“I never imagined this!” How KPop Demon Hunters Can Make History at the Grammy Awards and Oscars | music

‘TThe directors were crying, the producer was crying, and I thought: Oh my God, this is an incredible musical world. It was February of 2025, and Ian Eisendrath was leading an orchestra during the final flourish of the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack. He knew the team had built something special – “but I never thought it would be like this,” he laughs, wondering what happened next.

Just weeks after its release in June, the animated film — about Korean girl group Huntr/x who battle soul-hungry demons through song — became Netflix’s most-watched title of all time. The film’s soundtrack, a fleet of emotionally charged, devilishly catchy hits made by genuine top K-pop stars, has become a platinum-rated phenomenon in its own right.

The film made history when four of its songs reached the top ten in the US simultaneously, and its lead single “Golden” was the most streamed new song in the world last year. It has already very appropriately won a Golden Globe and is nominated for Best International Song at the Brit Awards. Not since the Lion King’s Circle of Life has a song from an animated film been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song and Song of the Year at the Grammy Awards. This weekend, if the bookies are right and Golden wins both rounds, she will be the first original anime song to ever do so.

Eisendrath, the film’s executive music producer, credits the unusual collaborative songwriting process — and the innate theatricality of K-pop — for the song’s appeal. “K-Pop is larger than life, it’s a hit in the best way possible,” he enthuses. “Something can happen, musically, for eight measures, and then you go into a whole other atmosphere.”

Huntr/x’s sonic battle against the satanic boy band Saja Boys required exciting, radio-friendly hits that pushed the story forward with every beat. It also took real K-pop credibility, delivered by Seoul tastemaker The Black Label (home to Blackpink’s Rosé and their Grammy-nominated megahit APT), and a roster of indie hitmakers.

Danny Chung, an A&R and songwriter with a decade of chart-topping hits, co-wrote the bubbly, pastel-hued intro to the Saja Boys, Soda Pop. He describes working on the film and voicing Baby Saja’s husky as a “dream come true” and a process that was “much more engaging” than he expected, due to the challenge of putting character arcs before musical taste or trends.

“Soda Pop isn’t exactly The Black Label’s signature sound,” he admits. “In one of our weekly calls, Ian expressed concern about Soda Pop’s whereabouts because it sounded ‘so cool’ sonically. ‘Does it make it a bit tacky by design?'” said one of Black Label’s lead producers. Accepting the cheese was a risk to their street cred and it paid off: Soda Pop had to be gentle to underscore the boy band’s ominous, soul-crushing second act – and it has since been certified platinum.

The Saja Boys’ transition from cute to sexy is itself a classic K-pop trope, as Golden’s lead singer Ejae explains: “[Groups] Do a 180 and turn into sexy and gorgeous men – that’s when fan interest turns into obsession. A former writer for major Korean girl groups (Twice, Red Velvet, Aespa), Ijae was drawn to the film’s visceral celebration of Korean culture—particularly how Huntr/x’s powers are inspired by Korean shamans’ use of bells and sounds to ward off or invite spirits—and its nuanced approach to a good versus evil story.

Rumi, the leader of the Huntr/x, is hiding a secret, and Golden’s triumphant words conflict with her reality: burned out, isolated, and ashamed. These emotional complexities inspired Ejay to put a lot of herself into the lyrics, drawing on the 10 years she spent training to become a K-pop star before becoming a songwriter instead, she explains.

“I have always been in touch with Rumi and… [her bandmates] Zoe and Mira. Meera is the black sheep in the family, that’s me. Being from two different places and not knowing who you are, that’s definitely me too. Ejae was born in Seoul and grew up in New Jersey before returning to South Korea. “And because Rumi is really hardworking, but he also puts himself under a lot of pressure and strives for perfection, that’s exactly how I am too.”

But when Eisendrath asked her to sing the role of Rumi on the soundtrack, she needed “a lot” of convincing. “Performing has always been scary,” she admits, “but Ian helped me come out of my little turtle shell!”

Recording in the studio was one thing, but embodying Rumi — and perfecting Golden’s heart-jumping vocal gymnastics — on live television, for an audience of millions? Ejay says she never saw that coming. Huntr/x’s first IRL performance on the American late-night talk show The Tonight Show reunited Ejay with singers Audrey Nona and Rey Amy, who voice her bandmates, and she described it as “climbing Mount Everest.” However, singing with them, and with fans, proved “incredibly spiritual,” she said. “Stage fright is real, but I was able to find the beauty in performing.”

For Eisendrath, watching Huntr/x come to life behind the scenes was very emotional: “Life imitates art. It’s incredibly meaningful that Huntr/x are seen as artists, rather than characters from a movie.” They’ve since performed at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and at the Jingle Ball in Los Angeles, and fans are hungry for more concerts and more songs — but Netflix is ​​remaining tight-lipped about any further plans for Huntr/x, or the franchise in general. Bloomberg reported that the sequel is scheduled to premiere in 2029, but Netflix would neither confirm nor deny this to The Guardian.

Meanwhile, all eyes remain on the real-life talent. Huntr/x’s popularity has boosted the profiles of Ami and Nuna, who have gained tens of millions of listeners, and the success of the soundtrack likely contributed to The Black Label receiving approximately $68 million in investment before launching a rumored IPO. Brand President Teddy Park recently received praise from the Korean Prime Minister at the Merit Awards for Overseas Expansion.

But for Ejae, the success of KPop Demon Hunters goes beyond numbers. With increasing confidence, she is slowly releasing her own solo material, after years of writing for others. “I’m so grateful,” she says quietly. “The dream that I had shelved for a very long time, that I never thought I would need to open up again… is now open.”