K-pop makes small inroad at the Grammy's; Bruno, Laufey and Paguia represent

It’s official: When it comes to the Grammys, the Recording Academy is still playing the same tired game of "look, but don't touch" with K-pop.

Despite Rosé and Bruno Mars practically blowing the roof off the building with their opening performance of "APT" at the Grammy awards Sunday, the night ended in a way that felt all too familiar to anyone who’s been paying attention.

Katseye's performance of their hit "Gnarly" nominated Best New Artist and Best Performance by a duo/group, reinforced the high energy and entertainment value of K-pop.

If you’re feeling a sense of déjà vu, you’re not alone. This year’s shutout of Rosé in the major categories—losing Record of the Year and Song of the Year—mirrors the frustrating history of BTS at the Grammys. For years, the Academy used BTS for ratings, inviting them to perform "Dynamite" and "Butter," yet repeatedly denied them a win in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category.

A trophy for K-pop

There was one win, however: the Grammys finally "gave" K-pop a trophy this year, but even that felt like a backhanded compliment. The win for "Golden" from the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack happened in the Visual Media category during the pre-show, away from the main stage.

The team for "Golden" meant Grammys for EJAE (Kim Eun-jae), the Korean-American singer, songwriter, and producer, also known as the voice of character Rumi and her co-singers Korean Americans Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami; producers Teddy Park and Park Hong Jun and Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam and Jeong Hoon Seo, songwriters and producers.

Laufey
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There were other winners

Asians were not completely shut out at the Grammy's.

Everyone's favorite Asian Icelander, Laufey, won a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

“I owe everything to my music education, to my arts education … we cannot cut arts funding, it’s so important. What you all do here is so important. I love you all so much,” she told the crowd.

The trophy balances out the Grammy she won last year.

Additionally, Marco Paguia, the Filipino American music director/pianist and the original cast of the Buena Vista Social Club. won Best Musical Theater Album for their work on the Broadway musical.

Paguia's Grammy win, follows the Tony Awards’ Best Orchestrations and a special Tony  that he earned last June for his work on the Buena Vista Social Club.

Let's not forget that Bruno Mars energy. Besides singing with Rosé at the show's opening, he had everyone dancing to his new song "I Just Might," which he debuted last night. It's almost a given: he'll be among the nominees next year.

SCREEN CAPTURE

The 6-member K-pop group Katseye performed at the Grammys Sunday night.

View from the edge

For K-pop, the pattern is clear: the Academy loves the global viewership and the high-octane energy K-pop brings to the telecast, but they still refuse to grant these artists the "prestige" of a General Field win. 

Rosé was good enough to open the show, but apparently, her historic impact wasn't "enough" to take home the hardware.

The Grammy's problem is that it tries to be all things to all genres, and when a new genre comes along like K-pop, it doesn't know how to categorize it. "APT" and "Gnarly" tried to bridge the gap with English lyrics, but, apparently, to no avail. However, "Golden" was able to break through which perhaps signals an opening.

Years ago, the recording industry was criticized for not recognizing country music and hip-hop so it had to make new categories to give those genre's their deserved recognition. The academy had the same problem with Latin music and gospel. The solution was the same.

Does the Academy need a complete overhaul of its voting block to finally recognize K-pop as global pop, or are these "performance-only" invites just the new normal?

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

Grammy nominees Rosé, Katseye and Demon Hunters are breaking barriers

Bruno Mars and Rosé are nominated for Grammys

The 2026 Grammy nominations are out, and it's a game changer for K-pop. We're talking history in the making, folks. This isn't just about a nomination here or there in some niche category; this is about breaking into the mainstream, the real deal.

The music powers-that-be, the Recording Academy itself, finally seem to be waking up. For years, we saw BTS get nods, which was great, but it always felt a little... contained. Like they were testing the waters.

Now? They've opened the floodgates.

The biggest story has to be Rosé of the K-pop female group Blackpink. Her collab with Filipino American Bruno Mars, "APT.", is everywhere, and for good reason. It's a fantastic track. It's earned nominations for:

• Record of the Year
• Song of the Year
• Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

Think about that for a second. General field categories! This is the first time a K-pop idol has had a song nominated for the biggest awards of the night. That's a huge moment, a real cultural shift.

Ethnically, Rosé is Korean, but she was born in Australia and has dual citizenship in Korea and New Zealand where she calls home.

But it doesn't stop there. There's this song "Golden" from the K-pop Demon Hunters soundtrack—yes, you read that right, a soundtrack—performed by this fictional animated group HUNTR/X. 

