KPop Demon Hunters made history yet again on Sunday night when it took home the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media for “Golden,” the breakout single from its soundtrack.
Performed by the fictional girl group HUNTR/X, AKA EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, “Golden” is written by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Park Hong Jun AKA Teddy Park, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, and Jeong Hoon Seo. The Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media goes to its songwriters, most of whom were in attendance at Sunday’s ceremony.
A collective from the film stood up to receive the award, and producer Jeong Hoon Seo AKA 24 gave an acceptance speech in English and Korean. He specifically thanked Teddy Park, the “pioneer of K-pop,” whose prolific work as a producer has all but shaped the genre for more than two decades.
Speaking to press after their win, singer-songwriter EJAE said, “[I’m] so, so proud to be Korean. Growing up, people didn’t know where Korea was or what Korea was, and that’s why it’s so incredible to have the song ‘Golden’ being sung all over the world, singing the Korean lyrics word by word.
“It means so much and I think this award is about that representation,” she continued. “Today is about celebrating culture and music that unites all culture, and we need that right now. It’s a great honor to have.”
K-pop had a huge presence at the 86th annual Grammy Awards. In addition to KPDH‘s historic win, BLACKPINK star Rosé and her collaborator Bruno Mars opened the show with their single “APT.,” which was nominated in three categories, including the coveted Record and Song of the Year categories. The song’s producer, Cirkut, won Producer of the Year (Non-Classical), and its songwriter, Amy Allen, won Songwriter of the Year (Non-Classical), each for a bevy of songs including the chart-topping track.
KPop Demon Hunters received five nominations at this year’s Grammy Awards, in categories with stiff competition. The film additionally won two Golden Globes, including Best Original Song for “Golden,” and it’s nominated for two Academy Awards for Animated Feature Film and Music (Original Song), once again for “Golden.”
In addition to critical praise, KPDH has amassed a huge, active fandom, which seemed to spring up fully-formed almost overnight after its premiere on Netflix last summer. It is the most-watched film in Netflix history, and a sequel is slated for release in 2029.
KPop Demon Hunters follows Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo) as HUNTR/X, a girl group tasked with protecting the mortal realm from demons. They face a new challenge when the demon Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop) forms a boy group to try to sway the girls’ fans toward the demon realm. The fate of the world literally hinges upon their rivalry.
Source: Grammy Awards
