‘Golden’ from K-Pop Demon Hunters becomes first K-pop song to win a Grammy

K-pop created history at this year’s Grammy Awards, and it did so with a fictional band. At the ceremony held in Los Angeles, Golden from the Netflix film K-Pop Demon Hunters became the first K-pop song ever to win a Grammy, taking home the award for Best Song for Visual Media.

The track, performed by the fictional group Huntr/x, was also nominated for Song of the Year, marking a milestone moment for Korean pop culture on the global stage. The achievement highlights K-pop’s expanding cultural and commercial reach, as the genre continues to move from dedicated fandom circles into mainstream recognition within Western award platforms.

The ceremony at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theatre saw several winners announced during the premiere event, where 86 of the 95 awards were presented ahead of the main telecast. British artists Yungblud, The Cure, and FKA Twigs were among those honoured.

Other notable winners included the Dalai Lama, who received the award for Best Audiobook, while eight-year-old Aura V made history as the youngest Grammy winner ever after winning Best Children’s Album.

Rapper Kendrick Lamar also emerged as a major winner, securing three awards ahead of the main ceremony. He won Best Rap Song for TV Off, continuing his impressive Grammy streak following last year’s five-win sweep that included honours for his diss track Not Like Us.

Released in June, K-Pop Demon Hunters quickly became Netflix’s most-watched film, amassing more than 480 million views worldwide. Its soundtrack later topped the Billboard charts, becoming the first film soundtrack to achieve the feat since Encanto in 2022.

Industry observers view Golden’s Grammy victory as a major acknowledgement of K-pop’s creative and commercial influence, reinforcing the genre’s position as a powerful global music force rather than a passing trend.

Blackpink member Rosé was another major presence at the awards, earning three key nominations for her song APT, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year. Despite delivering a high-energy opening performance alongside Bruno Mars, she did not win in any category.

In another sign of K-pop’s growing recognition within the global music industry, the Recording Academy recently inducted several Korean artists, producers and songwriters into its voting body. The new members include Seventeen’s Woozi, Enhypen’s Jungwon, and Le Sserafim’s Huh Yunjin.