![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/62f404a0704c749a7ba68302ecc6f33d7f-ejae-lede.rvertical.w570.jpg\")
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\n Photo: Tim Westover\/TIM W WESTOVER\n <\/p>\n
Last week, EJAE was posing on the carpet<\/a> for the Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles. The week before, after surviving bouts of bronchitis, then COVID, then a cold, she\u2019d performed<\/a> on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in New York, alongside Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami. In between her bicoastal appearances, she flew to Korea and said on a radio show that she\u2019s been so busy that she\u2019s only had time to sleep for three to four hours a night. All because she\u2019s one of three singing voices behind the fictional girl group Huntr\/x, the protagonists of Netflix\u2019s most watched film of all time, KPop Demon Hunters \u2014 as well as a main songwriter for the soundtrack that has hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 twice.<\/p>\n By the time we spoke, the 33-year-old Brooklyn-based artist, born Eunjae Kim in Seoul, was back at home in Prospect Heights, fresh off 15 hours of sleep. \u201cI\u2019ve never experienced anything like this in my life,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m fine for now, but I feel just \u2026 numb.\u201d The mania is far from over. The KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack is currently only behind Taylor Swift on the \u201cBillboard\u201d albums chart, and the film is expected to vie for nominations at both the Grammys and the Oscars. As of Wednesday, EJAE is officially signed<\/a> to talent agency WME, and the singing voices of Huntr\/x are booked<\/a> for their first live concert appearance.<\/p>\n Her stardom feels sudden, but it\u2019s the result of a process decades in the making. In 2003, at age 11, EJAE began training to be a K-pop idol at juggernaut label SM Entertainment. After a dozen years in the business and zero debuts as a solo idol or group, SM dropped her in 2015. She pivoted to music production \u2014\u00a0she graduated from New York University, where she studied music and psychology \u2014\u00a0and ended up finding herself back at SM in 2017 for a songwriting camp where she wrote the melody for Red Velvet\u2019s hit song \u201cPsycho\u201d in 30 minutes. She went on to write, vocal direct, and contribute background vocals for several other K-pop groups<\/a>. Her success as a behind-the-scenes artist garnered the attention of the KPop Demon Hunters producers, who, after listening to her demos, asked her to not only write for the movie but provide the vocals for its star. When she was a K-pop trainee, her voice was considered too dark and not feminine enough, but as Rumi, she hits a jaw-dropping A5 note that\u2019s helped \u201cGolden\u201d top charts in more than 25 countries.<\/p>\n The success has rightfully motivated EJAE to rethink her decision to operate primarily in the background of other K-pop artists\u2019 careers. This week, she released her first single, a piano-heavy ballad titled \u201cIn Another World,\u201d relieving fans who will no longer have to turn to old K-pop<\/a> demos<\/a> or clips of her covering Whitney Houston as a teenager<\/a> in order to hear her isolated singing voice. As she waits to hear more about a KPDH sequel and potential performances as Huntr\/x at the Grammys or Oscars, she says she\u2019ll be focused on continuing to write for herself and others. \u201cMy life has literally flipped 180,\u201d she says. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of people who have reached out.\u201d<\/p>\n You\u2019ve said that as a solo artist, you want to explore a lot of different genres, including R&B, rap, jazz, rock. What made you decide to kick this era off with a ballad? How long have you two been together?\u00a0 You previously wrote \u201cPsycho\u201d about fighting with him while you were long-distance. He\u2019s kind of your muse. What was his reaction to hearing this song? What helped me was thinking, It\u2019s not that I\u2019m not talented or I\u2019m a bad singer. In this lifetime, I have a lot of insecurities that interfered with me debuting or choosing to be an artist. In another lifetime, I would probably go a different route \u2014 and that\u2019s beautiful. The idea that there are different lifetimes that I am living or will live or can live takes a lot of pressure off my shoulders.<\/p>\n And acceptance is part of the movie, too. I\u2019ve noticed that a lot of people resonated not only with the movie and my singing, but with my story. And this song is a great summary of that.