Rosé and KATSEYE Snubbed At This Year’s Grammys, But It’s No Surprise

The 68th Grammy Awards featured K-pop groups and K-pop-adjacent releases across major categories, though none ultimately took home trophies. In the ceremony, Rosé and Bruno Mars’ collaboration “APT” fell short against Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “Luther” in the Record of the Year category.  

Meanwhile, one of the night’s most discussed moments came when HYBE’s global girl group KATSEYE lost Best New Artist to British soul singer Olivia Dean. 

However, it was “Golden,” performed by the fictional K-pop group, Huntrix of the animated film K-pop Demon Hunters (Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami), that was able to bag the golden gramophone from the Best Song Written for Visual Media award. The win makes it the only K-pop release to take home a Grammy.

This wasn’t the first time a K-pop act lost at the Grammys. BTS was nominated in Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for their singles “Dynamite” in 2021 and “Butter” in 2022, but was not able to win the prize for either.

Online reaction from K-pop fans ranged from disappointment to resignation, with many noting how competitive this year’s Grammy Awards categories were across genres. While fan communities continue to mobilize around nominations, the Grammy voting remains centered on industry peer review rather than public momentum. 

K-pop’s success often registers through cultural reach, creating a natural disconnect with awards systems. The culture operates differently from those quirks. Traditionally, the genre emphasizes group performance, choreography, visual world-building, and sustained fan engagement on a global scale.

Elijah Pareño

Music Writer

Elijah Pareño is the Music Writer of Rolling Stone Philippines. He writes daily music news, features, reviews, and radar stories of the website.

In addition to music writing, Pareño has written about the behind-the-scenes writers and producers from the P-pop scene, interviewed hip-hop artists like Shanti Dope and Zae, and featured up-and-coming artists for the Music Forecast 2026. Aside from music, Pareño has written about the state of affairs that affects pop culture. He wrote a movie review for 'Mortal Kombat II' and reported and interviewed photojournalists at the September 21, 2025 protests in Luneta and Mendiola.

Prior to working in Rolling Stone Philippines, Pareño was a freelance writer for 3 years and independent live music promoter

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• In This Article:
• Grammys 2026
• Kpop