Since the rise of BTS, the Grammys have generated interest in K-pop, but not usually in its flashy categories. There has been a notable change this year, with several artists with roots in K-pop nominated in major categories, signaling the Academy's acceptance of the genre as a mainstream part of pop music.
First, while the success of “KPop Demon Hunters” and its flagship soundtrack single “Golden” may necessitate qualifying for a fictional group's film score, the tune's song nomination is a major milestone. This caps off a big year for the animated girls of Huntr/x – they have also received recognition for pop duo/group performances, remix recordings and songs written for visual media. Whatever happens next for human artists Ejae, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami and “Golden” co-writer Mark Sonnenblick, it's part of a major moment for K-pop in the Grammys' top categories.
Although they are far from alone there. Blackpink's Rosé had a smash hit with Bruno Mars on “Apt.”, which earned even more top 4 hits for albums, songs, and pop duos/groups. The snazzy Motown rocker became one of the undisputed singles of the year, peaking at number three on the Hot 100.
These nods showed just how far the Blackpink members' solo careers could take them into the broader music and entertainment industry. including televisionmajor festivals, the Hot 100, and now the elite Grammy categories.
The K-pop group has finally received recognition as a new artist in the form of a polyglot girl group. Katseye landing nearby Addison Rae, Lola Young And Shadow. The group was intended to be a global twist on what K-pop is all about, given the members' diverse backgrounds (they hail from the US, Philippines, South Korea and Switzerland and trained under BTS's parent label Hybe in the US).
“Beautiful Chaos” peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, and the band's “Gabriela” was also nominated for pop duo/group performance, so the experiment itself clearly resonated with Academy voters.
While Grammy voters often view K-pop as a fandom phenomenon rather than a musical phenomenon, this year's class shows that the genre was treated on its own like any pop performance, which can only bode well for its future at the Academy.
