"This Is What It Looks like When Culture Takes Center Stage."
That’s how the Grammys’ official social media praised the Academy performance from "KPop Demon Hunters".
At the 98th Academy Awards held on the 16th (KST) at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, K-pop took over the Oscars. The Netflix film "KPop Demon Hunters", which sparked a K-content and K-pop craze last year, won Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song, earning recognition from the famously selective Academy.
As a Best Original Song nominee, "KPop Demon Hunters" delivered a celebratory performance. EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami―the voices behind in-film group Huntrix―amped up the ceremony with "Golden".
It was a top-tier showcase of Korean culture and K-pop’s pull. Inspired by traditional arts, the stage blended Korean dance, pansori (narrative singing), and janggu and samulnori percussion to mesmerizing effect.
The opening, echoing the film’s intro, featured a female pansori vocalist in hanbok, a dancer in a gat (traditional Korean hat) evoking “Saja Voice,” and roughly 20 samulnori drummers filling the stage. The vocalist sang the pansori section from the "KPop Demon Hunters" OST Hunters Mantra in Korean―without translation: “We will sing to light up the darkness. With this steadfast voice, we will mend this world.” In hanbok and full command, she introduced the beauty of pansori to a global audience.
Then the instantly recognizable "Golden" kicked in, and EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami appeared. Dressed in white, the trio owned the stage alongside dancers waving gold flags, sealing the moment with powerhouse live vocals.
The crowd’s response completed the moment. Hollywood’s biggest directors and actors waved light sticks in unison. Leonardo DiCaprio, Emma Stone, Timothée Chalamet―and even octogenarian Steven Spielberg and Chloé Zhao―joined in.
To ensure the "Golden" stage landed, the Academy handed out light sticks to attendees in advance. A printed card read, “Help light up the 'Golden' performance. When the song begins, please put on your wristband or hold your light stick high. We’ll make an announcement before the commercials so you can get ready.”
The result wasn’t a one-way showcase from the "KPop Demon Hunters" team―it was a true exchange between artists and audience. In just about three minutes, Part 1 celebrated Korean tradition; Part 2 soared with "Golden"’s cathartic vocals. It was one of the night’s standout moments.
Six years after Parasite swept the ceremony with four wins, K-content once again stood at the center of the Academy’s stage―another milestone.
"KPop Demon Hunters" took home two awards: Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song. Co-director Maggie Kang said, “To all the fans who got us here and for all of those who look like me, I am so sorry that it took us so long to see us in a movie like this,” adding, “This is for Korea and for Koreans everywhere.”
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(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)
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