BLACKPINK’s Rosé delivers her acceptance speech for the Song of the Year award for “APT.” at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y., Sept. 7, 2025. Reuters-Yonhap
With the 68th Grammy Awards days away, anticipation is building over whether K-pop can finally break through at the ceremony where the genre has yet to secure a win, despite years of nominations and growing influence.
Set for Sunday at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, the awards feature K-pop artists nominated across multiple categories. Leading the charge is “Golden,” the breakout track from Netflix’s smash hit animated film “KPop Demon Hunters,” nominated for Song of the Year, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Song Written for Visual Media.
A remix of “Golden” by French DJ David Guetta is nominated for Best Remixed Recording, while the film’s entire soundtrack is up for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, bringing the project’s total to five Grammy nods.
Rosé of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK is also in the spotlight for “APT.,” her collaborative track with pop star Bruno Mars. The song earned nominations for Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, placing it in direct competition with “Golden” in two categories.
HYBE Labels’ global girl group KATSEYE also received nominations for Best New Artist and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, competing for Best New Artist against nominees including Olivia Dean, sombr and Alex Warren. As one of the Grammys’ prestigious Big Four, or four General Field categories — alongside Song, Record and Album of the Year — Best New Artist places KATSEYE among the first K‑pop acts ever nominated in a top‑tier Grammy field.
A win by any of the nominees would mark the first Grammy victory for the K-pop genre.
From left, Audrey Nuna, EJAE and Rei Ami, winners of the Best Original Song for “Golden” from “KPop Demon Hunters,” pose in the press room during the 83rd Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif., Jan. 11. AFP-Yonhap
Where K-pop has best shot
K-pop’s history with the Grammys dates back to 2012, when Psy’s “Gangnam Style” was nominated for Best Music Video. K-pop juggernaut BTS later received nominations for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance from 2021 to 2023, but failed to secure a win.
However, industry observers say this year’s nominations suggest a notable shift.
Both “Golden” and “APT.” are credited with strengthening K-pop’s position in the mainstream music market. “Golden” spent a total of eight weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and recently won Best Original Song at the Golden Globe Awards and the Critics Choice Awards. “APT.” reached No. 3 on the Hot 100 and won Song of the Year at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards.
Observers also note changes in the Recording Academy, whose members vote on nominees and winners. Of its roughly 15,000 members, the Academy added 3,800 music creators and professionals this year. Half are under the age of 39, 58 percent are people of color and 35 percent are women.
Among the members are HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk, all seven BTS members, K-pop producers Pdogg, Zico and Bumzu, two members of Seventeen, one member of Tomorrow X Together (TXT) and all six members of KATSEYE.
HYBE Labels’ global girl group KATSEYE poses after winning the MTV Push Performance of the Year Award for “Touch” during the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y., Sept. 7, 2025. Captured from X (formerly Twitter)
Pop culture critic Lim Hee-yun said the nominees’ U.S. industry backing could also play a role.
“‘Golden,’ ‘APT.’ and KATSEYE’s releases were distributed in the United States by Atlantic Records, Republic Records and Geffen Records, respectively,” Lim said. “These are established American labels with long-standing influence.”
Lim added that the songs’ musical style and language also align closely with U.S. pop standards.
“Aside from a small number of Korean lyrics, the songs are largely in English and follow American pop conventions,” Lim said. “That makes them easier for U.S.-based voters to recognize as domestic market releases.”
Music critic Kim Do-heon told a local media outlet that K-pop’s strongest chance lies in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category.
“There are three K-pop songs nominated in that category, while the remaining contenders are not particularly strong chart performers,” Kim said. “I think ‘Golden’ stands out, especially given that it reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.”
However, he also noted that soundtrack songs have rarely secured top Grammy honors in the past.
Rosé’s “APT.,” which went viral for incorporating lyrics from a popular Korean drinking game, was also a major global hit, but its release in October 2024 means it may have lost momentum compared to more recent contenders.
As of Thursday, U.S.-based prediction market Polymarket gave “Golden” a 70 percent chance of winning Song of the Year and a 57 percent chance of taking Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. “APT.” followed with a 41 percent probability in the latter category.
Grammy trophies sit in the press room during the 60th Annual Grammy Awards in New York, Jan. 28, 2018. AFP-Yonhap
Opinions were more divided regarding the recognition in the General Field categories.
Culture critic Jung Min-jae said in a YouTube interview that the General Field remains challenging due to long-standing traditions and voting preferences, though he also agreed that K-pop has a realistic chance in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category.
Jung also cautioned that individual Grammy wins would not necessarily signal full mainstream acceptance of K-pop in Western markets.
“Recognition at the Grammys reflects the artistic merit and impact of specific songs and artists,” Jung said. “The process of K-pop establishing itself on equal footing with mainstream American pop is still ongoing.”