'Golden' Claims Top Spots on Both UK and US Charts – A New Milestone in K-Pop History

"The Title Track" from Netflix’s animated series *KPop Demon Hunters*, titled "Golden," has simultaneously reached number one on the UK Official Singles Chart and the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The song first ascended to the top of the UK Official Singles Chart’s Top 100 on the 1st, followed by a victory at the summit of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on the 11th. "Golden"’s chart performance is exceptionally remarkable. It secured the first place on Billboard by accumulating 31.7 million streams, 7,000 sales, and 8.4 million radio play impressions. It overtook Alex Warren’s "Ordinary," which had dominated the charts for nine weeks prior, pushing Warren’s track to second place. This marks the first time in K-Pop history that a single has claimed the top positions on both major U.S. and British charts simultaneously. In 2012, Psy’s "Gangnam Style" reached number one on the UK Official Singles Chart but finished at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Conversely, BTS and its members Jimin and Jung Kook achieved number one on the Billboard Hot 100 but failed to top the UK Official Singles Chart. Notably, this achievement also represents the first instance of a female K-Pop artist reaching the peak of the Billboard Hot 100. The UK Official Charts similarly highlighted it in an article titled "HUNTR/X’s ‘Golden’ Marks First K-Pop No. 1 in 13 Years," stating it was the first success of its kind since 2012, when Psy created K-Pop’s first number one record with "Gangnam Style." The virtual girl group HUNTR/X, who perform "Golden," is composed of three women in the film who use the power of music to defend human souls against evil spirits. The members of HUNTR/X are composer Lee Jae, a former Trainee at SM Entertainment, American-Korean singer Audrey Nuuna, and Lay Amiro. The music industry classifies "Golden" as K-Pop. Billboard described it as "the first song by a female artist associated with K-Pop to dominate the Hot 100 chart," and its publisher, Republic Records in the U.S., also lists the *KPop Demon Hunters* OST album under the K-Pop genre on its official website. Experts explain that elements inherent in the content and the background of the composers should take precedence over the nationality of the production or distribution companies. This is similar to how *Squid Game* is recognized as a K-drama despite leveraging Netflix’s capital and platform. "Golden" was composed by Teddy and 24 from Double Black Label alongside Lee Jae, with Korean lyrics including phrases such as "in the dark path ahead," "forever unbreakable," and "we who shine brightly." The film features numerous Korean elements such as Seoul’s N Tower, Hanyang Doseong Fortress, subway stations, traditional patterns, Korean medicine clinics, and kimbap. Jim Robb, president and CEO of Republic Records in the U.S., suggested in a recent interview that the song’s success was unexpected, saying, "In the music and film industries, we must quickly respond when the universe speaks through our eyes and ears."