And so, it came to pass. The tune Golden (Huntrix Song) from “KPop Demon Hunters” was named Best Original Song at the 98th Academy Awards. It is now ranked among the Oscar-winning movie themes of all time, like The Way We Were, The Morning After, Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head, Evergreen, Up Where We Belong and I Just Called to Say I Love You, among others.
Not only that, the movie “KPop Demon Hunters” also won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Well, this one is not really earthshaking news. Remember South Korea already made its conquest of the Oscars at the 92nd Academy Awards when the movie “Parasite” won in four categories, including Best Picture and Best Foreign Film.
However, Golden’s victory is truly something for the books. While it is an incredibly infectious kind of K-Pop, it is also not the usual Hollywood movie theme. So, the Oscar win means that South Korean pop music has been accorded a most important recognition that solidifies its status as the prime genre of the times. That it captured the votes of the usually staid members of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is indeed quite an accomplishment.
Did you ever imagine a time when light sticks were being passed around during an Academy Awards ceremony? Well, thanks to Golden, it happened this year, and so it can be said that the K-pop invasion is now complete. Aside from this, Golden also became the first K-pop tune to win at the Grammys. It was named Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 68th Grammy Awards.
Golden is performed by the trio of Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami. They provide the singing voices to demon hunters Rumi, Mira and Zoey, disguised as the superstar girl group Huntrix in “K-Pop Demon Hunters.”
Released on Netflix last year, the movie is about the adventures of Huntrix who defends earth, especially their fans, from the evil machinations of demons masquerading as a boy band. Named Saja Boys, this is composed of Andrew Choi, Neckwav and Danny Chung.
Because it is set in the milieu of the music industry, “K-Pop Demon Hunters” also has a blockbuster soundtrack of K-pop originals. Aside from Golden, the album also includes songs like Takedown and Strategy by the famous girl group TWICE, plus What It Sounds Like, Free, In Another World and two by the evil and sexy Saja Boys, Your Idol and Soda Pop.
“KPop Demon Hunters” was a massive success worldwide as a movie not only on the Netflix platform, where it was the No. 1 film for months, but also when it was released in theaters in selected countries. Audiences were singing along in the cinemas. Because of this performance, work is now underway on a sequel with the same cast of characters and new original tunes, which might reach Netflix early in 2028.
Given all that has happened, it won’t be far-fetched to imagine “K-Pop Demon Hunters” as a stage musical. It has an interesting story, the right music for songs and dance numbers, and a following that spans ages. Think kids up to grandparents. This will be really big. Should this happen, will a Tony Award also be in its future?
And while we are at it, what do you think of a live-action version with real actors? Disney does this to its animated films all the time. The casting alone would already be big news. Who will play the Huntrix or the Saja Boys? Really, future money-making and award-raking possibilities for Golden and “K-Pop Demon Hunters” are endless.