The movie KPop Demon Hunters has introduced K-Pop music to new audiences around the world. After becoming the most-watched film in Netflix’s history and topping the Hot 100 for eight weeks with the song “Golden” last year, it has now achieved another milestone for this genre of music. The film has earned K-Pop as a whole its first Grammy Award ever.
Written by EJAE (who is also the singing voice of the character Rumi), Mark Sonnenblick, IDO, 24, and TEDDY, the song picked up the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 2026 pre-telecast ceremony. Featuring the voices of Rei Ami as Zoey and Audrey Nuna as Mira, the tune plays at a pivotal moment in the movie, revealing the character’s inner worlds and the struggles their music has helped them overcome.
On top of its history-making award, “Golden” was also nominated in four categories, including the coveted Song of the Year, which went to Billie Eilish’s “WILDFLOWER” and Best Pop/Duo Performance, won by another song from the movie realm, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s version of “Defying Gravity” from the film Wicked. The other nominations were Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media and Best Remixed Recording for a remix of “Golden” by David Guetta.
After being named a winner, singer EJAE addressed the groundbreaking win. “Growing up, people didn’t know where Korea was or what Korea was, and that’s why it’s so incredible to have the song ‘Golden’ being sung all over the world, singing the Korean lyrics word by word,” Ejae said in a press conference after receiving the award. “I think this award is about that representation. Today’s about celebrating culture.”
The achievement is not an isolated occurrence, but rather the result of a steady push for K-Pop to be recognized by western media. In 2021, BTS became the first K-Pop act to receive a nomination, earning a nod in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category for “Dynamite.”
This edition of the Grammys also featured the first nomination for a K-Pop artist as the main performer in one of the four main categories. Rosé, a member of the K-Pop band Blackpink, was nominated for her collaboration with Bruno Mars, “Apt.” Representation has also grown in the voting body of the Grammys. In August, the Recording Academy welcomed artists and creatives credited with making significant contributions to K-Pop.
KPop Demon Hunters and “Golden” could continue to gain accolades as the awards season progresses. Last month, they won Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song at the Golden Globes, and are nominated in the same two categories at the upcoming Academy Awards. The Oscar ceremony is taking place Sunday, March 15. If you’re in the U.S., you can tune in on ABC and Hulu. And if you’re one of the few people in the world who still hasn’t seen KPop Demon Hunters, it is available to watch on Netflix.
KPop Demon Hunters has earned K-Pop its first Grammy Award ever with its win for Best Song Written for Visual Media for “Golden.”
Sources: A Victory for ‘Golden’ Gives K-Pop Its First Ever Grammy Win; HUNTR/X’s ‘Golden’ Is No. 1 on Hot 100 for Eighth Week, Tate McRae’s ‘Tit for Tat’ Debuts at No. 3; ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Scores First Win, Rosé Brings Down the House During K-pop’s Biggest Grammys Yet
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