‘KPop Demon Hunters’ ‘Golden’ Performance Electrifies at Oscars — Fans React

Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters was nominated for Best Song for its impossible-to-escape hit single, “Golden,” and ultimately took home the Oscar. In the film, Rumi, Mira, and Zoey, voiced by singers Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, use the song to strengthen the Honmoon, a barrier that protects humanity. And at the Oscars, it seemed to create a barrier of its own between every other nominee and Oscar gold, emerging as the winner.

The performance of “Golden” featured the trio with an entrance that introduced the fictional group’s backstory, followed by the three songstresses standing out amid a sea of yellow silk-clad, choreographed flag dancers. The Oscar audience was given K-pop lightsticks, which are generally called eungwonbong in Korean, which translates to “cheering stick” or “support rod.”

After the film won Best Animated Film earlier in the night, the performance of “Golden” was a highlight of the awards ceremony. Since its June 2025 release, the animated film and its soundtrack have become a global sensation, shattering records along the way. The movie became the streamer’s most popular animated film of all time, while “Golden” turned into the song of the summer.

Fans of the song and the film took to X to offer their thoughts on the shortened version of the performance, which many adored despite the abbreviated length.

“You know people will riot if ‘Golden’ doesn’t win,” wrote one fan after the performance

The Golden performance was honestly so gorgeous- I’m still in awe #oscars

— Jade R J |♦️🖤🦆|🛹🌭🐐 (@jaderj1209) March 16, 2026

THEY SANG GOLDEN IN THE OSCARS pic.twitter.com/kb9f2g2ioK

— ♪𓈒 (@puddinsitto) March 16, 2026

Featuring nine original songs, the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack has made history as the first soundtrack with four simultaneous Top 10 songs on the Billboard Hot 100. And according to Tudum, the soundtrack has racked up more than 3 billion global streams.

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The performance of “Golden” was a highlight not just because the single was a standout from the film’s soundtrack, but also because of the emotional delivery and story behind the song that turned the moment into one of the night’s most memorable musical showcases.

Ejae, who voices Rumi, was once a would-be K-pop idol herself, but after she left her trainee position at SM Entertainment in 2015 after 12 years of training without debuting, a move she described as heartbreaking while a guest on the Zach Sang Show. She later reinvented herself as a songwriter and producer, notably creating the melody for Red Velvet’s “Psycho,” as well as Aespa (“Drama,” “Armageddon,” “Kill It”), Twice (“Last Waltz,” “Pieces of Love,” “Flow like waves”), and Bae Suzy (“Oh My!”).

In a touching Instagram post from last August, she expressed her gratitude, clearly humbled by the situation.  “My dream ever since I gave up being a K-pop idol and chose to be a songwriter was to write a top hot 100 song in the U.S… and getting #1 felt impossible,” she wrote. “Thank you to everyone who made that possible. Thank you to everyone who’s been showering so much love and support for the music and movie.”

 

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When she went to get her Oscar, she said at the podium, “I realized, like the song, this award is not about the success, it’s about the resiliance. And I’m just so grateful to it.”