![\"EJAE,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/179d2360-2683-4fd7-8346-a0cb9a41c4bc.jpg\")
<\/p>\nFor years, EJAE\u2019s low, husky voice was dismissed as a flaw in the polished world of K-pop. Today, it\u2019s the sound behind \u201cGolden,\u201d the soaring anthem from Netflix\u2019s hit animated film \u201cKPop Demon Hunters\u201d that catapulted her to global fame. <\/p>\n
The Korean American singer-songwriter, who both composed the track and performed it alongside vocalists Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, reflected on her path to becoming the voice of the film\u2019s protagonist Rumi during a press conference in Seoul Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThinking back to my time as an SM trainee until I became who I am now, I believe everything happens when the time is right. Everything seems to have a reason,\u201d EJAE said.<\/p>\n
EJAE, whose real name is Kim Eun-jae, wrote other songs for the film\u2019s soundtrack, including \u201cYour Idol\u201d and \u201cWhat It Sounds Like.\u201d The sudden international attention she\u2019s received since the film\u2019s release has been both overwhelming and gratifying.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo months ago, I was just a composer, but suddenly I\u2019m receiving such great love and attention, which is very new to me,\u201d EJAE said. \u201cEvery day is amazing, and I\u2019m trying to adjust.\u201d<\/p>\n
Released in June, \u201cKPop Demon Hunters\u201d tells the story of Huntrix, a K-pop girl group that moonlights as a demon-hunting trio.<\/p>\n
The film\u2019s soundtrack is led by \u201cGolden,\u201d a globally popular hit that spent eight consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.<\/p>\n
EJAE\u2019s experience as a trainee, where her unconventional vocal tone was considered a disadvantage, allowed her to sympathize deeply with Rumi\u2019s story of overcoming personal odds.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understood Rumi\u2019s desire to acknowledge and overcome her shortcomings,\u201d she said, adding that this struggle inspired the powerful high notes in \u201cGolden,\u201d which carry the song\u2019s message of moving from hardship to hope.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
EJAE, the composer and vocalist of the globally popular song \u201cGolden\u201d from the Netflix animated film \u201cKPop Demon Hunters,\u201d attends a press conference at a theater in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Netflix<\/p>\n
EJAE said her main goal in creating the music for \u201cKPop Demon Hunters\u201d was to show off something about Korean identity.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was the most important for \u2018KPop Demon Hunters\u2019 to show Korean culture, so I absolutely included Korean lyrics,\u201d she emphasized.<\/p>\n
She also expressed pride in seeing fans around the globe embrace the Korean words in the lyrics.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt sing-along events in the U.S., non-Koreans sing the chorus parts in Korean, and that is very amazing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The artist named K-pop heavyweights aespa and BTS as artists she would like to collaborate with.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think aespa and my style would align well,\u201d she said, and praised BTS\u2019 vocal talent, adding, \u201cJungkook sings so incredibly well, doesn\u2019t he?\u201d EJAE also mentioned Ailee as the Korean singer she felt would be a perfect match for \u201cGolden.\u201d<\/p>\n
Offering encouragement to young artists and trainees, EJAE highlighted how important it is to keep going and have the right mindset.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most important thing is the attitude of giving 100 percent, even if it\u2019s a small opportunity, even when you feel frustrated,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
EJAE added that she believes K-pop should keep its unique style even as it goes global.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that for K-pop, it\u2019s better to focus on the Korean aspects rather than trying to go too pop. Fusion is key because just focusing on Korean culture might not be understood by local audiences, but even in that fusion, the \u2018kimchi\u2019 must remain,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For years, EJAE\u2019s low, husky voice was dismissed as a flaw in the polished world of K-pop. Today,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":215380,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[64,63,134,136],"class_list":["post-215379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-entertainment","tag-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=215379"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215379\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/215380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=215379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=215379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=215379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}