KPop Demon Hunters makes Oscars history with Best Original Song win

16 March 2026, 07:12

By Katie Louise Smith

'Golden' is the first ever K-pop song to win Best Original Song at the Academy Awards.

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It was truly a golden moment for KPop Demon Hunters at the Oscars last night (Mar 15) as the Netflix animated smash hit picked up two Academy Awards, making history in the process.

Released on Netflix in June 2025, KPop Demon Hunters has become the streaming service's most-streamed film of all time. It's now also joined the Oscar-winning animated film hall of fame, as it picked up Best Animated Feature.

The movie also won Best Original Song for 'Golden', making it the first ever K-pop song to win the prestigious award.

KPop Demon Hunters won two Oscars. Picture: Getty

Ejae, one third of the HUNTR/X trio who also co-wrote the song, gave a moving speech when she went up on stage to collect the award.

"Growing up, people made fun of me for liking K-pop, but now everyone's singing our song and all the Korean lyrics, I'm so proud,” she said, close to tears.

"And I realised, lke the song, this award is not about success, it’s about resilience, and I’m just so grateful to our team."

Ejae was joined by Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, who provide the singing voices for HUNTR/X in the film, to perform the song during the ceremony. And, in true K-pop concert experience fashion, the audience were also given lightsticks.

Rei Ami, Ejae and Audrey Nuna perform 'Golden' at the Oscars on March 15th. Picture: Getty

In case you missed the exciting news, it's just been confirmed that Kpop Demon Hunters 2 is on the way.

In a post on social media, co-director Maggie Kang, said: "There's so much more to this world we have built and I'm excited to show you. This is only the beginning."

Another Oscar win incominggggg!