South Koreans celebrated on Monday as “Golden,” from the Netflix animated film “KPop Demon Hunters,” claimed K-pop’s first Grammy Award, a milestone that critics say highlights the genre’s global appeal and signals broader acceptance in the American mainstream.
The win for best song for visual media capped a highly visible night for K-pop at the Grammys — an institution where the genre has long been undercelebrated despite its massive international following. Rosé of Blackpink joined Bruno Mars on stage to perform “APT.,” a song of the year nominee, while the girl group Katseye earned two nominations, including best new artist, for their song “Gabriela.”
The awards captured a moment in which K-pop is surging as a youth-driven global phenomenon. U.S. legacy studios, struggling to reach younger audiences, have taken note of K-pop’s viral strength on social media, driving collaborations such as Rosé and Bruno Mars and projects like Katseye and “KPop Demon Hunters,” according to music critic Lim Hee-yun.
The Grammy win for “Golden,” which also contended for song of the year, could help further strengthen K-pop’s American foothold, though there is debate over whether the English-language pop song from a Sony Pictures Animation film qualifies as K-pop. Some South Koreans saw the win as the latest significant moment in the rise of South Korean pop culture, following the 2020 Oscar triumph of “Parasite.”
“KPop Demon Hunters,” released by Netflix last June, follows the three members of the fictional Korean girl group HUNTR/X as they use music and martial arts to keep demons away. The film became Netflix’s most popular release of all time, with songs like “Golden” climbing global charts. Some analysts question whether the song should truly be considered K-pop’s first Grammy win, noting it sounds more like American pop than a typical K-pop idol track.
