Blackpink fans had a lot to celebrate last year as each member debuted their solo albums: Lisa with Alter Ego, Rosé with Rosie, Jennie’s Ruby, and Jisoo’s Amortage. Despite the huge success, especially for Rosé with APT, many Blinks are left wondering why none of the members earned a nomination for Best New Artist at the 2026 Grammys.
The key to understanding this lies in the word “new” in the category title. The Best New Artist award recognises artists who have made a “breakthrough into the public consciousness and notably impacted the musical landscape” in the previous year. However, the Recording Academy’s rulebook states that an artist who has already achieved a breakthrough in a previous eligibility period is not eligible for the award.
Since Blackpink is undoubtedly the biggest K-pop group in history — and has been for years — its members are ineligible for Best New Artist as solo acts. Despite their global popularity, Blackpink has never been nominated for a Grammy, and the same rules apply to individual members when they release solo work. According to the Recording Academy’s regulations, members of a group are considered part of that collective entity, meaning any previous Grammy submissions made under Blackpink would apply to each of the members individually.
It is unclear how many times Blackpink or its members have been submitted for the Best New Artist award in the past. Another limitation is that artists cannot submit for the Best New Artist category more than three times, whether as a new artist or a solo act emerging from a group.
However, there is good news for Rosé at the 2026 Grammys. She earned multiple nominations for her song APT with Bruno Mars, including Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Rosé is the only Blackpink member to receive Grammy nominations this year.
Although Blackpink itself did not earn any nominations — despite releasing the popular single Jump in July — the 2026 Grammys will still see strong representation from female artists. The Best New Artist category includes K-pop girl group Katseye, who have also made an impact.
The Grammys have been slow to fully embrace K-pop’s global rise. BTS, for instance, has largely been confined to the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category and has yet to win a Grammy. However, this year, Golden by Kpop Demon Hunters made history by earning multiple nominations, including Song of the Year, marking a significant achievement for the genre.