BLACKPINK's Rosé and Netflix's animated film "K-pop Demon Hunters" became the first in the K-pop genre to be nominated in the General Fields, the top general categories at the Grammy Awards.
On the 7th (local time), the Recording Academy, which organizes the awards, announced the final nominees for the 68th Grammys, to be held on Feb. 1, 2026.
The final nominees announced that day showed notable strides for K-pop. Rosé was selected as a final nominee in two of the four major categories—song of the year and record of the year—at the 68th Grammys with "APT.", her collaboration with Bruno Mars. She also earned a nomination for best pop duo/group performance.
The original soundtrack (OST) "Golden" from K-pop Demon Hunters also received five total nominations, including song of the year.
This is the first time since BTS that the K-pop genre has been nominated at these awards. It is also the first time ever that the General Fields have a nominee from K-pop and that a female K-pop artist has been nominated.
Among the final nominees for best new artist, one of the Grammys' major awards, is Cat's Eye, a Korea-U.S. joint girl group from HYBE. Cat's Eye was also nominated for best pop duo/group performance with "Gabriela."
The musical "Maybe Happy Ending" was nominated for best musical theater album.
The Grammys have been held annually since 1959 by the Recording Academy, an organization of music professionals including singers, producers, recording engineers, and critics. Placing more weight on musicality than commercial performance, the awards are highly discerning, and even a nomination is considered a great honor. The 68th Grammys consider albums, singles, and tracks released from late Aug. 2024 to late Aug. this year. The Recording Academy will hold final voting on the nominees in each category from Dec. 12 to Jan. 5.
As for Koreans, soprano Jo Sumi (1993) and recording engineer Hwang Byung-joon, head of Soundmirror Korea (2012, 2016), have previously won. In the K-pop genre, BTS was nominated for categories including best pop duo/group performance for three consecutive years but did not win.
However, with Rosé's "APT." and K-pop Demon Hunters' "Golden," as well as Cat's Eye, making the final shortlist in major categories, expectations are rising for the awards to be held in 2026. Forbes in the U.S. said, "The nominations for 'APT.' and 'Golden' are historic but not at all surprising," adding, "These two songs were among the most successful during the eligibility period for the Grammys."