Stray Kids sweep up 4 awards at Japan Gold Disc Awards, K-pop idols dominate award show

Stray Kids swept the Japan Gold Disc Awards, taking home four trophies, including Album of the Year.

The Recording Industry Association of Japan announced the winners of the 40th Japan Gold Disc Awards on March 11. Stray Kids recorded the highest number of wins, while groups such as TWS and TXT were also recognized in major categories.

Stray Kids earned the most honors at the ceremony. The group secured trophies for Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, Music Video of the Year, and Best 3 Albums.

Their success had largely been anticipated. Last year, the group achieved eight consecutive No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 main chart. They also ranked as the highest-placed K-pop act on the annual global chart compiled by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).

The ceremony once again highlighted K-pop’s growing influence. TWS won New Artist of the Year and was also selected as one of the Best 3 New Artists, alongside ILLIT and PLAVE. Notably, all three top rookie artists in Asia were K-pop groups.

TWS made their Japanese debut in July last year. Their first single, “Nice to See You Again,” ranked high on major weekly charts from Oricon and Billboard Japan during its first week of release.

The single recorded 250,000 cumulative shipments, earning Platinum certification from the Japan Gold Disc Awards. It also ranked No. 2 among overseas artists on the “Rookie Ranking” in the Oricon Annual Ranking 2025.

TXT was selected for the Best 3 Albums category with their third Japanese full-length album Starkissed. The group appeared alongside Seventeen (Happy Burstday) and Stray Kids (Hollow).

Released in October last year, Starkissed topped both Oricon’s Weekly Combined Album Ranking and Weekly Album Ranking. In November, the album surpassed 500,000 cumulative shipments, earning Double Platinum certification.

The Netflix animated series 'K-Pop Demon Hunters' was also among the winners. Its OST track “Golden” won Song of the Year by Download and Song of the Year by Streaming.

K-pop artists also stood out in the pop categories. Jennie of BLACKPINK won Song of the Year by Download (Western category) with the title track “Like Jennie” from her first solo full-length album.

KATSEYE also claimed two awards in the same category group, winning New Artist of the Year and Best 2 New Artists. The group was recognized for its strong performance in physical album sales, digital downloads, and streaming.

Last August, KATSEYE performed at the Tokyo music festival Summer Sonic 2025, where they energized tens of thousands of fans with hit songs including “Gnarly,” “Gabriela,” and “Touch.”

Meanwhile, &Team also secured two awards. The group won Best 5 Albums for their Korean mini album Back to Life and Best 5 Singles for their third single “Go in Blind,” placing all of their releases from last year among the award-winning works.

&Team previously received the Special International Music Award at the Japan Record Awards and performed at the NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen, continuing their upward momentum.

The Japan Gold Disc Awards, hosted annually by the Recording Industry Association of Japan, recognize artists and works that contributed to the growth of the music industry based on sales of albums and music videos, as well as streaming and download figures over the past year.