K-Pop Makes History at the Grammys, But Is It Truly a Win for Korea?

Kim Ji-won's Shooting Star
Kim Ji-won, a reporter from Ten Asia's music team, brings you the vibrant and refreshing world of K-pop like a shooting star.

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The K-pop-centric content, 'K-Pop Demon Hunters,' has won an award at the Grammys. While it's symbolic as the first Grammy win for K-pop, there's a sense of disappointment since 'K-Pop Demon Hunters' is not a product of Korean capital, and the award is not one of the main categories.

On the morning of the 2nd (Korean time), at the '68th Grammy Awards' held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, the OST 'Golden' from the Netflix animated film 'K-Pop Demon Hunters' (hereafter 'KDH') won the 'Best Song Written for Visual Media' category. This achievement brought Grammy glory to The Black Label producers, including EJAE, Teddy, 24, and Idio (Lee Yoo-han, Kwak Joong-kyu, Nam Hee-dong), who participated in the creation of 'Golden.'

This marks the first time a K-pop genre song has been recognized at the Grammys. It's particularly symbolic that Teddy, a prolific producer in the Korean K-pop scene known for numerous hit songs, was involved. This can be seen as a result of the combination of K-pop's quality, popularity, and industrial know-how.

While it's a meaningful achievement that K-pop has crossed the previously high Grammy threshold, opinions are divided on whether it can be considered a success for K-pop. The production company for 'KDH' is the American company Sony Pictures, and the content was distributed by Netflix. The singers of 'Golden,' EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, are Korean-Americans. Although they share Korean heritage, all three have primarily based their careers in the United States. While K-pop-centric content was recognized at the Grammys, it was underpinned by a U.S.-centric production system.

This is clearly reflected in the other Grammy winners this year. Rosé, who has been at the forefront of the global stage as a K-pop artist, was nominated for three major categories, including 'Song of the Year,' 'Record of the Year,' and 'Best Pop Duo/Group Performance' with 'APT.' She opened the Grammy ceremony with a performance but did not win any awards. Similarly, the global girl group Cat's Eye, a collaboration between HYBE and Geffen Records, was only nominated for Best New Artist. This highlights the ongoing challenges K-pop artists face in translating their achievements into Grammy wins.

The fact that K-pop's language and production methods have resonated on the global stage is a clear advancement. However, it's also true that these achievements were realized within a U.S.-centric production and distribution structure. This is why some view it as a partial victory.

Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia Reporter one@tenasia.co.kr