Kpop Demon Hunters soundtrack album, a Billboard 200 chart-topper, was nominated for best compilation soundtrack for visual media.
The 2026 Grammys broadcast kicked off at 8 p.m. ET on CBS (also streaming on Paramount+).
K-pop representation at the Grammys has historically been limited, with BTS being the first K-pop act nominated for a Grammy, at the 2021 ceremony. The superstar group’s been nominated five times, but they’ve yet to win. BTS was also the first K-pop act to ever perform at the Grammys.
Sunday night, BLACKPINK member ROSÉ — nominated for three awards at this year’s ceremony — became the first solo K-pop artist to perform at the Grammy Awards. She kicked off the show alongside Bruno Mars with a performance of the pair’s hit collab “APT.”
Last summer, the Recording Academy highlighted 10 names from the K-pop industry — artists, producers and songwriters — who were added to its New Member Class. (Recording Academy membership includes eligibility to vote in the Grammy Awards.)
“Golden” won the award for best original song at the 2026 Golden Globes, and is nominated for best original song at the upcoming Oscars ceremony in March. It spent a total of eight weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 in 2025.