The 40th Golden Disc Awards 2026 will take place on January 10, 2026, at Taipei Dome (Taiwan, China), marking the 40th anniversary of one of South Korea’s most prestigious music awards ceremonies. The event continues to honor outstanding K-pop artists, albums, and songs from the past year, based on album sales, digital music achievements, and expert panel evaluations. The awards ceremony brings together a host of familiar K-pop names such as Jennie (BLACKPINK), Stray Kids, LE SSERAFIM, IVE, ENHYPEN, ATEEZ, ZEROBASEONE, MONSTA X, BOYNEXTDOOR, NCT WISH, TWS, etc., attracting significant audience attention.

In addition to the two familiar Daesang awards, Album of the Year and Digital Song of the Year, this year the Golden Disc Awards will introduce the Artist of the Year category for the first time, recognizing the comprehensive influence of artists in the music industry.

Jennie Steals the Spotlight

Jennie (BLACKPINK) was one of the most impactful artists at the 2026 Golden Disc Awards, winning the Daesang Artist – Artist of the Year award. In addition, the singer was honored in the Global Impact category, recognizing her strong influence on a global scale, not only in music but also in fashion and international media.

GDA 2026: Jennie and G-DRAGON take turns winning Daesangs, hot stars can’t save a lackluster season – Image 1.
Jennie (BLACKPINK) was one of the most impactful artists at the 2026 Golden Disc Awards (Screenshot)

In the digital music category, Jennie continued to be included in the Bonsang Digital list with her song “Like JENNIE,” reflecting her consistent performance on music streaming platforms throughout the past year. Being nominated consecutively in several important categories helped Jennie become one of the most prominent artists at the awards ceremony, while also solidifying her image as a well-rounded solo artist with a strong influence.

BLACKPINK also made their mark when JUMP was awarded the Bonsang for Digital Song. Despite not having a very busy group schedule this year, BLACKPINK still demonstrated high recognition and enduring appeal in the market, continuing to be one of the most influential names in K-pop. Furthermore, Jennie specifically thanked her BLINK fanbase, expressing her appreciation for the unwavering love and support they have given her throughout her solo career and with BLACKPINK.

Notably, the moment Jennie was nominated consecutively in three major categories quickly captured the audience’s attention. The singer couldn’t hide her embarrassment as she was called upon again immediately after stepping off the stage, creating an adorable situation that made the audience laugh. Even before she could return to her seat after finishing her performance, Jennie had to go back on stage to receive the next award. This series of unexpected moments quickly went viral, becoming a highlight of the awards ceremony.

Even before she could return to her seat after finishing her performance, Jennie had to go back on stage to receive the next award.

G-DRAGON affirms his status as the king of Kpop

G-DRAGON affirmed his status as the king of Kpop by winning the Daesang Digital – Song of the Year award for his song “Home Sweet Home,” a collaboration with Taeyang and Daesung. This prestigious award is seen as clear evidence of the enduring influence of a Kpop icon despite many years in the industry. Unable to attend the awards ceremony in person, G-DRAGON sent a thank-you message to his fans and the organizers, expressing his appreciation for the unwavering love and support for his music.

GDA 2026: Jennie and G-DRAGON take turns winning the Daesang, hot stars can’t save a lackluster season – Image 2.
G-DRAGON sent a thank-you message to his fans (Screenshot)

Not stopping there, G-DRAGON was also honored in the Digital Bonsang category with this song, and also won the Album Bonsang for his album Übermensch. Being present in all three important categories makes G-DRAGON one of the most outstanding artists of this year’s awards, affirming his convincing comeback in terms of both musical value and reach.

CORTIS continues to prove its appeal

Besides the big names, CORTIS is also a noteworthy name, being named in the Rookie Artist – Rookie of the Year category. This award shows the clear recognition from professionals for the group in their debut year, as CORTIS, despite being relatively new, quickly made their mark.

GDA 2026: Jennie and G-DRAGON take turns winning the Daesang, hot stars can’t save a lackluster season – Image 3.
CORTIS is also a noteworthy name, being named in the Rookie Artist category (Screenshot)

Notably, the Golden Disc Awards 2026 continues its streak of achievements as CORTIS continuously sweeps Rookie of the Year awards at many year-end music award ceremonies, affirming the potential and strong momentum of a rising rookie. Not only attracting attention for their achievements, CORTIS is also considered a “hot” rookie group in Kpop today, continuously attracting an ever-growing fanbase thanks to their youthful and energetic image. Being recognized

Their achievement at the 2026 Golden Disc Awards further solidified CORTIS’s position among the new generation of artists, opening up many expectations for their future development.

Beyond just the achievement, the members’ somewhat stunned and surprised reactions upon being announced as winners also made the audience laugh, becoming a cute moment widely shared on social media.

The members’ surprised reactions upon being announced as winners

In the album category, Stray Kids excellently won the Daesang Album – Album of the Year award with “Karma,” demonstrating the group’s stable influence and clear mark in the current K-pop market. Along with that, the group was also honored in the Bonsang Album category with the same album, further reinforcing the organizers’ recognition of the group’s musical quality, production mindset, and persistent efforts. Karma not only achieved good sales but also received positive feedback thanks to its distinctive musical style, clearly reflecting Stray Kids’ identity.

GDA 2026: Jennie and G-DRAGON take turns winning the Daesang, hot stars can’t save a lackluster season – Image 4.
Stray Kids excellently win the Daesang Album – Album of the Year with Karma (Screenshot)

Hot stars can’t save a lackluster season

Despite bringing together many famous artists and being considered a milestone celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Golden Disc Awards, the 2026 season left a rather subdued feeling in terms of media coverage. Compared to previous years, the awards ceremony lacked truly explosive moments or performances that created a strong viral effect on social media. Most of the events were considered safe and lacked surprises, causing the event’s momentum to not last long after the awards night.

GDA 2026: Jennie and G-DRAGON take turns winning the Daesang, but the lineup of hot stars can’t save a lackluster season – Photo 5.
Despite bringing together numerous famous artists and being considered a milestone celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Golden Disc Awards, the 2026 season still left a rather subdued feeling in terms of media coverage (Photo: X).

In this context, Jennie almost became a rare bright spot capable of keeping the discussion going for the Golden Disc Awards 2026. From her award achievements and performances to her everyday moments on stage, the female singer was constantly mentioned and widely shared, clearly standing out amidst a season with many stars but lacking a clear media boost. This also partly shows that, despite the lineup of many “hot” names, the overall appeal of this year’s Golden Disc Awards still did not meet audience expectations.