"Golden" Writes New Chapter for K-Pop at Billboard and Oscars

"The Golden" from Netflix’s animated film *KPop Demon Hunters* set a record as the longest-charting K-Pop song on the Billboard Digital Song Sales chart and won the Original Song award at the Academy Awards, further solidifying K-Pop’s global influence. Composer Lee Jae achieved fame by winning an Oscar after more than 10 years as a Trainee.

"On the 2nd (local time), 'Golden' remained on the Billboard Digital Song Sales chart for 39 consecutive weeks. This matches exactly the record set by ROSÉ and Bruno Mars’ collaboration 'APT.'", which was also the longest run for a K-Pop song. The Digital Song Sales chart tracks weekly digital song sales in the United States across platforms such as iTunes and Amazon, and this is the first time a K-Pop track has lasted 39 weeks on it.

"Notably, 'Golden' topped the chart for a total of 6 weeks, marking the third-longest reign at number one among K-Pop songs. In contrast, 'APT.' only held the top spot for 1 week, demonstrating that 'Golden' achieved more sustained success despite having a similar total duration. This week, 'Golden' saw sales of approximately 2,600 copies, down from 5,750 copies the previous week."

"The success of 'Golden' extends beyond the Billboard chart to various other categories. It rose from 8th to 5th on the Adult Contemporary chart, with this being the first time a K-Pop song has entered the top 5 of that chart. Additionally, it stayed on the Adult Pop Airplay chart for the 33rd week, breaking the previous record held by 'APT.' which lasted 32 weeks."

"'Golden' has already won multiple trophies at international music awards. In February, it became the first K-Pop song to win a Grammy award (for Best Music Video). On the 15th of last month, it received the Original Song award at the Academy Awards, becoming the first K-Pop song to do so. At that same Academy Awards ceremony, *KPop Demon Hunters* also won the Best Animated Feature award, achieving two wins."

"The vocals for 'Golden' were provided by EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and REI AMI. In her acceptance speech, EJAE cried while saying, "When I was young, I was teased for liking K-Pop, but now everyone is singing along to the Korean lyrics. This award is about resilience, not just success.""

"Lee Jae, who played a key role in composing this song, is a unique success story in the K-Pop industry. He served as a Trainee at SM Entertainment for over 10 years but failed to debut. Later, he moved to the United States, studied music industry practices at New York University, and began a second career as a composer. By chance, he met the famous composer Shin Sadong Horangi, after which he contributed as a composer to songs by singer Hanni, RED Velvet’s "Psycho," and aespa’s "Drama."

"Lee Jae joined *KPop Demon Hunters* in 2020, providing the voice and vocals for "Rumi," the Leader of the girl group "HUNTR/X" who hunts demons. Released in June of last year, this animated series surpassed 500 million global views on Netflix, setting a record for the most-watched Netflix content ever. It triggered a global K-Pop phenomenon by winning awards at major international ceremonies such as the Golden Globes, Grammys, and Oscars. Netflix and Sony Pictures officially confirmed the production of a sequel last month."