BLACKPINK member Rosé made history with her multiple nominations for the upcoming 68th Annual GRAMMY Awards (for the 2026 ceremony), but the announcement immediately triggered a heated debate online regarding who was truly the “first Korean soloist” to achieve the honor.
Rosé secured three major nominations, including two in the coveted General Field (or “Big Four” categories) for her collaboration track “APT” with Bruno Mars:
- Record of the Year
- Song of the Year
- Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
This achievement makes her the first Korean artist to be nominated for one of the “Big Four” as a lead artist, and the first Korean solo act to earn multiple nominations in a single year.
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The Core of the Debate: Rosé vs. Jo Sumi
The central point of contention lies in the definition of “soloist” and the specific GRAMMY category:
- The Claim for Rosé (The K-Pop Soloist Record): Viral accounts initially celebrated Rosé as the “first Korean soloist to earn a #GRAMMYs nomination.” This record is technically correct when specified as the first K-Pop soloist and the first Korean solo act nominated in a Major Field category.
- The Counter-Claim for Jo Sumi (The Korean Solo Singer Record): Many users immediately corrected the viral posts, pointing out that internationally renowned coloratura soprano Jo Sumi (조수미) was the first Korean solo singer to be nominated and win a GRAMMY, which she received in 1993. Her win was for Best Opera Recording for her performance in Richard Strauss: Die Frau ohne Schatten, conducted by Sir Georg Solti.
- The Clarification: Supporters of Rosé’s record clarified that while Jo Sumi did win in 1993, she was nominated and awarded as part of an ensemble or cast for the opera recording, which falls under the Classical Field. Rosé, by contrast, is the first to be nominated as a solo-credited artist in the General and Pop music categories, which are the awards most associated with the contemporary K-Pop industry.
Ultimately, the consensus among industry commentators is that while Jo Sumi was the first Korean person to win a GRAMMY, and in a non-popular category, Rosé’s nomination represents a distinct and historic first for the K-Pop genre and for a Korean solo artist in the Major Pop/General Categories.
Also Read: BLACKPINK’s Rosé Honored with Presidential Citation: A Historic Milestone in Global K-Pop
The BTS Context and Media Play Accusations
The debate also reignited an older controversy surrounding the labeling of BTS’s initial historic nominations (beginning in 2021 for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance).
Netizens accused BTS’s agency (HYBE) and fan accounts of historically using the broad term “first Korean artist” nominated for a GRAMMY, when the more accurate and historical term would have been the “first K-Pop act” or the first act nominated in a Pop category.
This distinction, which often overlooked the prior achievements of classical artists like Jo Sumi and sound engineers like Hwang Byung-jun (who won in technical categories), led to accusations of “media play” intended to maximize the historical significance of the boy group’s nominations.
The discourse surrounding Rosé’s nomination has served to highlight the need for clear and specific historical terminology when discussing Korean achievements across the classical, popular, and technical fields at major international awards ceremonies.
