In 2026, three different superstars can each claim to hold the K-pop "Song of the Year" — and all of them are right. The reason lies in how the title is awarded.
What Is the K-pop Song of the Year Daesang — and Why Does It Go to Multiple Artists?
The Song of the Year (SOTY) daesang is the highest single-song honour handed out at each of Korea's major award ceremonies. "Daesang" (대상) literally means "grand prize," and it is not a unified, industry-wide title — each ceremony issues its own. Because Korea has no single governing body for K-pop awards, the 2026 SOTY has already gone to multiple artists at different shows, with the year-end cycle still open .
Quick Answer: There is no single 2026 K-pop Song of the Year. HWASA won the daesang for "Good Goodbye" at the KM Chart Awards on July 25, 2026 , while G-Dragon took it at the Golden Disc and Hanteo shows earlier in the year.
The reason different artists win comes down to methodology. Every ceremony measures songs differently — physical and digital sales, streaming totals, real-time chart data, judge panels, fan voting, or some weighted blend of all five. A track that dominates streaming may lose to one that leads real-time sales, so the "best song" of the same eligibility cycle changes depending on which numbers a show counts .
That is exactly what 2026 produced. Three separate SOTY-level results now stand side by side:
- HWASA — "Good Goodbye," Song of the Year at the KM Chart Awards on July 25, 2026, her first major solo SOTY .
- G-Dragon — Song of the Year at the 40th Golden Disc Awards on January 10, 2026, and Best Song at the 33rd Hanteo Music Awards on February 15, 2026 .
- BTS — Album of the Year for "ARIRANG" at the same KM Chart night, keeping the group in the daesang conversation alongside the song winners .
One important caveat: the 2026 cycle is not finished. The Mnet Asia Music Awards (MAMA) and other year-end ceremonies typically announce in the fourth quarter, and they carry their own SOTY daesang . Until those results land, "the 2026 SOTY winner" remains a plural answer — a snapshot of several ceremonies rather than one final verdict.
2026 SOTY Daesang Winners by Ceremony — Full Tracker
Three ceremonies have already handed out a Song of the Year (or equivalent "best song") daesang in the 2026 cycle, and two artists split them: HWASA and G-Dragon. HWASA took the most recent one at the KM Chart Awards on July 25, 2026 for "Good Goodbye," while G-Dragon carried the winter shows — the Golden Disc Awards and the Hanteo Music Awards — on the strength of his 2025 comeback cycle . The table below tracks each result, including the adjacent album and artist daesangs that shaped each night.
| Ceremony (date) | Song of the Year / Best Song | Album daesang | Artist daesang |
|---|---|---|---|
| KM Chart Awards (Jul 25, 2026) | HWASA — "Good Goodbye" | BTS — "ARIRANG" | TOMORROW X TOGETHER |
| 33rd Hanteo Music Awards (Feb 15, 2026) | G-Dragon — "Too Bad" | Stray Kids — "KARMA" | ATEEZ (Best Artist) |
| 40th Golden Disc Awards (Jan 10, 2026) | G-Dragon | Stray Kids — "KARMA" | Jennie |
| 2025 Melon Music Awards (Dec 2025) | G-Dragon (daesang sweep) | — | — |
At the KM Chart Awards, HWASA's win came on a night otherwise led by HYBE acts: BTS took Album of the Year for "ARIRANG," their first group album since all seven members completed mandatory military service, and rookie group CORTIS won Record of the Year less than a year after their August 2025 debut. TOMORROW X TOGETHER was named Artist of the Year .
The winter ceremonies read the field differently. At the 40th Golden Disc Awards on January 10, 2026, G-Dragon won Song of the Year, Stray Kids took Album of the Year for "KARMA," and Jennie won the newly created Artist of the Year daesang. At the 33rd Hanteo Music Awards on February 15, 2026 — built on real-time Hanteo sales data — the Best Song grand prize went to G-Dragon's "Too Bad," with ATEEZ taking Best Artist, "KARMA" again taking Best Album, and ENHYPEN winning Best Performance .
Both of those wins trace back further: the 2025 Melon Music Awards in December 2025 already saw G-Dragon sweep the daesang categories, anchoring his 2025 cycle's dominance across the digital-era shows before the summer ceremonies shifted momentum toward HWASA and the HYBE roster. Reporting is not always consistent on which G-Dragon track ("HOME SWEET HOME" versus "Too Bad") each ceremony credits, a reflection of how different chart systems read the same comeback cycle .
