The First Grammy for K-pop: The Meaning of "Golden," the OST from "KPop Demon Hunters"

[Financial News] After "Golden," the original soundtrack (OST) for the K-pop-based animated film "KPop Demon Hunters," won at the world’s most prestigious music awards, the Grammy Awards, major U.S. outlets gave the news prominent coverage.
On the 1st (local time) in Los Angeles (LA), Golden was named the winner in the Best Song Written for Visual Media category during the pre-telecast of the 68th Grammy Awards. This category honors the songwriters of music created for visual media.
The credited winners included EJAE, Teddy Park, 24, and Idio (Lee Yu-han, Kwak Joong-gyu, and Nam Hee-dong), who all took part in creating Golden. It is the first time that K-pop songwriters or music producers have won at the Grammy Awards.
The Associated Press (AP) reported right after the win, "Golden from KPop Demon Hunters set a record as the first Grammy win for a K-pop artist in the Best Song Written for Visual Media category," adding, "The winning songwriters delivered their acceptance remarks in both English and Korean, highlighting the track’s bilingual appeal."

The New York Times (NYT) also quickly reported the news, writing that "the hit song from KPop Demon Hunters won Best Song Written for Visual Media, quenching a long-standing thirst for K-pop, a global genre with formidable influence." NYT further noted, "KPop Demon Hunters is the most powerful piece of global cultural content of 2025 and the most-watched title in Netflix history," and added, "It has now set a new milestone as the first Grammy-winning work in K-pop history."
NYT pointed out that "Golden still has a chance to win Song of the Year, one of the major Grammy categories," and stressed, "If it wins, it would mark the first time a K-pop track captures one of the ceremony’s top honors." Winners for Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and Record of the Year will be announced later at the main telecast.
NYT added, "In the past, K-pop’s presence at the Grammy Awards has been limited," noting that "BTS (Bangtan Boys) have been nominated five times so far but have yet to take home a trophy."
Hollywood trade outlet Variety also reported that "Golden from KPop Demon Hunters has become the first K-pop song ever to win a Grammy." Citing the chorus lyric "It’s our moment," Variety wrote that the work is now experiencing its own peak moment. The outlet underscored that this is the first Grammy win ever for a K-pop song and revisited BTS’s previous bids. Variety went on to note that Golden is also considered a strong contender for the Academy Award for Best Original Song at next month’s Academy Awards (the Oscars).

At this year’s Grammy Awards, KPop Demon Hunters earned nominations in five categories in total, including Song of the Year for its flagship track Golden. However, in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category—where Golden competed against Rosé’s "APT." and Katseye’s "Gabriela"—the award went to Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande for their performance of "Defying Gravity" from the film adaptation of Wicked.
Rosé’s APT. is also nominated in two of the General Field categories: Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
#GrammyAwards #Kpop #KPopDemonHunters #Golden #Rosé #APT
km@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-min Reporter