By Gawon Bae, CNN

Seoul (CNN) — “We’re goin’ up, up, up, it’s our moment,” proclaim virtual girl band Huntr/x in their hit song “Golden.” And the lyrics couldn’t have been more apt as the song from Netflix megahit “Kpop Demon Hunters” made history on Sunday by claiming K-Pop’s first-ever Grammy.

“Golden” was already a global chart-dominating force, but taking home the Best Song Written for Visual Media award in Los Angeles is a milestone moment for K-pop – a genre that despite its growing influence on Western pop culture has long been considered niche.

“It does feel so miraculous in some ways. And destined in other ways … We’re just trying to process it all,” said Audrey Nuna, who lends her voice to a member of Huntr/x in the film.

The Grammy itself went to the songwriters of “Golden” EJAE, Park Hong Jun, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Seo Jeong Hoon and Mark Sonnenblick. And is the first win for any Korean songwriters, or producers.

Accepting the award, Seo Jeong Hoon, who goes by the name 24, paid tribute to his mentor Park Hong Jun – known as Teddy – who he called “the pioneer of K-pop.”

It was only in 2021 that a K-pop act first earned a Grammy nomination – that was superband BTS, who have been nominated five times but have never won.

This year, songs released by K-pop – or K-pop-adjacent – artists received nominations in five categories, though only “Golden” took away a prize.

In recent years the genre has gained huge global fandom as more groups – like Blackpink and Twice – broke into the US charts, went on world tours, and collaborated with big American artists.

And the genre’s influence was evident throughout Sunday’s Grammys broadcast. The awards kicked off with Blackpink’s Rose singing the chart-topping collaboration “APT” with Bruno Mars, as stars in the audience sang along.

Later, a multinational K-pop girl group KATSEYE grasped the stage with its “Gnarly” performance. Both were nominated for number of categories but were short of winning an award.

While the win for “Golden” is historic, K-pop fans questioned if the song really fits the genre.

“Not to say they didn’t deserve it (because they did). But I still don’t understand which part of Golden was Kpop. It was a 100% English song, in an English animation, for an English speaking audience. The only thing “K” about it were the singers,” one wrote on X after the award was announced.

Areum Jeong, assistant professor of Korean Studies at Arizona State University, told the Associated Press that songs like “APT” and KATSEYE’s “Gabriela” – also Grammys nominees – “seem less K-pop than other K-pop songs that could have been nominated over the years.”

She said the nominations strike her more as “a de-territorialized, hybrid idea of K-pop,” rather than a recognition of K-pop.

The number of K-pop nominations for Grammys in 2026 “tells you that K-pop is not considered as something niche anymore,” Mathieu Berbiguier, a visiting assistant professor in Korean Studies at Carnegie Mellon University, told Associated Press.

“Now, when we think about pop music in general, we also think of K-pop as part of it,” he said.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

The post Read more

CBS, RECORDING ACADEMY, CNN, CBS/Recording Academy

By Gawon Bae, CNN

Seoul (CNN) — “We’re goin’ up, up, up, it’s our moment,” proclaim virtual girl band Huntr/x in their hit song “Golden.” And the lyrics couldn’t have been more apt as the song from Netflix megahit “Kpop Demon Hunters” made history on Sunday by claiming K-Pop’s first-ever Grammy.

“Golden” was already a global chart-dominating force, but taking home the Best Song Written for Visual Media award in Los Angeles is a milestone moment for K-pop – a genre that despite its growing influence on Western pop culture has long been considered niche.

“It does feel so miraculous in some ways. And destined in other ways … We’re just trying to process it all,” said Audrey Nuna, who lends her voice to a member of Huntr/x in the film.

The Grammy itself went to the songwriters of “Golden” EJAE, Park Hong Jun, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Seo Jeong Hoon and Mark Sonnenblick. And is the first win for any Korean songwriters, or producers.

Accepting the award, Seo Jeong Hoon, who goes by the name 24, paid tribute to his mentor Park Hong Jun – known as Teddy – who he called “the pioneer of K-pop.”

It was only in 2021 that a K-pop act first earned a Grammy nomination – that was superband BTS, who have been nominated five times but have never won.

This year, songs released by K-pop – or K-pop-adjacent – artists received nominations in five categories, though only “Golden” took away a prize.

In recent years the genre has gained huge global fandom as more groups – like Blackpink and Twice – broke into the US charts, went on world tours, and collaborated with big American artists.

And the genre’s influence was evident throughout Sunday’s Grammys broadcast. The awards kicked off with Blackpink’s Rose singing the chart-topping collaboration “APT” with Bruno Mars, as stars in the audience sang along.

Later, a multinational K-pop girl group KATSEYE grasped the stage with its “Gnarly” performance. Both were nominated for number of categories but were short of winning an award.

