Netflix has confirmed that โGoldenโ is the song from the red-hot KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack that it will enter for Academy Award consideration. The upbeat pop song was co-written by Kim Eun-jae (who is also known by her stage name EJAE) and Mark Sonnenblick.
If the song is nominated for best original song in January, EJAE will become just the second songwriter of Korean descent to receive an Oscar nomination. Karen O, whose mother is Korean, was nominated at the 2013 ceremony for co-writing โThe Moon Songโ with Spike Jonze for his film Her. Karen O also performed the song at the ceremony, in tandem with Ezra Koenig.
EJAE performs โGoldenโ in KPop Demon Hunters as part of the fictional K-pop girl group Huntr/x. The group consists of Rumi, Mira and Zoey, whose singing voices are performed byย EJAE,ย Audrey Nuna andย Rei Ami, respectively. The film was released onย Netflixย on June 20.
โGoldenโ will vault from No. 81 to No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 that will be posted tomorrow, which makes it the highest ranking of seven songs from the soundtrack. The song is also a global smash. It leaps from No. 52 to No. 2 on the Billboard Global 200 this week, and from No. 51 to No. 5 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart.
โGoldenโ is vying to become the first song from an animated film to receive an Oscar nomination since โDos Oruguitasโ from Encanto, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, which was nominated four years ago.
EJAE is a South Korean and American singer-songwriter and record producer known for her work with Red Velvet, aespa, LE SSERAFIM, NMIXX, TWICE, Kard and other South Korean artists.
Sonnenblickโs previous credits include co-writing the lyrics for the musical adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada.
The Oscar submission deadline in the best original song category is Wednesday, Oct. 15. ย Oscar shortlists in 10 categories, including best original song, will be announced on Tuesday, Dec. 16. Nominations will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 22. The 2026 Oscars will be presented on Sunday, March 2.
The six other songs from KPop Demon Hunters on this weekโs Hot 100 are โYour Idolโ (which vaults from No. 77 to No. 31) and five debuts: โHow Itโs Doneโ (No. 42), โSoda Popโ (No. 49), โWhat It Sounds Likeโ (No. 55), โFreeโ (No. 58) and โTakedownโ (No. 64).