<\/p>\n You\u2019ve said repeatedly on the KPDH press tour that everything happens for a reason. I imagine you didn\u2019t feel like that when you got dropped as a K-pop trainee after more than a decade of training. How long did it take to reach that mind-set? Your grandfather is the veteran actor Shin Young-kyun. Has he given you any advice about how to handle this exposure? You\u2019re definitely doing that. What\u2019s a song that pushed you out of your comfort zone the most as a songwriter? You\u2019ve said that you often think about choreography when you\u2019re writing songs. Do you think you\u2019ll be dancing in your solo career moving forward?\u00a0 What was the closest that you got to debuting as a K-pop idol?\u00a0 Have you reconnected with any of the idols you trained with after KPop Demon Hunters? What was it like for you to watch the people you trained with debut? Fans see parallels between you and Rumi \u2014\u00a0not just in your life story and experience in the K-pop industry, but also with your personality and even your appearance. You\u2019ve said that you and her are 85 percent similar. In what ways are you different?\u00a0 People really want you, Rei, and Audrey to perform together again, whether it\u2019s the Grammys or the Oscars or even a Huntr\/x concert. Have you started planning for that? Is there anything the three of you want to try in your next performance that\u2019s different from what you did on Fallon? I thought the Fallon performance was great. The film has been so many people\u2019s introduction to K-pop, which has changed so much since the first-gen groups you grew up listening to. What do you think of the current state of the K-pop industry? \n Rei Ami, EJAE, and Audrey Nuna performing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Would you ever put out a K-pop song for yourself? You recently said that you think it\u2019s important for K-pop songs to have Korean lyrics. Have you seen the online response<\/a> to that? Have you started writing any songs for a potential KPop Demon Hunters sequel? I know nothing\u2019s been confirmed yet, but you did work on demos for the first film before there was even a script. Looking ahead, what is the ideal balance for you between writing songs for more films or other artists or yourself?\u00a0 \u201cIn Another World\u201d was a song that my beautiful co-writers helped me write. I want it to be very clear that it\u2019s not about me; it\u2019s about the message. I\u2019m not perfect, but the songs have every intention of wanting to be. Because every lyric and every melody was very intentional from all our collaborators. So let\u2019s idolize the song, not me, you know what I mean?<\/p>\n How much of an uptick in songwriting or collab offers have you had since KPop Demon Hunters? So there\u2019s already stuff in the works? Oh, yeah \u2026 your wedding! Are there any artists or songwriters you would like to manifest a collab with? I did see when JTBC News asked you to record that video message<\/a> for Jung Kook. You looked shy. Dua Lipa is definitely another one. I would love to write for her. Lady Gaga, would love to write for her. Dean, Ariana Grande \u2026 and obviously with Blackpink. I love Rosie and I love writing with her. Again, no pressure!<\/p>\n After topping the Billboard Hot 100, you\u2019ve said that your next goal was to win a Grammy. \u201cGolden\u201d has been submitted for consideration in multiple categories. Is there a category that would be most meaningful for you to win? Do you remember the last time you got to write with another Asian American woman in the room? Some people are placing Oscar bets and saying that they think \u201cGolden\u201d is a front-runner. How does that make you feel? Have you thought about what your next achievement would be? I mean, hey, you could for songwriting. Or do you want to act?\u00a0 Related<\/p>\n
I think beyond the genre, it was more about the message. This song is about a time when my fianc\u00e9 and I had a break. For me, it was about acknowledging that we have baggage, that I have jealousy and insecurity issues that caused a lot of resentment. So maybe in another world where that was gone, we would have been perfect. That weirdly gave me relief.<\/p>\n
Eight years. He was a producer \u2014 he still is, technically, but now he\u2019s switched to coding. But he was basically my songwriting buddy, and we met during a session in 2017. We truly grew up together.<\/p>\n
