Golden (Huntrix song)

• 1. A Cartoon Band's Hit

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  "Golden" is a pop song sung by Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, yet the group credited on the record does not exist. Huntrix is a fictional K-pop girl group from the 2025 animated film KPop Demon Hunters, and the three singers voice its members. Even so, the song has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. That places it among the highest certified singles of all time. A cartoon band is not supposed to outsell the real thing. This documentary asks how a song written for one scene in a film escaped the screen. It asks what the film needed the song to say, why a single note near the top of the melody drew so much attention, and what the writers borrowed from hip-hop to build it. It also follows the song onto late-night television, across record charts, and into the awards season that followed.

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• 2. Inside The Film

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  On the 20th of June 2025, Netflix released KPop Demon Hunters, and the soundtrack album arrived the same day with "Golden" as its fourth track. The film follows Huntrix, made up of Rumi, Mira and Zoey. Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami provide their singing voices, in that order.

  Inside the story, "Golden" is the group's newest release. Its job is to bring about the Golden Honmoon, a permanent magical barrier against the demons Huntrix fights. While the song plays, the audience learns that Rumi is secretly half-demon.

  Ian Eisendrath, executive producer of the soundtrack album, called it an "I Want" song. That is the musical-theater term for the number in which a character reveals what drives them. He said it explores the characters' purpose while also dwelling on Rumi's private thoughts. Those thoughts surface in the bridge, where the sound moves from "inspirational pop" to a slightly darker "sotto voce".

  More than 90 percent of the lyrics are in English, according to the Chosun Daily. Even so, a few key moments use Korean, such as "eoduwajin", meaning darkened, and "yeongwonhi ggaejil su eomneun", meaning unbreakable forever. The newspaper said those words preserve the song's K-pop identity.

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• 3. Writing The Song

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  Five or six songs had already been written for that slot in the film, Eisendrath recalled, and the team kept developing material until the energy felt right. He described the directors as tough customers in the best possible way, with a real vision for what the moment needed. During production the song carried the working title "Gold".

  Danny Chung, who worked and performed on the soundtrack, said "Golden" was the last song to be truly locked in. The instrumental changed several times before it settled. Ejae and Mark Sonnenblick co-wrote the final version under Eisendrath's guidance.

  Co-director Chris Appelhans said the song follows the conventions of a traditional musical while also working as a great pop song. In his words, a good pop song also tells a story. In a Reddit "Ask Me Anything" session, he named Biggie's "Juicy" and "Forever" by Drake, Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Eminem as inspirations. Those tracks showed the writers how a pop song could be a biography about starting as a nobody and finding yourself.

  The song is in G major and spans three octaves, reaching a high A at A5. Music critic Lim Hee-yoon wrote that such a high note in the third octave is rarely used in idol songs, and he said it added freshness. Ars Technica called the range impressive and said A5 is usually reserved for classically trained operatic sopranos.

  Ejae told Korea JoongAng Daily that she wrote a challenging vocal line on purpose. It was meant to mirror Rumi's vocal prowess and her fierce determination to seal the Honmoon. She added that she simply followed the melody, and suddenly she was hitting an A5.

  Co-director Maggie Kang said the team asked Ejae to sing the highest notes she possibly could in many of the film's songs, including this one. The Washington Post reported that Kang wanted listeners to feel what it is like when an artist pours talent, effort and physical struggle into hitting a note.

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• 4. Release And Stage

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  Republic Records released "Golden" as a single on the 4th of July 2025, alongside instrumental and a cappella versions. The label also announced that the song would be submitted for awards consideration. Billboard reported that after the soundtrack's streaming surge in its second week, Republic hurried to get the song to top 40 radio stations, with an impact date of the 8th of July.

  The first live outing was brief. On the 4th of October 2025, the Saturday Night Live season 51 premiere used an abbreviated version in a sketch where host Bad Bunny's character gushed about his love for the movie. Three days later, on the 7th of October, Ejae, Nuna and Rei Ami performed the full song live for the first time on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. They also appeared at Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in New York.

  On the 8th of January 2026, the trio brought a new symphonic arrangement to Jimmy Kimmel Live!. That version, "Golden (Glowin' Version)", was released the following day. Also in January 2026, the official lyric video passed 1 billion views on YouTube, and "Golden" was announced as one of two live musical performances at the 98th Academy Awards in March 2026.

  Other artists have taken up the song too. K-pop singers including An Yu-jin, Bada, Lee Hae-ri, Kwon Jin-ah, Kwon Soon-il and Jung Eun-ji posted covers on YouTube. Babymonster performed it at the 2025 MAMA Awards, and Katherine Jenkins sang it with solo piano and orchestra at the 2025 Royal Variety Performance. At Coachella 2026, Katseye played it and were joined on stage by Ejae, Nuna and Ami.

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• 5. Critics And Fans

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  Debashree Dutta of Rolling Stone India called "Golden" "an infectious electropop track" and said it portrays the characters' growth as guardians of humanity. Angela Garcia of SLUG Magazine grouped it with "Your Idol" as an energetic song with infectious melodies. Sarah Carey of That Hashtag Show described a passionately emotional song that listeners put on when they need to remember who they are.

  Anne Branigin of The Washington Post measured its reach in covers and lip-synching videos on TikTok and Instagram, in dance, vocal and instrumental form. She noted that real-life K-pop idols are fans, sharing their own takes on the dances and songs. She also pointed to a rare feat for a K-pop song, steady play on American radio. From the 1st to the 7th of August, its radio audience impressions surged by more than 70 percent.

