For years, the Grammy Awards have remained a fortress that K-pop could not break through, but that wall finally shows cracks.

With several K-pop acts landing major nominations at the upcoming 68th Grammy Awards, global attention is now focused on whether this could mark a turning point for the genre.

On Friday (local time), the Recording Academy announced its final list of nominees for the ceremony, which will take place in February at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Even before the announcement, Rose’s “APT.” and “Golden,” a song from the soundtrack for the Netflix animated film “KPop Demon Hunters,” were widely expected to be strong contenders. Both songs secured nominations in major categories.

“APT.,” Rose’s collaboration with Bruno Mars, earned nods for song of the year, record of the year and best pop duo or group performance. “Golden,” from the “KPop Demon Hunters” soundtrack, picked up five nominations including song of the year.

It is the first time a K-pop track has been nominated for song of the year or record of the year, categories known as the General Fields. While BTS was listed as part of Coldplay’s “Music of the Spheres” album category in 2023, the group did not win. The industry is now watching to see whether “APT.” or “Golden” can achieve what no K-pop act has before.

Other Korean artists are also in the running. HYBE and Geffen Records’ girl group Katseye was nominated for Best New Artist and Best Pop Duo or Group Performance. The Korean original musical “Maybe Happy Ending,” which won six Tony Awards, received a nomination for Best Musical Theater Album.

The Grammy Awards, launched in 1959, are regarded as one of the four major music awards in the U.S. Unlike the Billboard Music Awards or American Music Awards, the Grammys emphasize musical and artistic value, with winners chosen by Recording Academy voters.

Yet the show has long been criticized for favoring white artists and overlooking women and artists of color. The label “white Grammys” has followed the ceremony for decades.

For K-pop, the barrier was especially high. BTS earned nominations for best pop duo or group performance for three years from 2021 to 2023, and international media predicted strong chances of a win, but the group was repeatedly passed over.

Apart from BTS, no K-pop act had ever been nominated, and among the four major U.S. music awards, the Grammys remained the only one without a K-pop winner.

The presence of multiple K-pop-linked songs in major categories this year is already a breakthrough. The growing expectation that they could win makes the moment even more significant. A Grammy win could serve as a new milestone for K-pop’s global expansion.

The environment may be more favorable than before. At the last ceremony, Beyonce became the first Black artist to win album of the year, while Kendrick Lamar won five categories, including record of the year and song of the year. As the Grammys show signs of moving away from their historical bias, hopes are rising that K-pop will no longer be overlooked.

Some observers note that this year’s nominees — Rose, the “KPop Demon Hunters” soundtrack and Katseye — are all English-language pop acts with strong American market alignment. In that sense, it may be premature to say K-pop has fully reached equal footing in its original form.

Even so, these nominations mark a meaningful footprint for the industry. The once-impenetrable Grammy wall has begun to crack. How far that crack will spread — and whether it will finally open the door to a historic win — is now the question drawing global eyes. (The Korea Times)