Korean Songwriters Make Grammy History ‘Golden’ Wins at 68th Grammy Awards

Korean producers and songwriters 24 (Seo Jung-hoon) and the producer team IDO have made history at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, becoming the first Korean nationals in K-pop to win a Grammy for songwriting. The milestone was achieved through their work on ‘Golden,’ an original song from Netflix’s animated series K-pop Demon Hunters.

A Historic First for Korean Songwriters

The win was announced during the Grammy Premiere Ceremony held on February 1 local time (February 2 KST) at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. ‘Golden’ received the award for Best Song Written for Visual Media, a category that honors outstanding original songs composed for films, television series, and animated works.

With this win, IDO comprising Yuhan (Lee Yu-han), Zhun (Kwak Jung-gyu), and NHD (Nam Hee-dong) officially became Grammy recipients alongside producer 24. It marks the first time Korean nationals working primarily within the K-pop industry have been recognized with a Grammy Award for composition.

The song was also co-composed by Korean American songwriter EJAE, The Black Label founder Teddy, and American composer Mark Sonnenblick, all of whom shared in the honor. ‘Golden’ is performed in the series by the fictional girl group Huntrix and plays a central role in K-pop Demon Hunters, which blends K-pop aesthetics with animated fantasy storytelling.

The Creative Force Behind ‘Golden’

Producer 24 is widely known for his long-standing collaboration with Teddy, dating back to their time at YG Entertainment and continuing under The Black Label. Over the years, 24 has contributed to numerous global hits, including BLACKPINK’s ‘DDU-DU DDU-DU,’ ‘How You Like That,’ ‘Ice Cream,’ ‘Lovesick Girls,’ ‘Pink Venom,’ and ‘Shut Down,’ as well as solo releases by Jennie, Rosé, Lisa, and Jisoo. His credits also include major works by BIGBANG, G-Dragon, and Taeyang.

In K-pop Demon Hunters, 24 participated not only in ‘Golden’ but also in multiple soundtrack tracks, including ‘How It’s Done,’ ‘Soda Pop,’ and ‘Your Idol,’ spanning both fictional girl and boy groups within the series. In his acceptance message, 24 dedicated the award to Teddy, calling him both a mentor and a close friend, and describing him as “a pioneer of K-pop.”

IDO’s Rising Global Profile

IDO, also signed under The Black Label, began gaining attention through work on BLACKPINK’s second full-length album ‘Born Pink’. Since then, the team has built a diverse portfolio across K-pop acts and projects, including tracks for IZNA, MEOVV, and ALLDAY PROJECT. For K-pop Demon Hunters, IDO played a central role in composing and arranging multiple songs, further solidifying its reputation as a creative force capable of bridging K-pop production with global visual media.