It’s rising, it’s rising, it’s rising!
“KPop Demon Hunters” won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and Best Animated Feature.
The original song award went to songwriters EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, and Lee Hee-joon.
EJAE tearfully said, “When I was little, I tried hard for 10 years to fulfill my one dream of becoming a K-pop idol, but I was rejected, and I felt sad that my voice wasn’t good enough.” She continued, “I’m so happy to be a part of this song that helps other girls, other queens, and people of all ages overcome hardships to accept themselves.”
After Sonnenblick thanked the teams at Netflix and Sony Animation, EJAE dedicated the award to “those who have had doors closed to them, and to never give up, and we can confidently say: ‘Rejection is a change of direction.'” He quoted the lyrics of “Golden” and concluded, “It’s never too late to shine like the day you were born.”
Also nominated for Best Original Song were “Dream as One” from “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” “I Lied to You” from “Sinners,” “No Place Like Home” and “The Girl in the Bubble” from “Wicked: For Good,” and “Train Dreams” from “Train Dreams.”
Among anime, it surpassed “Arco,” “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Mugen Castle,” “Erio,” “Little Amelie: Characters in the Rain,” and “Zootopia 2.”
Maggie Kang, who co-directed the film with Chris Appelhans, became the first Asian woman to win in this category. The first Asian winner was Hayao Miyazaki (The Boy and the Heron) in 2023.
In his speech, director Kang expressed his gratitude to everyone who “believed that this film is deeply rooted in Korean culture.” She added, “Through this film, we wanted to portray a female character, the way we know women, which is really strong and bold and really silly and weird and really hungry and sometimes a little thirsty.”
The win comes a week after the Netflix hit was named Best Animated Feature and the chart-topping hit “Golden” won Best Original Song at the Critics’ Choice Awards.
EJAE previously told Variety, “One of the biggest assets I brought to the film and to writing the songs was being bilingual. It was important to co-director Maggie Kang that the lyrics had Korean in them. I love that it’s not just the lyrics, but the actual songs have Korean in them as well.”
Last year, Ami Ray, who provided Zoe’s singing voice in the film, spoke about the film’s success. She told Variety magazine, “As women of color and Korean women, we were often told that we had to work twice as hard, come to work earlier, and present ourselves more than the average woman in order to receive the same praise and recognition.” She continued, “I think we can all relate to how hard we’ve worked as individuals to get to this point, and then we come together as a group and create this beautiful synchronicity that impacts the world. And they’ve been so welcoming to us.”
“KPop Demon Hunters” was nominated for a total of 3 categories at the Golden Globe Awards, including Best Animated Film, Best Film, Best Box Office Performance, and Best Original Song for “Golden.”
Since its release on Netflix in June, the film has held the number one spot for several weeks, making it the streamer’s most popular film of all time. Meanwhile, three of his original songs – “Golden,” “Your Idol” and “Soda Pop” – are mainstays on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. Last month, the song was nominated for three Grammy Awards, including the coveted song of the year for “Golden.”
Other film and box office nominations include Avatar: Fire and Ashes, F1: The Movie, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Sinners, Weapons, Wicked: For Good and Zootopia 2.
“KPop Demon Hunters” has become such a huge phenomenon that Netflix, which hates theatrical releases, has decided to release a sing-along version of the movie in theaters at fan events in August and October. In its first go-around, “KPop Demon Hunters” grossed approximately $18 million in two days. Then, around Halloween, the film raked in between $5 million and $6 million, which is remarkable considering the film has been widely available on streaming for several months.
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See all Golden Globe winners here.
