Blackpinkโค Soloists Ineligible for Grammy’s Best New Artist Category
Los Angeles,CA – Solo โefforts from โmembersโ of the K-pop group Blackpinkโข will not be consideredโ for the Grammy Award’s Best New Artist category,despite individual successes and rising โฃprofiles. Theโฃ Recording Academy’sโ eligibility rules disqualify artists who have previously been submitted for the award, โeither as solo acts or โas part of a group.
The disqualification stems from Blackpink’s established status within the music industry and prior Grammy submissions as a collective. According to Recording Academy guidelines, members of a group areโฃ considered part of that collective entity, meaning any previous submissions made under the Blackpink name applyโ to each member individually. This prevents solo work from being considered “new” for โขthe purpose of the award.
The rulebook specifies that an artist cannot have been submitted for Best โฃNew Artist โขmore than three times โขpreviously, whether as a new artist or as a solo artist โemerging from a group.โ While the exact number โขof Blackpink or โits members’โข past submissions is unclear, the group’s โlong-standing presence and priorโฃ consideration for awards preclude individual members fromโฃ eligibility.
Rosรฉโ is the only Blackpink member to have received Grammy nominations to date, earning multiple nods at theโค 2026 Grammys forโ her collaboration with Brunoโค Mars on “APT,” includingโค Record โof the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Popโ Duo/Grupo Performance. Despite this recognition, the rule prevents her, and other members, from being considered for best New Artist.
The Grammys have historically been slow to fully embrace the K-pop genre. BTS, another leading K-pop group, has primarily been recognized โin the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category and โคhas yet to secure a win.This year, “Golden” โfrom Kpop Demon Hunters marked a breakthrough for the genre, receiving multiple nominations, including Song of the Year.
