{"id":489658,"date":"2026-10-08T21:50:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T21:50:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/489658\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T21:50:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T21:50:19","slug":"kpop-demon-hunters-star-rei-ami-talks-after-valkyries-game-concert-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/489658\/","title":{"rendered":"‘KPop Demon Hunters’ star Rei Ami talks after Valkyries game concert"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Golden State Valkyries embraced one of the biggest pop culture phenomena of recent years \u2014 \u201cKPop Demon Hunters\u201d<\/a> \u2014 during its WNBA Semifinals win on Wednesday (Oct. 7) at Chase Center in San Francisco<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Rei Ami, the 31-year-old South Korea native who does vocal work in the record-breaking Netflix film<\/a> from 2025, performed the halftime show during the game, which resulted in a hard-earned 83-81 Valkyries victory over the Las Vegas Aces.<\/p>\n

Ami, who provides the singing voice for the character Zoey in the \u201cKPop Demon Hunters\u201d group Huntrix, took the court to \u201cGolden\u201d \u2014 the chart-topping hit that went on win the Academy Award for Best Original Song. She then stuck around to croon her way through her new solo single \u201c2Loud.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c2Loud\u201d was just released a few weeks back as the first single from Ami\u2019s upcoming full-length solo debut on Republic Records. And if the rest of the album proves to be anywhere near as enjoyable as this groovy dance-pop number then Ami should have a real winner on her hands.<\/p>\n

After the performance, and following a press conference with multiple members of the media, I had the chance to talk one-on-one with this rising K-pop star about what the experience was like performing in front of the Valkyries\u2019 enthusiastic \u201cBallhalla\u201d crowd at Chase Center. Here\u2019s our interview.<\/p>\n

\"Oscar-Oscar- and Grammy-winning artist Rei Ami, of \u201cK-Pop Demon Hunters,\u201d performs during halftime of Game 2 of the WNBA semifinals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Las Vegas Aces at Chase Center in San Francisco on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (Ray Chavez\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Q: Great job with the halftime show, Rei. You really came ready to play.<\/p>\n

A: I came to have fun. And I\u2019m having a great time. So, no complaints.<\/p>\n

Q: Do you have any type of pre-show, warm-up rituals that you do before taking the stage?<\/p>\n

A: I would say vocal warm-ups for 30 minutes while I\u2019m like getting ready. And then, you know, a solid playlist of like a good mix of 2000 throwbacks R&B and hip-hop. Then I have to follow it with a brief five minutes of \u2014 you know those 432 Hz frequency sounds that go \u201coooommmm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: Yeah, the ones that go \u201coooommmm.\u201d<\/p>\n

A: Yeah, kind of. It\u2019s very beautiful and angelic. I just listen to that for like five minutes just to clear my head of any junk and voices that are not nice. Then I just kind of panic for five minutes before. Then I get on stage and I black out. Done!<\/p>\n

\"GoldenGolden State Valkyries macost, Violet, dances along with Oscar- and Grammy-winning artist Rei Ami, of \u201cK-Pop Demon Hunters,\u201d during the halftime performance of Game 2 of the WNBA semifinals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Las Vegas Aces at Chase Center in San Francisco on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (Ray Chavez\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Q: And how did you feel walking out on the Chase Center floor for this performance?<\/p>\n

A: Honestly, I was a nervous wreck. Because this is the second time performing this song (\u201c2Loud\u201d). First time was with \u201cAmerica\u2019s Got Talent.\u201d I was in front of like 19,000 people in this arena. Everyone kept telling me Balllhalla energy was insane, unmatched. But you have to hear it and see it to believe it. So that, low-key in my mind, intimidated me more. Because then, you know, I have to go out there and match that energy, right? So, I will say, I think I was a bit more nervous than usual.<\/p>\n

Also, because this is sports. This is a sports event, right? I\u2019m not from this world. I definitely want to come in with respect and the proper energy \u2014 because I\u2019m coming into their world. But I am so happy I did it.<\/p>\n

