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Ever since the ascent of BTS, the Grammys have been K-pop-curious, but not typically in its marquee categories. This year marks a notable change \u2014 several acts with roots in K-pop have major-category nominations, which suggests the Academy has embraced the genre as a staple part of pop music.<\/p>\n
First off, while the success of \u201cKPop Demon Hunters\u201d and its flagship soundtrack single, \u201cGolden,\u201d might need a qualifier for being a piece of film music for a fictional band, the tune\u2019s nomination for song is a milestone. It caps a huge year for the animated ladies of Huntr\/x \u2014 they also scored nods in pop duo\/group performance, remixed recording and song written for visual media. Whatever comes next for the human artists Ejae, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami and “Golden” co-songwriter Mark Sonnenblick, it\u2019s part of a big moment for K-pop in the Grammys\u2019 top categories.<\/p>\n
Read more:<\/b> Behind the scenes with K-pop group Katseye and their L.A. fashion fairy godfather Humberto Leon<\/a><\/p>\n They\u2019re far from alone there, though. Ros\u00e9 of Blackpink had a monster hit with Bruno Mars on \u201cApt.,\u201d which scored even more Top 4 nods in record and song and pop duo\/group performance. The snazzy Motown rocker was one of the year\u2019s undeniable singles, hitting No. 3 on the Hot 100.<\/p>\n These nods showed just how far the Blackpink members\u2019 solo careers can reach into the broader music and entertainment industries \u2014 including TV<\/a>, major festivals, the Hot 100 and now the Grammys elite categories.<\/p>\n Read more:<\/b> Lisa, already a Coachella headliner in Blackpink, just demolished the Sahara Tent as a solo star<\/a><\/p>\n A K-pop act finally got a new artist nod as well, with the polyglot girl group Katseye<\/a> landing alongside Addison Rae<\/a>, Lola Young<\/a> and Sombr<\/a>. The band was conceived as a global twist on what constitutes as K-pop, given the members\u2019 varied backgrounds (they hail from the United States, the Philippines, South Korea and Switzerland, and trained under BTS\u2019 parent label, Hybe, in the United States).<\/p>\n \u201cBeautiful Chaos\u201d hit No. 4 on the Billboard 200, and the group’s “Gabriela” also got a nomination for pop duo\/group performance, so the experiment clearly resonated with Academy voters on its own terms.<\/p>\n While Grammy voters have often looked upon K-pop as a fandom phenomenon more than a musical one, this year\u2019s class suggests the genre has been taken on its own terms like any piece of pop, which can only bode well for its future at the Academy.<\/p>\n