Rosé Set to Perform at 68th Grammy Awards as K-pop Makes Historic Nominations Push
BLACKPINK's Rosé will take the Grammy stage on February 1, 2026, becoming the first K-pop solo artist to perform at the prestigious awards ceremony. The announcement from the Recording Academy on Thursday marks another milestone in K-pop's growing presence at American music's biggest night.
Historic Nominations for "APT."
Rosé earned three Grammy nominations for her collaboration "APT." with Bruno Mars, including two of the ceremony's most coveted "Big Four" categories-Record of the Year and Song of the Year. She's also nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. This makes her the first K-pop artist to receive nominations in the Big Four categories as a lead artist.
The collaboration has dominated global charts since its October 2024 release, spending 12 weeks atop the Billboard Global 200 and becoming the number-one song on the 2025 year-end chart. "APT." reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, making Rosé the first K-pop female act to enter the top ten.
K-pop's Grammy Performance History
BTS previously performed at the Grammy Awards in 2020, 2021, and 2022, making them the only K-pop group to grace the Grammy stage before Rosé's upcoming performance. In 2020, BTS joined Lil Nas X for a performance of "Old Town Road." They performed their own music for the first time in 2021 with "Dynamite" (filmed remotely in Seoul due to COVID-19), and returned in 2022 with a live performance of "Butter."
Rosé's solo performance represents a significant step forward for K-pop representation at the Grammys, as she'll be the first solo artist from the genre to perform.
KATSEYE Joins the Lineup
The Recording Academy also announced that KATSEYE, the global girl group co-produced by HYBE and Geffen Records, will perform at the ceremony. The six-member group earned two Grammy nominations-Best New Artist and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for their single "Gabriela."
KATSEYE was formed through the 2023 reality series "Dream Academy" and debuted in 2024. Their viral single "Gnarly" helped establish them as one of the year's breakout acts, with both "Gnarly" and "Gabriela" charting on the Billboard Hot 100.
"KPop Demon Hunters" Adds to K-pop's Grammy Presence
The soundtrack to Netflix's animated hit "KPop Demon Hunters" received five Grammy nominations, with the song "Golden" nominated for Song of the Year, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, Best Song Written for Visual Media, Best Remixed Recording (David Guetta remix), and Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media.
"Golden," performed by the fictional group HUNTR/X (voiced by EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami), spent eight weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped charts in over 30 countries. The song also won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song and received an Oscar nomination.
EJAE made history as the first Korean-American female songwriter to be nominated for Grammy Song of the Year.
A Watershed Moment for K-pop
The 68th Grammy Awards represent an unprecedented moment for K-pop's recognition in the American music industry. With Rosé and KATSEYE performing, and multiple K-pop-related nominations across major categories, the ceremony signals growing acceptance of Korean music in the global mainstream.
Rosé's "APT." and "Golden" from "KPop Demon Hunters" are the first songs by K-pop artists to be nominated for Song of the Year in Grammy history. Whether Bruno Mars will join Rosé for the "APT." performance remains unknown.
The Grammy Awards will air live on Sunday, February 1, 2026, from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on CBS and Paramount+.