\"Oscar-Oscar- and Grammy-winning artist Rei Ami, of \u201cK-Pop Demon Hunters,\u201d throws t-shirts to fans in the third quarter of Game 2 of the WNBA semifinals game between the Golden State Valkyries and the Las Vegas Aces at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (Ray Chavez\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Q: Do you play basketball?<\/p>\n

A: No, I can\u2019t dribble. I can\u2019t put it through a basket. I can\u2019t catch it. I can\u2019t throw it. Can\u2019t kick it. Don\u2019t ask me to hold a ball because I you\u2019re not gonna get anything.<\/p>\n

The reason why is in middle school, in PE, we had a basketball unit and I got chucked in the face with a freshly pumped basketball. That\u2019s when I realized, OK, maybe sports was not a thing for me. And, like, a pop star life is more realistic for me.<\/p>\n

And It was. I would never be successful if I had chased this dream.<\/p>\n

\"Oscar-Oscar- and Grammy-winning artist Rei Ami, of \u201cK-Pop Demon Hunters,\u201d performs during halftime of Game 2 of the WNBA semifinals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Las Vegas Aces at Chase Center in San Francisco on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (Ray Chavez\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Q: Well, this whole pop star life has turned out pretty well for you. I mean, you\u2019re a Grammy winner, an Oscar winner, part of a huge pop culture phenomenon. Does all of this massive success feel a bit surreal at times?<\/p>\n

A: I refuse to believe it. There are moments where I just lay in bed and I try to recall like, \u201cOh, and the winner is \u2026 \u201d And it\u2019s just like, \u201cWas that all a dream? I cannot believe that I was there to witness it. It truly feels like a favorite dream and, even now, I\u2019m still processing everything \u2014 all that has happened in the past year. Because it was non-stop.<\/p>\n

Q: The success of \u201cK-Pop Demon Hunters\u201d has been nothing short of breathtaking. And the song \u201cGolden\u201d means so much to millions of listeners. It must be really special to be part of something that has so resonated with the public.<\/p>\n

A: It\u2019s crazy because people come up to me and are like, \u201cOh, this song is my child\u2019s favorite song.\u201d It\u2019s like their \u201cFrozen\u201d and their \u201cLet It Go.\u201d For me, growing up, I had \u201cPart of Your World\u201d from \u201cThe Little Mermaid.\u201d That\u2019s a song that actually made me fall in love with music and made me want to pursue this dream in the first place.<\/p>\n

I was like four-years old. I was a baby. And I recognized immediately, \u201cThis is something I love, and I\u2019m going to chase it.\u201d That\u2019s what \u201cGolden\u201d is for these kids. And it\u2019s doing something positive and helping them build their confidence and stand on their voice and be outspoken \u2014 especially young girls.<\/p>\n

It is imperative that we continue this. It is so important. And it is an honor to be to play such a small role in this massive movement that has not only uplifted young girls \u2014 just people, everyone. This movie, somehow, magically just united people in wisdom.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"GoldenGolden State Valkyries macost, Violet, dances along with Oscar- and Grammy-winning artist Rei Ami, of \u201cK-Pop Demon Hunters,\u201d during the halftime performance of Game 2 of the WNBA semifinals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Las Vegas Aces at Chase Center in San Francisco on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (Ray Chavez\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Golden State Valkyries embraced one of the biggest pop culture phenomena of recent years \u2014 \u201cKPop Demon…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":489659,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[184,7,2523,8256,12577,2644,967,1533,181,330,3743,395,2944,8257,101,396,103,102,104,106,105,94685,127,420],"class_list":["post-489658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco","tag-bay-area","tag-california","tag-celebrities","tag-chase-center","tag-coffee-break","tag-concerts","tag-entertainment","tag-keywee","tag-latest-headlines","tag-music","tag-nightlife","tag-peninsula","tag-photos-and-videos","tag-pop-music","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-county","tag-san-francisco-headlines","tag-san-francisco-news","tag-sf","tag-sf-headlines","tag-sf-news","tag-social-alert","tag-sports","tag-things-to-do"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489658","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=489658"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489658\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/489659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=489658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=489658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=489658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}