While the win for “Golden” is historic, K-pop fans questioned if the song really fits the genre.

“Not to say they didn’t deserve it (because they did). But I still don’t understand which part of Golden was Kpop. It was a 100% English song, in an English animation, for an English speaking audience. The only thing “K” about it were the singers,” one wrote on X after the award was announced.

Areum Jeong, assistant professor of Korean Studies at Arizona State University, told the Associated Press that songs like “APT” and KATSEYE’s “Gabriela” – also Grammys nominees – “seem less K-pop than other K-pop songs that could have been nominated over the years.”

She said the n

By Sophia Peyser, Danya Gainor, CNN

(CNN) — The teenagers’ names are Sam and Ben, but to the federal immigration agents they interact with daily, the two boys wielding cell phones and taking down plate numbers are a duo known as “the brothers.”

The 16- and 17-year-old Chicago siblings said they have earned an array of nicknames since becoming dedicated witnesses documenting the Trump administration’s Operation Midway Blitz — the turbocharged immigration crackdown that swept through Windy City neighborhoods starting in September.

Now, the boys are trailing agents in Minneapolis, following the epicenter of immigration enforcement in the US as it’s shifted north to the Twin Cities. They are part of a ballooning wave of observers across the North Star State, where tensions have soared during encounters between thousands of federal agents and protesters — unwavering and furious — in the wake of the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

Sam and Ben Luhmann are trained ICE watchers, documenting federal immigration agents’ actions with cell phone video and quickly warning of agents’ locations with whistles and car horns. Their efforts are reflective of a growing movement across the country as thousands of parents, teachers, clergy members and community organizers have sought training on what they can legally do when they see an immigration arrest.

The Trump administration, however, has criticized bystanders recording immigration officials during enforcement operations. In July, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said “violence” against the agents includes “videotaping (ICE officers) where they’re at when they’re out on operations, encouraging other people to come and to throw things, rocks, bottles.”

Critics of the immigration crackdown say observers are necessary, given what they describe as dangerous tactics by federal agents that put people at risk. Trump administration officials counter that they are taking necessary steps to keep Americans safe and said ICE officers are facing a significant increase in assaults. Federal officials also said officers are exercising restraint despite facing threats and attacks.

The brothers now couch surf between family members’ homes and Airbnbs, intent on documenting what some describe as the unprecedented aggressiveness of Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis.

“(Federal agents are) constantly pushing people and beating them up, kneeing them in the face when they’re down on the ground, or shoving their head into ice or pavement so that they’re scraped up,” Ben said.

The homeschooled boys spend their days in south Minneapolis following suspected federal vehicles in their silver 2018 Toyota Corolla, writing down license plate numbers and sending immigration agents’ locations in group chats with other observers.

When the agents stop, so do the brothers, jumping out into frigid temperatures to film

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) - Vacant storefronts in downtown Santa Barbara are going to look a little more beautiful, until new tenants come in.

The new plan is already adding a fresh look in many areas.
It's a collaboration between the Santa Barbara Downtown Business Improvement District, the Santa Barbara Arts Collaborative and the Department of Arts and Culture.
The art will disguise empty locations that can have a negative look to the historic image in the downtown area.

Santa Barbara Downtown Improvement District Executive Director Robin Elander said, "This is really an opportunity for us to show the sense of pride visibly our organization has for downtown but the sense of pride our community already has for downtown but to showcase that in an artistic way."

Already one of the businesses on State Street near Haley Street is covered up with a floral design along with one on State St. at Victoria where Starbucks closed.
Several more are going up in the next week.
The work was created by local artists who submitted their designs and are named on the images.
The winners were given a $250 dollar honorarium.

The post Vacant Storefronts Get an Artistic Beautification in Santa Barbara appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) - Vacant storefronts in downtown Santa Barbara are going to look a little more beautiful, until new tenants come in.

The new plan is already adding a fresh look in many areas.
It's a collaboration between the Santa Barbara Downtown Business Improvement District, the Santa Barbara Arts Collaborative and the Department of Arts and Culture.
The art will disguise empty locations that can have a negative look to the historic image in the downtown area.

Santa Barbara Downtown Improvement District Executive Director Robin Elander said, "This is really an opportunity for us to show the sense of pride visibly our organization has for downtown but the sense of pride our community already has for downtown but to showcase that in an artistic way."

Already one of the businesses on State Street near Haley Street is covered up with a floral design along with one on State St. at Victoria where Starbucks closed.
Several more are going up in the next week.
The work was created by local artists who submitted their designs and are named on the images.
The winners were given a $250 dollar honorarium.

The post Vacant Storefronts Get an Artistic Beautification in Santa Barbara appeared first on News Channel 3-12.