The 2026 Grammy Award nominations were announced on Friday, and fans of K-Pop girl groups could not be any more proud. It was a historic night for K-Pop star Rose of the supergroup BLACKPINK as she earned her first ever Grammy for her single ‘APT’. She was not the only one, making Grammy history, as she was joined by Ejae, who shone bright with her hit single ‘Golden’, from the animated feature ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters’.In a landmark moment for the global music scene, K-pop has seemingly finally broken barriers to score nods at music’s biggest award show – The Grammys, after being largely overlooked despite worldwide dominance.Until now, BTS was the only K-pop act to have earned Grammy nominations. But this year, Rose of and rising star Ejae, added a page to the history books by landing spots in the covetted Song of the Year and Record of the Year categories.
Rose earns first-ever Grammy nominations
BLACKPINK’s Rose not only became a Grammy nominee for the first time today, but became the first Korean soloist to earn nominations in the top categories – Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. The star earned three nominations for her hit single ‘APT’, a collaboration with Bruno Mars. The track peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming one of the biggest cross-genre collaborations of the year.
Ejae makes history with ‘Golden’
Joining Rosé in making Grammy history was Ejae, who also scored three nominations for her hit track ‘Golden’. The song, performed by the fictional girl group HUNTR/X, is up for Song of the Year, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, and Best Song Written for Visual Media.Ejae, best known for writing hits for K-pop acts like Red Velvet, Aespa, Twice, and Le Sserafim, struck gold with her first solo track ‘Golden’. The OST from the film ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters’ dominated music charts the world over, even topping the Billboard Hot 100 for eight consecutive weeks and earning multiple Perfect All-Kills (PAKs) in South Korea, a feat that surpasses even ‘Let It Go’. It also hit the No 1 spot on both the Billboard 200 and Global 200 charts.
HUNTR/X to become first fictional group to win a Grammy
In a first, the fictional K-pop group HUNTR/X, also made history as the first animated act ever to top the Billboard Hot 100. Their success blurred the lines between fiction and reality.At the Grammys, “Golden” gives HUNTR/X a shot at its first Grammy win. While only songwriters Ejae and Mark Sonnenblick are officially nominated due to award rules, it is the fictional group that fans around the world will be rooting for.
