EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami — the singing voices behind Huntr/x in Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters” — joined forces on the Oscars stage for a rendition of their smash hit “Golden.”
Ahead of the telecast, the segment was teased as a fusion of traditional Korean instrumentalists and dance, drawing on the folklore and cultural roots at the heart of the animated blockbuster. And they delivered with a celebration of “Golden” and “KPop Demon Hunters.”
“Our music ignites the soul and brings people together,” said the narrator before the curtain lifted on Huntr/x standing on a set of stairs at the back of the stage. They descended the stairs as the camera cut behind them, showing the audience waving illuminated orbs across the venue. Though the song was apparently shortened, EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami rounded out their exuberant rendition of “Golden” by striking a pose in front of the backup dancers clutching flags behind them.
Variety predicted that “Golden” was poised to make Oscar history as the first K-pop song to win the Oscar for best original song. Earlier this year, “Golden” made separate history at the Grammys when it picked up the award for best song written for visual media, making it the first K-pop song to win a Grammy.
The singers behind Huntr/x have been on a promotional whirlwind over the past few months. They played across several parties during Grammy week, including the famed Clive Davis event, and just last month appeared together to perform “Golden” at the BAFTA Film Awards and BRIT Awards.
“Golden” was written by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, IDO, 24 and Teddy Park, and became a massive hit since debuting on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 2025. It scored five non-consecutive weeks atop that chart, becoming the longest-leading hit on the tally by an animated act.
The success of the song is “vindicating” and “long overdue,” Rei Ami told Variety in a cover story last month. “We worked our asses off. We’ve had the door shut in our faces. We were told we were too little, too much.”
Love Film & TV?
Get your daily dose of everything happening in music, film and TV in Australia and abroad.
From Variety US