KATSEYE and HUNTR/X 2026 Grammy Noms Could Make History

AD Staff
11 minutes ago
2 min read

Nominations for the 68th Grammy Awards were revealed this week, and music fans everywhere were greeted not only by some familiar names but by what could mark a turning point in how the music industry recognizes women in global pop, particularly those from the Asian American and Asian diaspora.

As ABC News reported, the 2026 Grammy nominations highlight women from K-pop and K-pop-inspired acts in several major categories. The fictional K-pop girl group from Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters HUNTR/X (voiced by EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami) earned nominations for their hit song “Golden.” Meanwhile, the LA-based global girl group KATSEYE, which draws heavily from K-pop influences, landed Best New Artist and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance nominations for their song “Gabriela.”

Both HUNTR/X and KATSEYE have a chance make history in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category, since it marks the first time a girl group has been nominated in the category since the award’s creation in 2012. The nominations are notable for another, even greater, reason. No K-pop artist has ever won a Grammy before. With the undeniable popularity of Kpop Demon Hunters and Kpop in general, it’s a good bet that record will finally be broken next year.

According to Billboard, members of HUNTR/X were overwhelmed when the news broke. “The breaths have been snatched from our bodies,” Audrey Nuna said. “Our hearts are being pulled in so many different directions. But above all, I think we’re just very, very, very grateful to be a part of what feels like a very cultural and historic moment, and something that as kids we would have we craved so bad to see. Being a part of it is just really surreal.”

Songwriter EJAE saw it as the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. “It means so much, because I [was asked] in an interview once, ‘What’s a goal that you have? And mine was to get an award as a songwriter. I don’t see many Asian women or Korean women in this industry, it’s hard to find, songwriter-wise. And so I hope that this can inspire others to keep going, because it felt impossible.”

BLACKPINK Kpop singer Rosé was also nominated for song of the year and record of the year alongside Bruno Mars for their hit song "APT." They're also nominated for best pop duo/group performance.

The 68th Grammy Awards will air on February 1, 2026.