  Billboard's Jason Lipshutz called it a unifying anthem for Huntrix, with soaring melodies. In his view, it was built to be a smash inside the movie's world and proved strong enough to be one in the real world. Abby Webster named it the centerpiece of the soundtrack and said it satisfies emotionally even for someone who has not seen the film, though the film heightens it.

  Chris Molanphy of Slate called it "well-crafted inspirational pop". He likened it to an American Idol coronation song or a Disney "I want" number run through the K-pop machine. He said it is an empowerment anthem that fans can relate to individually and parasocially, a theme the film itself explores. He credited the soundtrack with injecting a pop surprise into a 2025 landscape clogged with holdovers from 2024, including Alex Warren's ballad "Ordinary".

  Mackenzie Schmidt of People said it was ticking every box of a song of the summer and had captivated a massive and diverse fandom. Aimee Hart of Polygon later compared the Glowin' Version with the original. She heard a much softer, melodic performance, with harmonies among Ejae, Nuna and Ami that feel more distinct and almost ethereal.

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• 6. Record Books

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  The week of the 19th of July 2025 brought a double crown, as "Golden" reached number one on both the Billboard Global 200 and the Billboard Global Excl. US chart. Across the next five months it held the top spot for eighteen non-consecutive weeks, ending on the 13th of December.

  The American climb began in late June. According to Billboard, the song drew seven million U.S. streams from the 27th to the 30th of June, a 272 percent jump over the previous week. In the first week of July it debuted at number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 63 on the Canadian Hot 100. Two weeks later it was in the top ten of both, and it later reached number one in both countries.

  Billboard listed several milestones. Huntrix became the first all-women collective of three or more members to top the U.S. chart since Destiny's Child with "Bootylicious" in 2001. It was also the first fictional act to do so since "We Don't Talk About Bruno" in 2022. "Golden" was the ninth song tied to Korean pop to top the Hot 100 and the first by female lead vocalists. Vulture noted that the other eight were BTS songs or solos by BTS members.

  In its fifth non-consecutive week at number one, the song passed The Chipmunks' "The Chipmunk Song" from 1958 and The Archies' "Sugar, Sugar" from 1969. Each of those had spent four weeks on top. That made "Golden" the longest-leading hit by an animated act.

  Streaming records came first. On the 3rd of July, the song reached number two on the U.S. Spotify daily chart, and the BBC noted it had passed Blackpink as the highest-charting female K-pop group. On the 8th of July it hit number one there, a first for a female K-pop group. It also debuted at number 7 on the U.S. Streaming Songs chart, the first song credited to a fictional act to reach that chart's top 10 in its 12-year history. It was the first song from an animated film to do so since tracks from Encanto in 2021.

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• 7. Around The World

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  In South Korea, "Golden" reached number one on the Circle Digital Chart and debuted at number two on the weekly Global K-pop Chart. It became the third song to earn a perfect all-kill in 2025, and it later broke the record for the most hourly perfect all-kills ever. In Malaysia and Singapore it topped the official charts. It peaked at number two on Billboard Philippines Hot 100 and at number seven on the Japan Hot 100. Oricon counted 51,073 digital copies sold in Japan as of the 5th of April 2026.

  Germany's GfK Top 100 Singles chart first showed the song at number 27. It jumped to number nine the next week and reached number one in the week of the 8th of August. Austria's Ö3 Top 40 saw a debut at number 30, then five straight weeks at number two, then seven weeks at number one.

  In Switzerland, the song debuted at number 39 and sat at number two for seven consecutive weeks. It then dethroned Alex Warren's "Ordinary", ending that song's 25-week run on top, and held number one for three weeks. Ireland gave it a peak of number two. Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands and Spain all put it at number one.

  The United Kingdom was a landmark. In the week beginning the 1st of August, "Golden" reached number one on the UK Singles Chart. It became the second K-pop song to do so, after Psy's "Gangnam Style". It was also the first fictional band at number one since "The Official BBC Children in Need Medley" in 2009. It went on to spend ten non-consecutive weeks on top, passing "Sugar, Sugar" as the longest-running number one by a fictional act.

  In Australia, the song debuted at number eight on the ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart. In New Zealand it debuted at number five on the Top 40 Singles chart. It later rose to number one in both countries. In the 2025 year-end rankings, it placed second in both Australia and New Zealand, fourth in the UK, and fifth in Germany.

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• 8. Awards And Year-End Lists

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  At the 68th Grammy Awards, "Golden" received four nominations. They were Song of the Year, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, Best Song Written for Visual Media, and Best Remixed Recording for the David Guetta remix. It won Best Song Written for Visual Media. That made it the first K-pop song to win a Grammy Award, and the first to win an Academy Award.

  The Academy Award came in the Best Original Song category. The song also received the Critics' Choice Award and the Golden Globe Award. Its name also appears across a long list of other ceremonies, from the MTV Video Music Awards, where it was entered for Song of Summer, to the MAMA Awards, the Brit Awards and the American Music Awards. Film critics' groups from Las Vegas to Georgia to New Jersey listed it among their Best Original Song categories.

  Year-end lists followed. Billboard placed it among The 100 Best Songs of 2025, and NME and Rolling Stone India included it in their rankings of the best K-pop songs of the year. Rolling Stone Korea named it Song of the Year. TikTok Korea listed it in its Year in Music, and YouTube and YouTube Korea named it among the top songs and most popular Shorts songs.

  The standard recording runs only 3 minutes and 14 seconds. The David Guetta remix is shorter, at 2 minutes and 56 seconds, and the Glowin' Version runs 3 minutes and 10 seconds.

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