HWASA's 'Good Goodbye' Win: What Made KM Chart 2026 a Turning Point
HWASA won Song of the Year at the 2026 KM Chart Awards for "Good Goodbye," her first SOTY daesang at a major ceremony as a solo artist . The ceremony was held on July 25, 2026, and the result marked a shift in the season's daesang narrative away from the digital-era shows toward a summer ceremony that split its top honors between one solo act and a wall of HYBE groups .
HWASA — born Hwang Hye-jin — debuted with MAMAMOO in 2014 and began her solo career in 2019 . Across more than a decade she has been recognized more often as a vocalist and group member than as a daesang-winning soloist, which is why "Good Goodbye" registers as a milestone rather than a routine trophy. It is the first time a KM Chart Song of the Year has gone to her name alone, giving the 2026 cycle a solo headline against a field otherwise organized around large label rosters.
That contrast defined the night. BTS took Album of the Year for "ARIRANG," their first group album since all seven members completed South Korea's mandatory military service . TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT) was named Artist of the Year and swept several popular-category awards the same evening.
"CORTIS, BTS and TXT dominate the 2026 KM Chart Awards," reported Forbes contributor Hannah Abraham in her winners recap — a framing that captures how much of the night ran through HYBE-affiliated acts even as HWASA claimed the Song of the Year daesang (source: Forbes).
The full slate of KM Chart winners underscores how narrow HWASA's solo lane was on an otherwise group-heavy night:
- Song of the Year (SOTY): HWASA — "Good Goodbye"
- Album of the Year: BTS — "ARIRANG"
- Artist of the Year: TOMORROW X TOGETHER
- Record of the Year: CORTIS — less than a year after their August 2025 debut
- Best Popular Song: TXT — "Stick With You"
- Best Popular Male Group: TXT; Best Popular Solo Male Singer: Yeonjun
- Best Popular Solo Female Singer: WINTER; Best Popular Female Group: UNIS
- Global Rising Star: LN
Read together, the KM Chart results explain why "Good Goodbye" reads as a turning point rather than a footnote. With BTS, TXT, CORTIS and Yeonjun concentrating the group and label-driven categories, HWASA's Song of the Year stood as the night's clearest solo statement — and the moment the 2026 SOTY story stopped belonging solely to G-Dragon's comeback cycle.
G-Dragon's Two-Ceremony Run: Golden Disc and Hanteo SOTY Explained
G-Dragon held the Song of the Year daesang at two separate ceremonies before the summer shows reshaped the 2026 narrative: the 40th Golden Disc Awards on January 10, 2026, and the 33rd Hanteo Music Awards on February 15, 2026 . Both wins were legitimate top-song honors from major bodies, and both grew out of the same late-2025 comeback cycle — even though the ceremonies did not always credit the same track.
At Golden Disc, G-Dragon took Song of the Year while Stray Kids won Album of the Year for "KARMA" and Jennie claimed the newly created Artist of the Year daesang . At Hanteo, the Best Song grand prize was credited to G-Dragon's "Too Bad," with ATEEZ named Best Artist, Stray Kids' "KARMA" taking Best Album, and ENHYPEN winning Best Performance .
The Hanteo win rests on a different measurement than most digital-era shows. Hanteo Music Awards is built on real-time Hanteo sales data — physical album and single sales tracked as they happen — so G-Dragon's chart dominance across the late-2025 and early-2026 window made him the clear winner on that metric . That sales-first lens explains why a physical-data ceremony can hand the top-song trophy to the same artist a streaming- and panel-driven ceremony like Golden Disc also recognized.
The momentum did not start in January. The 2025 Melon Music Awards, held in December 2025, had already seen G-Dragon sweep the daesang categories, confirming his comeback cycle as the dominant digital-era event of the season before HWASA and the HYBE acts shifted the story at the KM Chart Awards in July . Read in sequence — Melon in December, Golden Disc in January, Hanteo in February — the three ceremonies show one artist carrying the SOTY conversation through the first half of the cycle.
One detail causes recurring confusion: reporting is not always consistent on which G-Dragon track is credited as his top song, with "HOME SWEET HOME" and "Too Bad" both surfacing depending on the ceremony . This is not an error on any single show's part — it reflects how different systems read the same 2025 comeback cycle, weighing individual singles differently by sales window, chart period, or eligibility rules.
For writers and fans, the practical takeaway is precision: when citing a G-Dragon Song of the Year win, name the ceremony and the credited track together — "Too Bad" at Hanteo, for example — rather than treating a single "2026 SOTY" as universal. Both wins stand on their own methodology, and specifying the source keeps the record accurate as the year-end ceremonies add their own daesang decisions.
