To many people’s dismay, KPop Demon Hunters was nominated for five different Grammys and managed to win Best Song Written for Visual Media with “Golden.”
Social media has been obsessed with animated singers for years, but this movie was a phenomenon nobody saw coming and stayed on the top 100 most popular songs for months, so it wasn’t much of a surprise when it got nominated. I will agree with the critiques in that I’m happy it didn’t win Song of the Year, or Album of the Year, as there were better options. But with how often “Golden” is played, I thought it was obvious it was going to win at least one category.
The competition in Best Song Written for Visual Media was strong and also deserved to be recognized; they just didn’t have the same impact as KPDH. I’m sure you could go up to anybody and ask them if they’ve heard a song from KPDH without seeing the movie, and nine out of 10 people would say they have. Lots of newer movies wouldn’t have such luck.
I think KPop Demon Hunters did deserve to win the Grammy they did but not with “Golden.” While it is easily the most popular song from the movie, it’s definitely not the best, and the other songs from the movie should be pushed more like it.
“Golden” is a decent song. However, it just sounds like a basic K-Pop song. Now, I’ll be the first to admit I don’t know a lot about K-Pop, but I have seen videos comparing it to IVE’s 2023 song “I AM,” and the chorus has almost the exact same melody as “Golden.”
To me, “This is What it Sounds Like” is the best song from the movie and deserves more recognition. It’s unique, has a more important meaning, and honestly, it just has better lyrics. I feel like less people would be upset if this song was the winner.
So, yes, KPop Demon Hunters was good enough to win a Grammy. Just not with the song that won it.
