Seoul
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“We’re goin’ up, up, up, it’s our moment,” proclaim digital lady band Huntr/x of their hit track “Golden.” And the lyrics couldn’t have been extra apt because the track from Netflix megahit “Kpop Demon Hunters” made historical past on Sunday by claiming Okay-Pop’s first-ever Grammy.
“Golden” was already a world chart-dominating drive, however taking house the Best Song Written for Visual Media award in Los Angeles is a milestone second for Okay-pop – a style that regardless of its rising affect on Western popular culture has lengthy been thought of area of interest.
“It does feel so miraculous in some ways. And destined in other ways … We’re just trying to process it all,” mentioned Audrey Nuna, who lends her voice to a member of Huntr/x within the movie.
The Grammy itself went to the songwriters of “Golden” EJAE, Park Hong Jun, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Seo Jeong Hoon and Mark Sonnenblick. And is the first win for any Korean songwriters, or producers.
Accepting the award, Seo Jeong Hoon, who goes by the identify 24, paid tribute to his mentor Park Hong Jun – often called Teddy – who he known as “the pioneer of K-pop.”
It was solely in 2021 that a Okay-pop act first earned a Grammy nomination – that was superband BTS, who’ve been nominated 5 occasions however have by no means received.
This 12 months, songs launched by Okay-pop – or Okay-pop-adjacent – artists obtained nominations in 5 classes, although solely “Golden” took away a prize.
In current years the style has gained enormous world fandom as extra teams – like Blackpink and Twice – broke into the US charts, went on world excursions, and collaborated with large American artists.
And the style’s affect was evident all through Sunday’s Grammys broadcast. The awards kicked off with Blackpink’s Rose singing the chart-topping collaboration “APT” with Bruno Mars, as stars within the viewers sang alongside.
Later, a multinational Okay-pop lady group KATSEYE grasped the stage with its “Gnarly” efficiency. Both had been nominated for variety of classes however had been wanting successful an award.
While the win for “Golden” is historic, Okay-pop followers questioned if the track actually matches the style.
“Not to say they didn’t deserve it (because they did). But I still don’t understand which part of Golden was Kpop. It was a 100% English song, in an English animation, for an English speaking audience. The only thing “K” about it had been the singers,” one wrote on X after the award was introduced.
Areum Jeong, assistant professor of Korean Studies at Arizona State University, informed the Associated Press that songs like “APT” and KATSEYE’s “Gabriela” – additionally Grammys nominees – “seem less K-pop than other K-pop songs that could have been nominated over the years.”
She mentioned the nominations strike her extra as “a de-territorialized, hybrid idea of K-pop,” fairly than a recognition of Okay-pop.
The variety of Okay-pop nominations for Grammys in 2026 “tells you that K-pop is not considered as something niche anymore,” Mathieu Berbiguier, a visiting assistant professor in Korean Studies at Carnegie Mellon University, informed Associated Press.
“Now, when we think about pop music in general, we also think of K-pop as part of it,” he mentioned.