2026 SOTY Contenders Still in Play: What MAMA and Year-End Ceremonies Could Decide
The 2026 Song of the Year race is not settled. Korea's largest year-end shows — most notably MAMA, alongside other Q3–Q4 ceremonies — had not yet been held as of early August 2026, which means the daesang counts recorded at KM Chart, Golden Disc and Hanteo can still be joined by new winners . Because these ceremonies typically announce nominations and dates in the third and fourth quarters, the field of contenders remains open rather than fixed.
Billboard's mid-year staff list mapped where the strongest songs of the eligibility window sit. It flagged RIIZE's "SOAR," BLACKPINK's 10th-anniversary single "GO" — co-written with Coldplay's Chris Martin and songwriter Danny Chung — and BTS material, with the group notching their seventh No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 during the cycle . BTS "ARIRANG," already the KM Chart Album of the Year winner, carries into the year-end conversation as a song contender as well, given how the group's post-enlistment return has anchored the season.
| Contender | Artist | Why it's in play |
|---|---|---|
| "SOAR" | RIIZE | Named a standout track on Billboard's 2026 mid-year list |
| "GO" | BLACKPINK | 10th-anniversary single, co-written with Chris Martin and Danny Chung |
| "ARIRANG" | BTS | KM Chart Album of the Year; seventh Hot 100 No. 1 in the cycle |
| "Golden" | KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix) | Four Grammy nominations, Oscar Best Original Song buzz |
The most unusual force is a crossover from film. "Golden," from the Netflix animated feature KPop Demon Hunters, earned four Grammy nominations and Oscar Best Original Song buzz for the 2026 cycle . A track tied to a soundtrack rather than a conventional idol release complicates how Korean daesang panels weigh it, but its awards traction makes it a genuine wildcard heading into the year-end shows.
The eligibility window is also unusually crowded with new eras. Rookie acts CORTIS, KiiiKiii, NCT WISH, 82MAJOR and Hearts2Hearts each opened debut or early-career campaigns, while established names including NMIXX and EXO released comebacks in the same period . That breadth means fan-voting-heavy ceremonies could surface a different SOTY than the sales- or chart-driven shows already decided.
"2026 has been marked more by missteps — sing-talk verses, catchphrase hooks and ultra-short runtimes — than by clear successes, even as club beats and rock guitar showed promise." — The Bias List, as summarized by Billboard
For fans tracking the race, the practical read is to watch which methodology each remaining ceremony uses. A streaming-weighted show may favor BLACKPINK or BTS, a fan-vote show could reward the rookie waves, and a soundtrack breakout like "Golden" tests the boundaries of what a Korean daesang panel counts at all .
How Critics and Fans Are Reading the 2026 K-pop Year — Beyond the Trophies
Critics and fans are reading 2026 as a year of widening sonic range rather than a single dominant sound, with the two most-cited potential "defining songs" being "Golden" from the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack and BLACKPINK's anniversary single "GO." Billboard's mid-year staff list praised the breadth on display, while The Bias List pushed back — evidence that the daesang debate this year is as much about taste as about chart math .
Billboard's staff picks span an unusually broad palette: experimental electro-pop, Baile funk, and an interpolation of "Arirang," Korea's most famous folk song — a signal of how far the genre's sonic borders have stretched. The same list flagged strong tracks including RIIZE's "SOAR," critic favorites "Orange Runway" and "Seasonal Love Letters," and BLACKPINK's 10th-anniversary single "GO," co-written with Coldplay's Chris Martin and songwriter Danny Chung .
Not everyone reads the year as a creative high. The Bias List took a contrarian view, arguing 2026 has been marked more by recurring missteps than breakthroughs:
"The year has leaned on sing-talk, catchphrase hooks, and ultra-short runtimes more than genuine songwriting highs — even as club beats and rock guitar showed promise," — The Bias List, as summarized by Billboard.
On the fan side, allkpop forums have run active Song of the Year contender threads ahead of the year-end ceremonies, with early fan-voting patterns emerging as a rough indicator of where sentiment is heading before MAMA and other Q3–Q4 shows announce their nominees . Those conversations keep circling back to the same two records:
- "Golden" (KPop Demon Hunters OST) — the Netflix film's breakout track became a serious awards contender, earning four Grammy nominations and Oscar Best Original Song buzz for the 2026 cycle, which tests how a Korean daesang panel treats a soundtrack cut .
- BLACKPINK's "GO" — a 10th-anniversary single carrying both the group's global weight and a marquee co-writing credit, keeping it in cross-platform critic and fan shortlists .
The takeaway for anyone tracking the race: the trophy tally and the critical conversation are not the same scoreboard. HWASA and G-Dragon hold the confirmed daesangs, but "Golden" and "GO" dominate the discourse about which 2026 song will be remembered — a gap the year-end ceremonies will either close or widen.
