KPop Demon Hunters gave K-pop its first Grammys win

1 week ago 3

Published Feb 2, 2026, 11:37 AM EST

Despite multiple nominations, a K-pop group has never won a Grammy

KPop Demon Hunters from Sony Animation and Netflix just made Grammy history by snatching a win for their smash-hit "Golden" at the 2026 Grammy Awards — marking the first time the K-pop industry has won the award.

"Golden" won the Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media. Though performed by the singing voices of Huntr/x, Ejae (Rumi), Rei Ami (Zoey), and Audrey Nuna (Mira), the Grammy Awards win went to the film's songwriters, including Ejae, as well as Park Hong Jun, Jeong Hoon Seo, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, and Mark Sonnenblick.

"Golden" was also nominated for Song of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, but lost out on both to "Wildflower" by Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell for Song of the Year, and "Defying Gravity" by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

However, the win for Best Song Written for Visual Media cannot be overlooked. Speaking in the press room at the 2026 Grammys, Ejae said, "Growing up, people didn’t know where Korea was. Singing the Korean lyrics word by word, it means so much. I think this award is about that representation. Today’s about celebrating culture."

KPop Demon Hunters is already well known for making history. Since its June debut last year, KPop Demon Hunters has kept up momentum, smashing records and earning accolades. Huntr/x became the first all-women collective with a song at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart since Destiny's Child's "Bootylicious" took the top spot in August 2001. "Golden" has also been performed live on both late-night shows hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon. Beyond its music, KPop Demon Hunters is a standout animated film, earning two Oscar nominations and becoming the most-watched Netflix original.

With a Grammy now under its belt, KPop Demon Hunters' domination of global culture shows no signs of stopping.

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