Inside ‘KPop Demon Hunters’: Songwriter Danny Chung Explains How He Helped Bring The Characters to Life

Netflix’s animated action-musical KPop Demon Hunters has emerged as the surprise breakout hit of the summer. The film follows Rumi, Zoey and Mira of HUNTR/X, a girl group juggling stardom and slaying demons. Then there are the Saja Boys, their chart-topping, soul-stealing rivals. The original soundtrack is now a phenomenon in its own right, having reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200, the highest position for any soundtrack in 2025 and the best for an animated film since Encanto.

On Spotify’s U.S. Top Songs chart, Saja Boys’ “Your Idol” recently hit No. 1, surpassing even BTS and BLACKPINK members in the process. With a number of songs dominating the Genius Top Songs chart, K-Pop Demon Hunters seems to wield as much magic in the real world as it does on screen.

Part of the soundtrack’s success stems from the powerhouse team behind it. Under the direction of executive music producer Ian Eisendrath, K-Pop Demon Hunters features a genre-blurring roster of vocalists, including EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, and REI AMI—the voices of HUNTR/X—as well as producers and songwriters from South Korea’s THEBLACKLABEL, who contributed to about half of the film’s songs.

Among them is longtime A&R and lyricist Danny Chung, whose fingerprints are all over fan favorites like “How It’s Done” and “Soda Pop,” and who also lent his voice to Saja Boys member Baby Saja on the breakout hit “Your Idol.” Real-life K-pop idol Kevin Woo also joined the cast as the voice of Mystery Saja, adding even more authenticity to the fictional group.

Brought onto the project three years ago by producer and longtime friend Agnes Lee, Chung quickly became part of a sprawling creative team led by co-directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, producer Michelle Wong, and Eisendrath. With collaborators spread across Seoul, Bangkok, Los Angeles, and New York, weekly remote meetings were the norm.

Chung is no stranger to crafting K-pop anthems, as his writing credits include BLACKPINK staples like “Lovesick Girls,” “How You Like That,” and “Shutdown.” But scoring K-Pop Demon Hunters came with a new set of guidelines.

“There was definitely a learning curve,” Chung tells Genius. “These were brand-new groups with a narrative to fulfill, and the songs weren’t just music—they were part of the script.”

Chung learned to approach songwriting not just as entertainment, but as a vehicle for character and story development.

“The lyrics had to coincide with the script and really reflect how the characters were feeling in real time,” he says. “It challenged me in a different way as a songwriter, but it gave us a new tool in our belt, and it was a lot of fun.”

How It’s Done

One of the earliest songs created for K-Pop Demon Hunters was “How It’s Done,” HUNTR/X’s punchy BLACKPINK-esque introduction track. “We were still figuring everything out, who the characters were, what their energy would be,” Chung says. “At first, we were just throwing ideas at the wall. But Ian really pushed us to think cinematically. ‘How It’s Done’ had to feel like a debut, but it also had to introduce Rumi, her mindset, her backstory, all within a few minutes. That took a few tries to get right.”

On the flip side, the demon Saja Boys only have two songs: “Soda Pop” and “Your Idol, but Chung notes how deliberately they contrast to reflect the group’s duality.

“They exist on two completely different planes,” he says. “Your Idol,” the group’s darker, more sinister debut, serves as a window into their nefarious plot. The track’s brooding tone has drawn comparisons to groups like EXO and ATEEZ.

“It’s the moment when that agenda reveals itself,” Chung explains. “It’s like opening the box and showing you who they really are.”

Meanwhile “Soda Pop” is the Saja Boys’ glittery disguise. The track, all bubblegum synths and chirpy hooks, marks a deliberate departure from THEBLACKLABEL’s usual sound, known more for edgy production across rock (LØREN), hip-hop (All Day Project), pop funk (MEOVV), and slick pop/EDM (Somi).

“It was meant to lure you in,” Chung says. “Cute, bubbly, intentionally annoyingly infectious. It’s absolutely an earworm, and that was the point.”

But beneath the song’s candy-coated surface lies a sinister metaphor. “‘Soda Pop’ is foreshadowing,” he explains. “The whole thing is about a group that wants to consume your soul, but in the brightest way possible.”

Chung’s favorite lyrics he contributed convey the song’s surreptitious intent.

Yes, I’m sippin' when it’s drippin' now
It’s done? I need a second round
And pour a lot and don’t you stop
‘Til my soda pop fizzles out.”

“On the surface, it might sound romantic, like ‘I want you so much,’ but it’s actually toxic,” he says. “It’s an insatiable thirst; these guys just want to consume. Even when it’s over, they need more. It’s really about taking as much as they can and never being full.”

The Slay and The Success

Audiences, it turns out, have something in common with the soul-hungry Saja Boys: They’re insatiable. Beyond its historic charting, K-Pop Demon Hunters has sparked the kind of frenzy typically reserved for real idols. Social media is inundated with memes, fanart, fan merch, and fanfics about HUNTR/X and the Saja Boys. The soundtrack is being played in clubs, covered online, and praised by longtime K-pop fans as some of the best K-pop material released in a long time. The film’s flagship track, “Golden,” is being submitted for awards consideration. There’s fervent demand for a sequel.

For Chung, the response has been both surreal and gratifying. “I’m glad people feel that way,” he says. “We all worked hand in hand to make this happen, with so much belief in a brand-new idea. You can’t really plan for something to hit like this. At some point, God walks in the door and helps it all come together.”

But for him, the success runs even deeper.

“I grew up in Philly when most people didn’t even know where Korea was,” he says. “To be able to contribute in some small way now, to help make something this global, this proud of being Korean, that’s something I could’ve never imagined as a kid.”