‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Singers Feel “Validation” After Grammy Nominations [Exclusive]

The singers of HUNTR/X are now officially Grammy nominees. After having conquered Netflix and become one of the breakout hits of the summer, KPop Demon Hunters earned five nominations for the 2026 awards, including Song of the Year for “Golden” and Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media. It’s just another flex of the strength of the animated film and its collection of banger tunes, which have been borderline inescapable since Sony Pictures Animation’s latest arrived in June. For the singing voices behind the fictional band of kick-ass idols, EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, the experience of being recognized by the Grammys for their work has been nothing short of validating.

In an interview with Collider’s Aidan Kelley following the announcement, the trio shared their reactions to learning about the latest, and perhaps most prestigious, honor they’re up for. It was largely a moment where they each felt truly seen, even if their faces never were throughout the runtime of KPop. “My immediate reaction was instantly feeling validated,” EJAE said. “I worked for a very long time in the industry, and it just feels very nice that hard work paid off finally. That’s how I felt.” EJAE alone has been making music for years, originally starting as a trainee for the South Korean entertainment giant SM Entertainment before forging a career all her own with dozens of songwriting credits with groups like EXID and Red Velvet. Singing as Rumi, whose speaking voice was provided by Arden Cho, marked her film debut, and she also helped pen “Golden” with Mark Sonnenblick.

When she asked her fellow HUNTR/X members about it all, they each described the overwhelming feeling of having their names called in the Grammy nominations. “Too many things,” Ami added. “I cried, and then I blacked out. So I don’t really know what happened after.” Nuna, meanwhile, said she “felt like I was going to throw up because it’s just so overwhelming.” Echoing EJAE’s point, the singer hit on how it represented the peak of a mountain they’ve been continuously climbing throughout their careers. They’ve finally reached this moment of recognition through so many years of hard work and bumps in the road, and she’s beyond thankful to have gotten this far.

“It’s such a culmination of so much. Not only the last few months, but this journey has had so many ups and downs. I think when you arrive at a moment like this, it’s like all of those things are coming back in a sense, and you’re facing all of that in one moment. But above all else, I think we’re just really grateful.”

‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Has Reached Unprecedented Popularity for Netflix

Even if KPop Demon Hunters doesn’t win any Grammys, everyone involved has much to be proud of. Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans‘s smash hit about K-pop idols moonlighting as demon hunters fighting a captivating and secretly demonic boy band has become the most-watched movie on Netflix ever, beating the second-place Red Notice by nearly 100 million views. Its release began a HUNTR/X and Saja Boys takeover of Billboard, too, with the soundtrack staying in the top ten of the Hot 200 for several weeks. The film became the first in history to have four songs in the top ten of the Hot 100, including “Golden”, “Your Idol”, “Soda Pop”, and “How It’s Done.” All the popularity has come on the back of rave reviews too, including a Certified Fresh 96% from critics, a Verified Hot 99% from audiences, and a 9/10 review from Collider’s Jeff Ewing, who said, “It’s a beautifully bonkers fantasy premise that works, thanks to gorgeous animation and choreography, fun lore, a set of talented voice performances, and catchy tunes.”

All the success has understandably created a lot of buzz for a sequel reuniting Rumi, Mira (May Hong/Nuna), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo/Ami) after the Honmoon was resealed. Fortunately, Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation recently inked a deal for another film, though it won’t be arriving anytime soon. Currently, it’s expected to debut in 2029, with no confirmation yet of who will be involved, though it’s fair to expect the HUNTR/X actresses and their singing voices will be back.

KPop Demon Hunters is now streaming on Netflix. Tune into the Grammy Awards on February 1, 2026, to see if HUNTR/X comes away with some wins.

Release Date

June 20, 2025

Runtime

96 minutes

Director

Chris Appelhans, Maggie Kang

• 

• 

•