Ejae has a “Golden” memory from the 2026 Golden Globes.
The “KPop Demon Hunters” singer joined the 3rd Hour of TODAY on Feb. 27 to reflect on the global impact of her hit song, “Golden.”
EJAE co-wrote “Golden,” which made history as the first K-Pop song to win a Golden Globe in January and a Grammy in February.
She, along with Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, are the singing voices of the movie’s fictional K-Pop group HUNTER/X.
Audrey Nuna, EJAE and Rei Ami of “KPop Demon Hunters.”Brianna Bryson / WireImage
Despite being the voice of a global sensation, Ejae admitted to an unexpected secret on TODAY: She has “really bad stage fright.”
“As a matter of fact, recently I had a performance where I cracked on the first ‘born to be,’ the highest note in the song,” she said.
Before her big performance, Ejae had time to practice, which she recalled as being “so good.”
“It’s unfortunate because during the rehearsals I was amazing,” she said.
This made Ejae feel confident to go out there and “crush this stage.”
Then, right as she was getting to the high note, she made eye contact with a certain celebrity.
“I unfortunately open my eyes and lock eyes with Leonardo DiCaprio,” she said.
Ejae’s voice cracked in that moment. “And I was like, ‘No’!” she exclaimed.
But the show must go on. Ejae persisted and showed the crowd who she was “born to be.”
“I could not but like I had to stay resilient, so I kept true to the song. Like, focus on the lyrics, girl,’’’ she reassured herself.
Ejae didn’t specify the awards show, but she recently performed at the BAFTAs where DiCaprio was present and sitting near the stage. Her voice cracked during the first high note. TODAY.com has reached out for comment.
During her TODAY appearance, Ejae spoke to the collaborative work behind the song and the film, noting that “Golden” was the last song written for the movie.
“Golden” is a K-Pop song with Korean and English lyrics. EJAE said that having people from all backgrounds singing the lyrics has been touching.
“Because when I grew up, people didn’t know where Korea was, genuinely,” EJAE shared.
“Now seeing Korea celebrated through this beautiful animated film, it’s just a dream come true,” she added.
In August, “KPop Demon Hunters” officially became the most popular Netflix film to date. The fan-favorite film is not coming to an end, and a confirmed sequel is planned for a 2029 release.