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“Golden,” the popular song from the movie *K-Pop Demon Hunters*, has achieved a historic milestone, becoming the first K-Pop track to win a Grammy Award.
Performed by the fictional band Huntr/x, the song secured the award for Best Song for Visual Media at the awards ceremony in Los Angeles. It is also in contention for the prestigious Song of the Year award.
Other early winners include rapper Doechii, whose single “Anxiety” earned Best Video honors. The visuals depict the artist trapped in a nightmarish scenario filled with kitchen fires, menacing dobermans, and relentless guests, symbolizing a cycle of anxiety.
In the film categories, the Southern horror film *Sinners* dominated, winning Best Soundtrack and Best Score, coinciding with its record 16 nominations at the Oscars this week.
Released in June, *K-Pop Demon Hunters* quickly became Netflix’s most-watched movie of all time, amassing over 480 million views.
The film’s dynamic soundtrack, known for its catchy melodies, became the first to top the Billboard charts since 2022, recalling the craze sparked by Disney’s *Encanto*.
Its success at the Grammys signals an increasing acknowledgement of K-Pop’s substantial cultural and commercial influence.
Blackpink’s Rosé is also nominated for three awards at Sunday’s ceremony for her song “APT,” including Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
In August, the Recording Academy announced the addition of several artists, producers, and songwriters with significant contributions to K-Pop to the organization’s voting body, including Woozi of Seventeen, Jungwon of Enhypen, and Huh Yunjin of Le Sserafim.
The premiere ceremony is being held across the street from the main Grammy Awards at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theatre.
Eighty-six of the night’s 95 awards are being presented, covering the majority of genre categories, including Best Country, Best Rap, and Best R&B.
The first award of the night was presented to Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for their *Wicked* duet, “Defying Gravity.”
Neither artist was present to accept the award. This marks Grande’s third Grammy Award and Erivo’s second.
British star Yungblud won Best Rock Performance for his live rendition of Black Sabbath’s “Changes,” recorded during Ozzy Osbourne’s farewell concert in Birmingham last year.
Ozzy Osbourne’s wife, Sharon, was visibly moved as the singer accepted the award.
“The last time I saw Ozzy Osbourne, he asked if there was anything he could do for me,” said Yungblud.
“I answered, the music was enough, and I can safely say, on behalf of all of us, that still stands now and it will do forever.
“You’ll be with me every time I’m nervous and on stage at every show.”
Rock icons The Cure also celebrated their first ever Grammy wins, taking home Best Alternative Album for *Songs of a Lost World* and Best Alternative Recording for the record’s lead single, “Alone.”
The band could not attend the ceremony in person due to the funeral of keyboard player Perry Bamonte, who passed away on Christmas Eve.
Additionally, FKA Twigs won Best Dance/Electronic Album for her innovative concept album, *Eusexua*.
“I didn’t expect to come up here,” said the British singer-songwriter. “I was just so happy to be nominated.”
“I know that to a lot of people, I may be new, but I’ve actually been doing this a really long time,” said the singer, who released her debut EP in 2012.
“So to any artist, don’t give up. Follow your vision. Because that’s what’s going to make the world fall in love with your art.”
R&B singer Kehlani was the first to address political issues, as she accepted the award for Best R&B Performance for her viral hit, “Folded.”
Directing an expletive towards Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, she stated: “I hope everybody’s inspired to join together as a community of artists and speak out against what’s going on.”
Later, she dedicated her Best R&B Song award, also for “Folded,” to her aunt, who adopted her as a child when her mother was incarcerated due to drug addiction.
“My mother adopted me. You didn’t have to. You didn’t have to give up your life for me. You could have done whatever you wanted in your 20s, but instead, you chose to take care of me and to put me in all the programmes… that would feed who I am today.
“Mommy, I owe you everything.”
The event is being streamed live on YouTube and featured a beautiful orchestral performance from Swedish star Zara Larsson, whose single “Midnight Sun” is nominated for Best Dance/Pop Recording.
However, Lady Gaga won that award for “Abracadabra,” suggesting that she stands a good chance of winning Song and Record of the Year later.
The main ceremony begins at 5:30 PM Los Angeles time / 01:30 AM on Monday in the UK.
An updating guide to the main prizes at Sunday’s 68th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.
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