'Golden' Holds Billboard No. 1 for 8 Consecutive Weeks; First Female-Vocal Hot 100 Chart-Topping Song in K-POP History

Since its release in June, when A.J., Audrey Nuuna, and Lay Aimi—voice actors and singers for KPop Demon Hunters—covered songs for the film’s animated characters—their musical success has surpassed expectations. The film’s title track, "Golden," became the first hit led by female vocalists to top the Billboard Hot 100, holding that position for 8 consecutive weeks. It also became the song with the longest reign at No. 1 on the 2025 Global 200 chart and recorded the longest chart dominance among tracks released during the first three months of the film’s release. A.J. recently received some good news; she revealed that the melody for "Golden" came to her while on her way to a dental appointment. She said she heard the "beautiful intro" and feared forgetting it, so she wrote it down on her phone. On October 7, the three voice actor-singers performed "Golden" live for the first time on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Fallon then announced as a surprise that their OST had earned RIAA platinum certification (over 1 million units sold in the United States). A.J., Audrey Nuuna, and Lay Aimi were moved to tears by this news. The entire OST album achieved platinum certification, with several tracks from the film also reaching platinum individually. HUNTR/X’s songs "How It's Done" and "What It Sounds Like," as well as the villain group Lion Boyz’s songs "Soda Pop" and "Your Idol," all sold over 1 million units in the U.S. "Golden" received double platinum certification. The OST also delivered outstanding results on the Billboard 200 album chart. Rising from No. 2 to No. 1 in early October, it became the only album in K-POP history to top the Billboard 200 twice. This is a record even K-POP giants such as STRAY KIDS, BTS, BLACKPINK, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, NewJeans, and TWICE have not achieved. Although it dropped to No. 3 on the previous week’s chart due to Cardi B’s new album "M.I. The Drama," it returned to No. 1 this week. The three voice actor-singers received massive national attention by appearing on SNL (October 4) and The Tonight Show (October 7). In an interview with Fallon, Lay Aimi said she became emotionally affected when she heard a 5-year-old child singing "Golden" loudly at an H-Mart in LA. She explained, "It’s different hearing the song on the radio compared to hearing it directly from a child," adding that she cried at the H-Mart. Audrey Nuuna stated that although she usually took a long time to process her emotions right after the film’s release, she cried within 5 minutes after the premiere. She explained that she was emotionally moved by seeing Korean culture represented so powerfully in a way she could never have imagined as a child. The harmonious vocals and high-range vocal techniques of the three voice actors remained as stable in live performances as they were in the film’s soundtrack.