"Earlier this summer, the plot of KPop Demon Hunters came to life on the Billboard charts. Just as in Netflix's smash animated hit, the demonic Saja Boys initially outperformed Huntr/x on the charts - until the fictional trio fought back with "Golden" and topped the "Hot 100" for eight weeks. (The last time a girl group topped the "Hot 100" was when Destiny's Child asked us if we were ready for this jelly on "Bootylicious" in 2001.) No, it's not AI. Three human artists, EJAE, Rei Ami, and Audrey Nuna, are the singing voices of the demon-slaying main characters. And the more these three perform together, the more they look like a real group with an inspiring backstory, distinct personalities, and harmony onstage and off."
"In particular, Huntr/x's real-life lead vocalist, EJAE, seems to be living out the lyrics of "Golden," one of five songs that she co-wrote on the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack. EJAE began training at the K-pop label SM Entertainment in 2003, when she was around 11 years old, but she was dropped after 12 years. "I was incredibly devastated," she recalled on Good Morning America. She taught herself how to produce and, in a full circle moment, later found herself participating in SM song camps and penning tracks like Red Velvet's "Psycho." While she has sung on several K-drama OSTs, she's better known for her songwriting résumé (a rich text for K-pop girl-group fans, with credits on tracks for Twice, Chung Ha, Le Sserafim, Aespa, and more). During the first full live performance of "Golden" on The Tonight Show on October 7, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami stepped back to allow EJAE to enjoy a literal spotlight as she sang alone in a callback to a scene from the film."
Huntr/x, the fictional K-pop trio from KPop Demon Hunters, achieved real-world chart success when their song "Golden" topped the Hot 100 for eight weeks. The demonic Saja Boys initially outperformed Huntr/x, but the trio's soundtrack success reversed that dynamic. The singing voices—EJAE, Rei Ami, and Audrey Nuna—are human performers whose onstage chemistry and distinct personas make them resemble an actual group. EJAE, the lead vocalist, trained at SM Entertainment from around age 11, was later dropped, taught herself production, and built a prolific songwriting résumé that includes credits for major K-pop acts.
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