He truly is. Gosh, there\u2019s another song about him that\u2019s a love song. I should release that. I will! But when you\u2019re in pain, you\u2019re more vulnerable. Maybe that\u2019s why I write songs during that time. When he heard \u201cIn Another World\u201d and saw the video, he cried with me. He knows it\u2019s not about us being bad people and that it\u2019s not just about our relationship. The song evolved into applying to my relationship with myself. Because when I was a kid, I could have gone to a different world of me being a singer. But the path I\u2019d taken at the time was not to that dream.<\/p>\n
It was in my 30s, when my frontal lobe was fully developed. Girl, if my fame came in my 20s, I don\u2019t know who I would be right now. In my 20s, I had time to be a person and have relationships and learn and kill my ego. It was truly an ego-death period. Because of that and also my experience in the K-pop world on the other side, I was able to see fame in a different way. Now that it has somewhat come to me, I feel like I know how to deal with it. It might look shiny, but it\u2019s sharp as hell, you know? You\u2019ve gotta be careful with it.<\/p>\n
Well, veteran means he\u2019s really old. He gives very caveman advice. He keeps saying, \u201cJust work hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yeah, I\u2019m like, \u201cGrandpa, I\u2019ve been!\u201d But he\u2019s right. I do need to keep working hard.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cDrama\u201d<\/a> by aespa? \u201cDrama\u201d and \u201cArmageddon\u201d<\/a> have a similar energy of being very rap-focused. I really had to put myself out there and focus on what my rap sounds like. Oftentimes when I\u2019m writing, especially when it\u2019s not coming naturally to me, I listen to other rap artists that I love and sing their songs over and over again. Then I go into my toplining with that tone. That\u2019s how I felt with those songs. I listened to a lot of Doja Cat, Kendrick Lamar, and Jay Rock.<\/p>\n
I can\u2019t say no, but \u2026 hell no. I don\u2019t want to be dancing. Girl, I want to get pregnant! I need babies, not dancing! Do you know how hard it is to dance and sing? Mm-mm, let\u2019s take it one step at a time. I\u2019m freaking singing this crazy vocal gymnastics of a song called \u201cGolden,\u201d and I have to write for the movie, and I have to write as a songwriter and also as an artist. So like, dancing will be when I \u2013 if I feel it.<\/p>\n
I was in the lineup for a ballad group when I was 18. It was a trio, which is ironic, because Huntr\/x is one. But I decided to continue with my studies, and I think that was a smart choice. I wanted to have a kind of normal life. We all know that idol life is not a normal life. And not only that, but I knew that idol life isn\u2019t long. It\u2019s very temporary. So I was thinking about EJAE in the future. After idol life, what do I want to do? I want a job. I want to be a music therapist. So that\u2019s why I got a degree.<\/p>\n
A couple of them reached out. Girls\u2019 Generation people \u2026 I won\u2019t say who, but yes. You know, naturally in life we go separate ways, but I think this kind of brought it full circle.<\/p>\n
I just naturally have FOMO in my blood; I get sad when I\u2019m not at a party. Seeing them debut made me want to work harder, and I also felt really happy for them. I was like, \u201cDamn! Taemin, wow, your singing got real good.\u201d \u201cWow, Minho\u2019s dancing got real good.\u201d<\/p>\n
I think Rumi is more similar to me in the past. I\u2019m quite expressive. When I go through a hard time, I let people know. I lean on people. I used to not, so that\u2019s why I was able to relate to Rumi. Maybe toward the end of the film she got there, but I think that\u2019s where we differ. And I wouldn\u2019t fall for a demon.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll definitely be performing together. For a tour and all that stuff, we don\u2019t know. That\u2019s not up to us. But I want to perform with these ladies more.<\/p>\n
Maybe different versions of \u201cGolden\u201d? Because we did an a capella version, and it sounded really good. And we definitely want to do \u201cHow It\u2019s Done.\u201d They love that song, although it\u2019s also really hard.<\/p>\n
Thank you. We tried, girl. The difference between performing live and recording is so \u2026 it\u2019s literally a different muscle. I wish people were a little more soft about that. I don\u2019t like performing. I have the worst stage fright. I\u2019m trying to get better.<\/p>\n
