'Golden' Redefines the K-Pop Category... K-Pop Recognized as a Style by the International Music Market

As Netflix’s animated series *KPop Demon Hunters*’ theme song “Golden” simultaneously topped the Billboard and UK Official Charts, debates surrounding the definition of “K-Pop” have intensified. On the surface, it appears difficult to classify “Golden” as K-Pop. *KPop Demon Hunters* was produced by American Sony Pictures Animation and released via Netflix in the United States. The song “Golden,” performed by the virtual girl group HUNTR/X featuring American-Korean members Annie, May, Hana, Kei, Fei, and E-Tion, was issued through Republic Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music based in the U.S. In other words, both the capital invested and the production entities are located outside South Korea. Interestingly, however, the mainstream Western music market categorizes “Golden” as K-Pop. Billboard mentioned BTS members Jung Kook and Jimin while describing “Golden” as “the first ‘Hot 100’ No. 1 song by female artists associated with K-Pop.” The UK Official Singles Chart went even further, explicitly stating that “HUNTR/X’s ‘Golden’ marks K-Pop’s first No. 1 in 13 years,” and Republic Records, the U.S. distributor, also lists this album under the K-Pop genre on its official website. Experts view this phenomenon as evidence of evolving concepts surrounding K-Pop. Lee Dong-yeon, a professor in Korean Arts at the Korea National University of the Arts, explained, “From a production and distribution perspective, *KPop Demon Hunters* is hard to consider Korean content, but since its narrative, music, and overall style rely on K-Pop, it can be viewed as K-content, giving it a dual nature.” He added, “Given that the production, investment, and distribution of content like K-Pop now occur globally on a multinational scale, asking whether it is K-content is outdated. While ‘K-content’ can simply be determined by whether Koreans or Korean capital are involved in production, just as the term ‘Hong Kong film’ once referred to anything with a ‘Hong Kong-like’ quality beyond the director’s origin, ‘K’ can also be seen as a distinct trend or style.” There are additional factors supporting the classification of “Golden” as K-Pop. First is the composition team. Teddy, a renowned music producer from the K-Pop agency The Black Label, co-wrote “Golden” with Annie, and producers affiliated with The Black Label have also created other OST tracks such as “Your Idol” and “Soda Pop.” The lyrics include Korean phrases like “in the dark path ahead,” “forever unbreakable,” and “we who shine brightly.” The setting in the *KPop Demon Hunters* movie further supports this classification. Familiar Seoul landmarks such as N Tower, Hanyang Fortress, and subway stations appear alongside significant Korean elements like traditional patterns, Korean medicine clinics, and kimbap. A music label official stated, “Since the songwriter is part of the K-Pop industry and the song style itself falls under the K-Pop category, it seems appropriate to classify it as K-Pop. Nowadays, the mainstream music market has settled on viewing ‘idol groups performing and singing with dazzling choreography’ as part of the K-Pop genre.” Such discussions ultimately raise questions about the fundamental definition of K-Pop. As K-Pop gains influence in global markets, groups composed entirely of foreigners and songs with 100% English lyrics are also being released. It has become difficult to equate K-Pop simply with Korean popular music. Han Se-min, chairman of Titan Content and formerly involved in BoA’s entry into the U.S. market under SM Entertainment, recently defined K-Pop as “the product of a comprehensive system systematically built by Korean creators.” In conclusion, “Golden’s” inclusion in the K-Pop category serves as an example showing that K-Pop is recognized by the international music market not just as music from a specific country but as a genre in its own right as a distinct style.