Billboard.com
On a night defined by industry legends and top-notch songwriting, the 2026 Oscars delivered a historic moment. “Golden,” from the Netflix animated hit “KPop Demon Hunters,” won Best Original Song, marking the first time a K-Pop song has ever taken home the Academy Award.
Written by a seven-person team including EJAE, Teddy Park, Mark Sonnenblick, Yu-Han Lee, Joong Gyu Kwak, Hee Dong Nam and Jeong Hoon Seo, the track powered a cultural crossover. K-Pop’s polished global production pipeline meets Hollywood’s traditionalism. The victory was especially notable given the competition, which included Diane Warren and the blues-driven contender “I Lied to You,” written by Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Göransson for the film “Sinners.”
Beyond the milestone, the win highlights a strategic shift in how studios treat music within franchise storytelling. “KPop Demon Hunters,” produced by Netflix in partnership with Sony Pictures Animation, utilized its soundtrack as a global pop phenomenon rather than a companion release. Distributed through Netflix Music with label partnerships including Warner Bros. Records, the project blurred the line between film soundtrack and K-Pop production.
The results speak for themselves. “Golden” dominated the Billboard Hot 100, logging eight weeks at No. 1, making for the first Oscar-winning song in more than two decades to achieve that level of chart dominance before taking the statue. The broader soundtrack similarly performed like a mainstream pop release.
During the ceremony, EJAE, who also provides vocals for the film’s fictional girl group HUNTR/X alongside Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, delivered an emotional speech reflecting on K-Pop’s journey from niche fandom to global cultural force.
“Growing up, people made fun of me for liking K-pop,” she said. “But now everyone’s singing our song and all the Korean lyrics.”
It was a fitting line for a monumental win. What began as a soundtrack single ended the night as industry proof: K-Pop’s global infrastructure, made up of songwriting camps, transnational labels, and streaming-first fandoms, can now compete and win on Hollywood’s biggest stage.
Watch and Listen:
Watch the “Golden” official music video here
Listen to Spotify’s Best of Oscars 2026 playlist featuring this year’s nominees here
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