Why Blackpink's Rosé and Bruno Mars lost at the Grammys — and what APT’s snub reveals

Grammys come and Grammys go, but the wars will never end between BTS and Blackpink fandoms. The bands themselves are cordial, but the fandoms never fail to engage in online duelling.

On the day of the Grammy Awards 2026, Rose and Bruno Mars APT the night ended without a win, with the track losing all three of its nominations, a baffling outcome that quickly spilled beyond awards discourse and into long-simmering K-pop fandom tensions. The photos of the duo looking seemingly furious went viral, with many fans drawing their own interpretations.

The collaboration had kicked off the night, with its usual vibrant energy. It's a bop and even the haters grudgingly admit it. Beyond its Grammy nods, APT has been one of the year’s most visible global pop releases, even praised for bridging K-pop and mainstream Western pop, though obviously BTS ARMY's would have something else to say.

Nevertheless, APT dominated streaming conversations, and reinforcing Rosé’s standing as a solo artist with international reach. The nominations themselves marked a milestone, not just for Rosé, but also for the continued visibility of K-pop artists within the Grammys’ major categories.

Still, the losses sparked intense reactions online. Some fans noted that this was the first time since 2013 that Bruno Mars, often regarded as a Grammy favourite, left the ceremony without a win, framing the result as unusual given his awards history. Others, less measured, used the moment to reopen old wounds tied to the Grammys’ past treatment of K-pop acts.

What followed was a familiar pattern: fandom lines hardening, particularly between BTS and BLACKPINK supporters. Tweets circulated accusing the Recording Academy of inconsistency, while others pointed out the irony of fans who once dismissed BTS’s Grammy snubs now voicing similar frustrations. A separate strand of the discourse turned confrontational, with 일부 accounts dragging individual artists into the debate, a move that drew pushback even within fandom spaces.

APT'S Awards

APT.’s Grammys 2026 shutout came despite an awards run that had already firmly established the song as one of the year’s most decorated global pop releases. The Rosé–Bruno Mars collaboration won Song of the Year at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, making Rosé the first K-pop artist to take the category, and secured a Song of the Year (Daesang) at the Asia Artist Awards 2024. It was also recognised internationally with Best Collaboration (Overseas) at the Asian Pop Music Awards, Western Song of the Year at Taiwan’s Hito Music Awards, and Song of the Year by Streaming (Western) at the Japan Gold Disc Awards.

In South Korea, APT. dominated weekly music shows with multiple first-place wins across major broadcasts and picked up repeated Melon Popularity Awards, underscoring both its commercial power and sustained public reception well before its three Grammy nominations.

The contrast is striking when compared to BTS, who, despite numerous Grammy nominations over the years, have yet to secure a win, underscoring the challenges K-pop acts continue to face on the world stage. Online reactions, from celebration of APT’s milestones to frustration over perceived inconsistencies, reflect a fandom reckoning over how K-pop is recognised internationally and what it will take for the genre to achieve lasting institutional acknowledgment.