The 2026 Grammy Awards nominations were announced on Friday ahead of the award ceremony on February 1, 2026. This year’s list marks a historic moment for K-pop and Korean artists at the Grammys.
For the first time, multiple K-pop acts — KATSEYE, BLACKPINK’s Rosé, and HUNTR/X — earned nominations in major categories like Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist. Until now, BTS had been the only K-pop group ever nominated for a Grammy.
Kendrick Lamar tops the nominations with nine, followed by Lady Gaga with seven, and Bad Bunny and Sabrina Carpenter with six each. However, some of the biggest headlines are coming from the K-pop world. Here’s a complete look at the 2026 Grammy nominees from the K-pop world.
Grammy Awards 2026 K-pop Nominees
Several K-pop acts, including BLACKPINK, Rosé, Jennie, Lisa, Jisoo, TWICE, Jin, j-hope, Stray Kids, and more, submitted their recent works for Grammy consideration. However, only three acts landed the coveted nominations, including Rosé from BLACKPINK, global group KATSEYE, and fictional group HUNTR/X from the movie KPop Demon Hunters.
New categories debuting this year include Best Album Cover and Best Traditional Country Album, which brought the total to 95 Grammy categories.
Best New Artist
- Olivia Dean
- KATSEYE
- The Marias
- Addison Rae
- sombr
- Leon Thomas
- Alex Warren
- Lola Young
Best Pop/Duo Group Performance
- Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande (“Defying Gravity”)
- HUNTR/X (EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI) (“Golden”)
- KATSEYE (“Gabriela”)
- ROSÉ, Bruno Mars (“APT.”)
- SZA & Kendrick Lamar (“30 For 30”)
Record of the Year
- Abracadabra – Lady Gaga
- Anxiety – Doechii
- APT. – ROSÉ, Bruno Mars
- DtMF – Bad Bunny
- Manchild – Sabrina Carpenter
- WILDFLOWER – Billie Eilish
- luther – Kendrick Lamar & SZA
- The Subway – Chappell Roan
Song of the Year
- Golden – HUNTR/X (EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI)
- APT. – ROSÉ, Bruno Mars
- Abracadabra – Lady Gaga
- Anxiety – Doechii
- DtMF – Bad Bunny
- luther – Kendrick Lamar & SZA
- Manchild – Sabrina Carpenter
- WILDFLOWER – Billie Eilish
Best Song Written For Visual Media
- As Alive As You Need Me To Be (“TRON: Ares”)
- Golden (“KPop Demon Hunters”)
- I Lied to You (“Sinners”)
- Never Too Late (“Elton John: Never Too Late”)
- Pale, Pale Moon (Sinners”)
- Sinners (“Sinners”)
Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media
- KPop Demon Hunters
- Wicked
- Sinners
- A Complete Unknown – Timothée Chalamet
- F1® The Album
KATSEYE became the first global girl group formed through a reality show (The Debut: Dream Academy) to earn a Grammy nomination. It is remarkable how KATSEYE has become global sensation in over a year after their debut. Following their recent win at VMAs, they have already become 2x Grammy-nominated artists. The 6-member girl group is also set to perform at Coachella next year.
Rosé is now the first solo K-pop artist ever nominated for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year, two of the Grammys’ most prestigious categories. Chances are, she will bag the coveted Grammy trophy in February for at least one of the categories. She made history in September by winning Song of the Year (SOTY) at VMAs, the first for a K-pop act.
HUNTR/X (EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and REI AMI) became the first animated act and the first K-pop-related group to score a nomination in the top categories. The “Golden” is firmly sitting on top of the Billboard HOT 100 chart for weeks now, despite being released in June.
Why This Year Matters for K-pop
For years, K-pop fans have been frustrated by the Grammys’ lack of recognition despite the genre’s global popularity. Acts like BTS, BLACKPINK, and SEVENTEEN have set streaming and touring records, yet were often overlooked in the major fields.
This year feels different. KATSEYE, Rosé, and HUNTR/X’s nominations in Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist are seen as a major shift. It is a sign that the Recording Academy is finally acknowledging the global influence of K-pop.
The Recording Academy has added 3,800 new voting members this year — with nearly half under 40, 58% people of color, and 35% women — as part of its push to diversify and modernize the voting base.
The eligibility period for the 2026 Grammys covered music released between August 31, 2024, and August 30, 2025.
The 68th Annual Grammy Awards will take place on February 1, 2026, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, broadcast live on CBS and Paramount+.