I want to see more K-pop idols writing themselves or being in the room with songwriters. One thing I love about K-pop is that it mixes so many different genres, whether deliberately or not. I think keeping that has always been great. And I would love to hear more vocal tones. I think the reason why Huntr\/x was different is because Rei and Audrey don\u2019t really have what you\u2019re used to hearing for K- pop singers\u2019 vocals, and same with me.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/42d48029846b662edf3f0877fc90818d62-kpopdemonhunters-perform.rhorizontal.w700.jpg\")
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\n Photo: Todd Owyoung\/NBC via Getty Images\n <\/p>\n
I don\u2019t really see myself as K-pop or pop. If I release a song and there\u2019s some Korean in it too, then absolutely. I don\u2019t want to pigeonhole myself in a specific view. If I can express my feeling better in Korean, hell yeah, I\u2019ll do that. As a bilingual person, there are certain words that I could only express in Korean that I can\u2019t express in English.<\/p>\n
I think a lot of people have been feeling that K-pop is going very West \u2014 which I don\u2019t think is a bad thing. They\u2019re trying to globalize K-pop, so you can\u2019t just speak Korean. There\u2019s more English so it\u2019s more digestible. But I think the balance of the fusion is very important. What\u2019s so interesting is that people are like, \u201cOh, EJAE said that, but \u2018Golden\u2019 has barely any Korean in it.\u201d First of all, that\u2019s not up to me. Second of all, the movie is meant for the States, so it has to have English because it\u2019s about the story line. If I used Korean on the parts of the song that are really important to the story line, then the story line would not move.<\/p>\n
Well, that was because they had the idea and we needed to have it greenlit. So that\u2019s why it started so early. Right now, everyone\u2019s so busy with press and everything. I don\u2019t have time. We all don\u2019t. The process just takes a long time. I want to know too, to be honest. I genuinely don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n
My priority forever will be songwriting. I never have the intention of, \u201cOkay, today\u2019s sessions are going to be about me.\u201d My artistry has never been about myself. I kind of wish that EJAE is just another platform for my songs to be delivered. The songs I write all have the potential to be for myself or for someone else. It\u2019s just a different messenger.<\/p>\n
My life has literally flipped 180. There\u2019s a lot of people who have reached out, and heroes that I love that I\u2019m so excited to collaborate with.<\/p>\n
The thing is it\u2019s hard right now because I\u2019m trying to balance everything. I\u2019m the singer for Huntr\/x and also a songwriter for that, and also a songwriter in general, and also an artist. And I have my personal life. [Pause.] Do I? I don\u2019t know where that went.<\/p>\n
Exactly. \u201cOh, yeah \u2026\u201d it\u2019s like the secondary thing.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a lot. It\u2019s just hard to pinpoint who, because I feel like there\u2019s like \u2026 [puts on dramatic voice] \u201cEJAE wants to collab with \u2026 !\u201d<\/p>\n
I just feel bad. I don\u2019t want to pressure anybody. If you\u2019re going to write about this, can you please write that EJAE said, \u201cNo pressure, truly\u201d? I genuinely respect him as a singer. And it\u2019s not about just being a really good singer, it\u2019s about delivering the lines. Even though English isn\u2019t his first language, he killed it with \u201cSeven\u201d<\/a> and everything. I look up to him.<\/p>\n
I would love to \u2014 and\u00a0this is just a wish \u2014 get an award as a songwriter. That would mean a lot because I know that it\u2019s bigger than me. As an Asian American woman, I really, really want to shed light and show that it\u2019s possible, because I feel imposter syndrome even now. There are so many songwriters, but none that really look like me. I don\u2019t really see many Asian American women in the industry. So I want to help that grow and be a mentor to some of them.<\/p>\n
No, girl. It\u2019s so rare. Once? A year or two ago \u2014 that\u2019s it.<\/p>\n
It feels so far. I don\u2019t know, I don\u2019t want to jinx it. I just feel honored to even be considered.<\/p>\n
Getting an EGOT! I\u2019m kidding.<\/p>\n
No, definitely not. For now, I just really want to get better at writing. I mean, I don\u2019t want to say \u201cno\u201d to anything, because you never know.<\/p>\n