The 68th Grammy Awards will take place on February 1 (local time) at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Among the announced nominees are Rosé’s “APT.”, the original soundtrack “Golden” from Netflix’s animated film KPop Demon Hunters, and KATSEYE, the girl group jointly launched by HYBE and U.S. label Geffen Records.
Rosé earned nominations in three major categories with “APT.”, her collaboration with global pop star Bruno Mars. The song is up for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Notably, Rosé is also scheduled to perform on the Grammy stage, marking the first time a K-pop solo artist will do so since BTS, further underscoring her growing global presence.
The KPop Demon Hunters OST “Golden” has also made a strong impact across key categories. The track received nominations for Song of the Year, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, and Best Song Written for Visual Media. In addition, “Golden (David Guetta Remix)” was nominated for Best Remixed Recording, while the film’s soundtrack album earned a nod for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, bringing the total to five nominations.
KATSEYE was nominated in two categories: Best New Artist and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Both Rosé and KATSEYE are set to perform at the ceremony, highlighting K-pop’s increasing visibility not just as nominees, but as main-stage performers. Meanwhile, the Korean original musical Maybe Happy Ending was also recognized with a nomination for Best Musical Theater Album.
Established in 1959 by the Recording Academy, the Grammy Awards are known for prioritizing musical artistry over commercial success, making even a nomination a significant honor. Korean winners to date include soprano Sumi Jo in 1993 and recording engineer Hwang Byung-joon in 2012 and 2016.
Within the K-pop genre, BTS were nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for three consecutive years from the 63rd to the 65th Grammy Awards, while PSY’s “Gangnam Style” earned a nomination for Best Music Video in 2012, marking K-pop’s first direct encounter with the Grammys. However, no K-pop artist has yet taken home a Grammy win.
For this reason, the Grammys have long been viewed as K-pop’s final and most elusive barrier. This year, however, industry observers note a shift in atmosphere. Rosé and Bruno Mars’ “APT.” has proven both its popularity and cultural impact on global charts, while “Golden” has sparked near-syndrome-level reactions overseas, raising expectations even higher.
Should a K-pop artist secure a win at this year’s ceremony, it would go beyond individual achievement to stand as a historic milestone—the first-ever Grammy victory for K-pop. As anticipation builds, music fans around the world are turning their eyes to Los Angeles to see whether K-pop can finally break through the Grammy wall.
The 68th Grammy Awards will be broadcast live in South Korea on February 2 at 9:55 a.m. KST via Mnet, with singer John Park, music critic Kim Yoon-ha, and broadcaster Shin Ah-young hosting the Korean broadcast.
Sources: Nate