The real-live singers providing the voices of the animated characters are Korean Americans EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami.  EJAE brings Rumi’s vocals to life, the genre-blending artist Audrey Nuna sings as Mira, and alt-pop rapper Rei Ami performs as Zoey.

FYI: The 68th Annual Grammy Awards nominations were announced on Nov.7, 2025, and the awards ceremony will take place on Feb.1, 2026. It can be viewed on CBS or stream it live and on demand through Paramount+.

They also landed nominations for Song of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, plus Best Song Written for Visual Media. This is the first girl group Song of the Year nod in nearly two decades! Unbelievable.

And then we have KATSEYE, the new global group from HYBE. They're up for Best New Artist and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for their single "Gabriela." This is a group formed through a reality show, showing the global reach of the K-pop system.

Leader Sophia was born in the Philippines; main dancer Daniela is American with Venezuelan and Cuban roots; all-rounder Megan is from Hawaii with a Singaporean Chinese mother; the charismatic Manon is Swiss Ghanaian; vocalist Lara is Indian American; Yoonchae (the youngest of the group at 17) is Korean.

What does all this mean? It means the Grammys are finally judging K-pop on its artistic merit, not just as a side attraction for the fans. It's no longer just a "phenomenon"; it's legitimate music being recognized at the highest level.

The K-pop group Katseye are up for Best New Artist Grammy.

Besides the multi-Grammy winner Bruno Mars, who teams up with Rosé in their hit single, other Asian artists are:

• Carolyn Kuan: The conductor of the American Composers Orchestra is nominated for Best Opera Recording for the work "Huang Ruo: An American Soldier."

• Huang Ruo: The composer of "An American Soldier" is also recognized in the Best Opera Recording category.

• Hue Park, a South Korean musical lyricist, for the Broadway musical Maybe Happy Ending in the Best Musical Theater Album category.
• Charu Suri, an Indian American jazz pianist, for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.
• Dijon, a Guamanian American producer/artist who is nominated for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical, as well as for his contributions to Justin Bieber's album in the Album of the Year category. 

Perhaps it was no coincidence that graphic artist Masaki Koike helped announce the nominations. The Grammy awards this year are historic in another way. It is the first time the Grammy spotlight is shining on K-pop girl groups. Previously, only the male gorup, BTS, has received Grammy recognition and honors.

The Grammy nominations is a victory not just for the artists, but for the entire genre and its global fanbase. 

Zooming up to the 25,000 feet level, it means Americans and the rest of the world are seeing Asian and Asian American artists influencing the lives of the global village in ways we couldn't predict just a few years ago. Perhaps it means a door is creaking open towards acceptance, appreciation and acknowledgement -- not just for entertainers, but for all of Asians, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders at all sectors of society.

It's about time. The world is watching, and K-pop is taking center stage. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

H.E.R., Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak surprise at the Grammy Awards

H.E.R. won two Grammy Awards Sunday night.

H.E.R., Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak represented the AAPI communities at the Grammy Awards Sunday night.

The Filipino American singer and songwriter H.E.R., aka Gabriella Wilson, took home two Grammy's for:

• Song of the year: "I Can't Breathe," which was written in response to the death of George Floyd. She accepted the award with her co-writer Tiara Thomas.

• R&B Song of year: "Better Than I Imagined" which she recorded with Robert Glasper, Meshell Ndegeocello & Gabriella Wilson, songwriters (Robert Glasper feat. H.E.R. & Meshell Ndegeocello).

Wilson used the moment at the podium to advocate for social justice by referring to the Floyd's death that sparked a summer of protests.

"I didn't imagine that my fear and my pain would turn into impact and possibly turn into change."

"That's what this is about. That's why I write music, that's why I do this," she continued. "I thank God for the gift of a voice... and using me as a vessel to create change."

"We are the change we wish to see and that fight that we had in us in summer 2020, keep that same energy." 

Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars previewed their new collaboration at the Grammy Awards.

Filipino American Mars and Korean American Paak were a surprise performance. They were not on the original lineup but they lobbied to be included and they didn't disappoint in their ode to the 1970s R&B. The duo debuted their new collaboration, "Leave The Door Open" for their upcoming album "An Evening With Silk Sonic"

The duo returned later during the Memoriam segment as they paid tribute to the legendary Little Richard. Mars sang the lrock'n roll icon's hits "Good Golly Miss Molly" and "Long Tall Sally." Paak performed drums for the number.

What's the Grammy's without BTS? Towards the end of awards show, the wildly popular Korean k-pop group performed their hit "Dynamite" and the Army went wild.