[Article trans] From BTS to K-pop Demon Hunters' "Golden"... K-pop Expands Its Presence at the Grammy Awards

 Original article: Naver

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The "Grammy Highway" That Began with BTS

"Optimism Grows for BTS's Fifth Album Arirang to Win a Grammy If It Delivere Strong Artistic Results"

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K-pop's challenge at the Grammy Awards is reaching a turning point around this year. 

According to the K-pop industry on the 10th, from 2021 to 2023, the global supergroup BTS consistently proved that K-pop is a genre worthy of discussion at the Grammy through repeated nominations and stage appearances. 

Building on that accumulated momentum, this year has marked a new phase, with various K-pop artists and works demonstrating story visibility across nomination, performances, and awards, creating a fresh pattern of success. 

At the 68th Grammy Awards, held in the 1st (local time), "Golden," the original soundtrack from Netflix's K-pop animated film "K-pop Demon Hunters," won Best Song Written for Visual Media. This marked the first time a K-pop related work won a Grammy Award. 

In addition, K-pop artists such as Rosé of Blackpink and HYBE's global girl group Katseye were nominated in major General Field categories, including Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best New Artist. They also performed at the ceremony, creating symbolic moments throughout this year's awards show. 

While this achievement follows earlier precedents, such as Grammy wins by soprano Sumi Jo and sound engineer Hwang Byung-jun in the classical field, it holds special significance in that it was recognized within the industrial and cultural context of popular music, particularly K-pop. It reflects the increasingly diverse ways in which Korean music content is being accepted in the global mainstream music market. 

Notably, this year's Grammy results for K-pop—including the win by "Golden"—can be explained as part of a pathway formed after BTS. The accumulation of experience through repeated nominations and stage exposure, eventually leading to awards, signals that K-pop is becoming a " continuously discussed field" at the Grammys rather than a "one-time event." Critics describe this as the so-called "Grammy Highway" pioneered by BTS beginning to function in practice. 

Lee Gyu-tak, professor at George Mason University Korea and director of the Global K-pop Center, commented, "After BTS consistently received Grammy nominations, the barriers for other K-pop artists and works were clearly lowered. BTS carried out the difficult task of paving the road for K-pop, and now today's artists are able to run on that paved road." Gd added that this led to "Golden" winning an award, Katseye being nominated for Best New Artist, and Rosé and Bruno Mara's "Apt." being nominated for Song of the Year in the General Field. 

This trend also aligns with the Grammys' evolving direction. In recent years, the awards have expanded their focus on non-Western music, including global pop, Latin pop, and Afrobeats, reflecting changes in the global market and popular influence more actively than before. At this year's ceremony, Latin pop superstar Bad Bunny won Album of the Year with a Spanish-language album, demonstrating the growing potential of non-English music. 

Music critic Lim Jin-mo stated, "Bad Bunny knocked on the Grammys' door for seven to eight years before winning Album of the Year, and the artistry and influence of the Latin music scene, including artists like Rosalia, are gradually being recognized. The Grammys remain conservative, but they are slowly opening up to non-English music that demonstrates strong artistic merit. K-pop also has ample potential if it is supported by artistic completeness and meaningful messages."

As K-pop continues to expand its presence in major Grammy categories, attention is also turning to BTS's upcoming full-group comeback. On March 20, BTS will release their fifth full-length album, Arirang. This marks their first complete-group activity in approximately three years and nine months since all members completed their mandatory military service. The album will be eligible for consideration at the Grammy Awards in early 2027.

Lim Jin-mo added, "There is no doubt that BTS opened the path for K-pop's challenges at the Grammys. With Arirang, an album that clearly affirms Korea as their roots, they are expected to successfully complete the largest global tour ever launched by a K-pop act from Korea this year. If ARIRANG proves to be an artistically enriched work, we can once again be optimistic about its chances of winning."