Rosé and Ejae make Grammy history as the first solo K-pop acts to earn nominations, marking a milestone moment for the genre’s global recognition. South Korean-New Zealand singer Roseanne Park aka Rosé poses with the award for Best Song for “Apt.” in the press room during the MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, on September 7, 2025. (Photo by Leonardo Munoz / AFP) (Photo by LEONARDO MUNOZ/AFP via Getty Images)
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K-pop has been historically ignored when it comes to the Grammys. Despite being a global phenomenon for the past decade, the genre has been upsettingly underrepresented at music’s biggest night. Only one name from the field, BTS, has earned any recognition. That is, until this year.
For the first time ever, solo musicians who are typically associated with K-pop have scored nominations — and impressively, two have done so at the same time.
Rosé, First-Time Grammy Nominee
Rosé, one of the four members of Blackpink – arguably the most successful K-pop girl group of all time – becomes a Grammy nominee for the first time this year. Rosé scores three nominations with her track “Apt.” The tune is up for both Record and Song of the Year — the two most prestigious fields for any individual cut — as well as Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, as it’s a collaboration with crooner Bruno Mars.
Ejae Earns Three Nominations With ‘Golden’
Rosé is joined in this feat by Ejae. She collects her three nominations — the same number as the Blackpink star — in another bit of coincidence for “Golden,” the huge, world-dominating hit from KPop Demon Hunters.
The tune is up for Song of the Year, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, and Best Song Written for Visual Media.
KPop Demon Hunters Could Bring Ejae Another Win
Ejae is best known as a songwriter, and “Golden” is her first hit on her own. The talent, who was born in Seoul, has penned tunes for K-pop girl groups like Red Velvet, Aespa, Twice and Le Sserafim.
In time, Ejae could pull ahead of Rosé and score a fourth nomination. The KPop Demon Hunters album is competing for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, but like four other titles in that field — including F1: The Album, Sinners and Wicked — at the moment, only “various artists” are credited.
The Recording Academy does this from time to time when nominees are not immediately identifiable. But should the prize go to the Netflix-associated soundtrack, Ejae will almost certainly be one of the winners.
Huntr/x From KPop Demon Hunters Makes Grammy History
As both Rosé and Ejae make history with their nominations, the first K-pop girl group also scores a chance to collect gold — though the band is not like many of the most famous in the world.
Huntr/x, which was created specifically for KPop Demon Hunters, is up for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance with “Golden.” The other two verticals where that same cut is nominated are songwriters’ awards, and Huntr/x is a fictional girl group, so only Ejae and co-writer Mark Sonnenblick are in the running.
BTS Paved The Way For Future K-Pop Grammy Contenders
Before this year, BTS stood out as the only K-pop act to earn Grammy nods. The boy band has been up for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance three years in a row. The first time the septet appeared at the show was in 2021 with “Dynamite,” and the following two ceremonies with both “Butter” and “My Universe,” a collaboration with Coldplay.
That latter cut also brought BTS to the Album of the Year category, making the singers the first from the K-pop space to appear in any of the Big Four fields. The group’s “Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)” was also in the running for Best Music Video in 2023 — the outfit’s biggest year — but so far, BTS has yet to claim a trophy.
‘Apt.’ and ‘Golden’ Are Historic, But Unsurprising Nominees
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 02: Rosé attends as Tiffany & Co. celebrates the debut of the Tiffany Titan by Pharrell Williams Collection at Tiffany & Co. Landmark on May 02, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Tiffany & Co.)
Getty Images for Tiffany & Co.
While the nominations for “Apt.” and “Golden” are historic, they are far from surprising. Those two songs were among the most successful of the recent eligibility period. “Apt.” peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100, while “Golden” only recently stepped away from No. 1 to make room for Taylor Swift’s The Fate of Ophelia…but the KPop Demon Hunters smash has already found its way back to the summit on Billboard’s global rankings, where it stands as one of the longest-running champions ever.
The 2026 Grammy Awards will air live on both CBS and Paramount+ on Sunday, February 1, 2026.