GOLDEN SONG. Rei Ami, EJAE, and Audrey Nuna (left to right) perform "Golden" from KPop Demon Hunters during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The team behind the global smash "Golden" took home the original song award at the Oscars. It was a first-time win and nomination for all seven members behind the hit. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

From The Asian Reporter, V36, #4 (April 6, 2026), page 14.

By Maria Sherman

AP Music Writer

They’re going up, up, up; it’s their moment. EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seon, and Teddy Park — the team behind the global smash "Golden" from KPop Demon Hunters — took home the original song award at the Oscars in mid-March.

It is a first-time win and nomination for all seven members behind the hit. It is also the first K-pop song to win in the category.

KPop Demon Hunters is an animated, musical film about a fictional K-pop girl group tasked with saving the world by defeating demons. Netflix has said it is the platform’s most watched film of all time and has amassed hundreds of millions of hours viewed worldwide. It also produced the highest charting soundtrack of 2025 with eight of its songs landing on the Billboard Hot 100.

"Thank you so much to the Academy," EJAE started her speech, holding back tears. "This award is not about success, it’s about resilience."

"Golden" beat Diane Warren for "Dear Me" from Diane Warren: Relentless; Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Göransson for "I Lied to You" from Sinners; Nicholas Pike for "Sweet Dreams of Joy" from Viva Verdi!; and Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner for "Train Dreams" from Train Dreams.

When nominations were announced in January, EJAE told The Associated Press that she was totally shocked by the recognition. "It just doesn’t feel real even right now. I’m just still trying to digest the situation. It’s just definitely a dream come true. And that’s why, you know, we write — to have a song that everyone can sing, and not just sing, but make them feel good, because the lyrics (are) very uplifting, and challenge them to sing those high notes," she said. "For me, also, it’s the fact that there are Korean lyrics in it. It is just kind of really crazy to see everyone from all different countries and races singing it. So, I’m just forever grateful to be a part of this incredible film that I wish I grew up watching, too."

Before receiving the Oscar for original song, Rei Ami, EJAE, and Audrey Nuna performed "Golden" at the awards ceremony, which was held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

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