Attending a K-pop Award Ceremony in Korea: What Fans Need to Know
If you plan to watch a 2026 daesang ceremony in person, secure tickets through official channels first and treat venue and city etiquette as part of the trip. Major shows — MAMA, the Golden Disc Awards, and the KM Chart Awards — release fan-audience seats through platforms such as Melon and Interpark, and often through official fan-club pre-sales, so registered members and early buyers get the first window. Verify the exact seller on each ceremony's official account before third-party listings, because grand-prize nights like KM Chart 2026, which crowned HWASA's "Good Goodbye" as Song of the Year , sell out quickly.
Inside the arena, lightsticks and fan banners are standard, but each venue publishes its own prohibited-items list and some restrict oversized banners or professional cameras. Check that list ahead of time rather than at the door. A few reminders for ticketing and entry:
- Buy through official sellers: Melon, Interpark, or fan-club pre-sale — not resale pages.
- Read the venue rules: banner size limits, camera policy, and bag checks vary by hall.
- Bring your fandom's official lightstick; it is expected, not optional, at most ceremonies.
Getting around Seoul carries its own etiquette. On the subway, the three seats at each end of every carriage, next to the doors, are strictly reserved priority seats for elderly riders, and the pink seats are reserved for pregnant passengers — leave them empty even when the car looks deserted (video: Anna Lee). Putting your feet on seats or benches reads as rude, and jaywalking on a red light is frowned upon even with no traffic in sight.
Everyday transactions differ from many Western norms, too. Most Korean restaurants do not bring the bill to your table — you pay at the counter after eating — and it is polite to hand and receive items such as tickets, merchandise, money, or gifts with both hands (video: Anna Lee). Many indoor venues and guesthouses ask you to remove your shoes and wear provided slippers.
The concrete takeaway: lock in official tickets early, pack your lightstick within the venue's rules, and mind the priority seats and both-hands custom — small habits that let you focus on the daesang moment itself, whether the next trophy goes to HWASA, G-Dragon, or a MAMA surprise still to come.
Frequently asked questions
Who won Song of the Year at the 2026 KM Chart Awards?
HWASA won the Song of the Year daesang for "Good Goodbye" at the 2026 KM Chart Awards, held July 25, 2026 . It marked her first major SOTY win as a solo artist since going solo in 2019, on a night otherwise dominated by HYBE acts including BTS (Album of the Year) and TOMORROW X TOGETHER (Artist of the Year) .
Did G-Dragon win Song of the Year in 2026?
Yes. G-Dragon won Song of the Year at the 40th Golden Disc Awards on January 10, 2026, and the Best Song grand prize for "Too Bad" at the 33rd Hanteo Music Awards on February 15, 2026 . He had already swept the daesang categories at the 2025 Melon Music Awards in December 2025. Different ceremonies credit different tracks from his 2025 comeback cycle, reflecting how each system reads the same body of work.
Why do different K-pop ceremonies have different Song of the Year winners?
There is no single governing body for K-pop awards. Each ceremony — Golden Disc, Hanteo, KM Chart, and MAMA — applies its own weighting of physical sales, digital streaming, chart performance, judge panels, and fan votes . Because the methodologies differ, the same eligibility period can produce several legitimate SOTY winners, which is why HWASA and G-Dragon both hold 2026 daesangs from separate shows.
Which K-pop songs are contenders for MAMA 2026 Song of the Year?
MAMA had not yet been held as of early August 2026; year-end ceremonies typically announce in Q3–Q4 . Frontrunners in critic and fan discussion include HWASA's "Good Goodbye," BLACKPINK's 10th-anniversary single "GO," BTS's "ARIRANG," RIIZE's "SOAR," and "Golden" from the Netflix film KPop Demon Hunters, which earned four Grammy nominations for the 2026 cycle .
What is the difference between a daesang and a regular K-pop award?
Daesang (대상) means "grand prize" — the top-tier honour at a Korean ceremony, typically covering the Song, Album, and Artist categories . Regular awards — bonsang and special or fan-voted categories — sit below the daesang tier and recognise genre, performance, popularity, or rookie achievements. Winning a daesang, such as HWASA's SOTY at KM Chart 2026, is the highest recognition a ceremony offers.
Enjoyed this article? Subscribe to get new stories by email whenever they're published.
This article was written using information collected and analyzed by NAMANE's in-house K-pop research AI engine. We use AI technology to bring you faster, broader coverage, and in the process some details may occasionally differ from the latest facts. For important information such as dates, venues, and prices, please double-check with official sources.
