“Golden,” the record-breaking hit from the film KPop Demon Hunters, has made history as the first K-Pop song to win a Grammy Award. Performed by the fictional band Huntr/x, the track won Best Song for Visual Media at the Los Angeles ceremony and is also nominated for Song of the Year.

Other early winners included British acts Yungblud, The Cure, and FKA Twigs, while the Dalai Lama received Best Audiobook, and eight-year-old Aura V became the youngest Grammy recipient ever for Best Children’s Album.

Kendrick Lamar also took home three awards before the main ceremony, including Best Rap Song for “TV Off,” continuing his streak of Grammy wins. Last year, he dominated with five awards, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year for his sharp diss track “Not Like Us,” aimed at fellow rap superstar Drake.

Released last June, KPop Demon Hunters became Netflix’s most-watched movie ever, amassing over 480 million streams. Its high-energy, catchy soundtrack topped the Billboard charts, marking the first time a movie soundtrack reached this level of success since Disney’s Encanto in 2022. The movie’s impact also highlights K-Pop’s growing global cultural and commercial influence.

For fashion enthusiasts, the film stands out for its bold incorporation of modernized hanbok designs. Huntr/x’s stage costumes mix traditional Korean silhouettes and fabrics with contemporary streetwear elements, offering a fresh, edgy take on classic hanbok aesthetics. Fans and designers alike have praised the way the movie blends heritage with modern style, turning K-Pop performance outfits into a global fashion statement.

Blackpink’s Rosé was also nominated for three awards for her song “APT,” including Song of the Year and Record of the Year, but left the ceremony without a win, despite opening the show with a vibrant performance alongside Bruno Mars.

The Recording Academy has actively included K-Pop artists, producers, and songwriters in its voting body, such as Seventeen’s Woozi, Enhypen’s Jungwon, and Le Sserafim’s Huh Yunjin, reflecting the genre’s increasing recognition and influence worldwide.