‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Will Submit Original Song ‘Golden’ for Awards Consideration (EXCLUSIVE)

“Golden” is going for the gold. The powerful anthem from Netflix’s hit animated feature “KPop Demon Hunters” will be submitted by the streamer for awards consideration, Variety has learned exclusively.

The song is also becoming an official single, with a three-track bundle, including “Golden,” “Golden – Instrumental” and “Golden – A Cappella,” to be released by Republic Records on Friday, July 4.

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“KPop Demon Hunters” follows Rumi, Mira and Zoey, known to the world as K-Pop girl group Huntr/x, as they use the power of their voices to slay soul-eating demons and protect their devoted fans.

Since the June 20 release of the film produced by Sony Pictures Animation, the soundtrack has rocketed up the charts, debuting at No. 8 on the Billboard 200, making it the highest soundtrack debut of 2025. The fictional Huntr/x is the top female group at Spotify by daily streams, and the album is the No. 1 most-streamed project on Spotify daily. “Golden,” the most-streamed hit from the soundtrack globally, has been a standout performer on the album.

“Golden” ties as highest charting song by a female K-Pop group in U.S. Spotify history (at No. 3), debuted at No. 81 on the Hot 100 and has increased by 2000% at Apple Music since release day (the only track to increase each day). “Golden” is performed by EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and REI AMI, and was written by EJAE and Mark Sonnenblick. 24, Ido, Teddy Park and Ian Eisendrath produced the track.

“I find K-Pop to be the most theatrical genre of music today, and that obviously lends itself to the story and the screen,” Eisendrath tells Variety, adding that “Golden” was the sixth song written for its place in the film. “Our goal from day one was to have the songs double-function as songs that forward or comment on the action story, because I do not believe you can take up screen time and not have it do something for the story.”

In the film, “Golden” is performed when Huntr/x is on the verge of sealing the Golden Honmoon, a barrier that will permanently shut demons out of their world. During the emotional bridge, it’s revealed that lead vocalist Rumi is part-demon, bearing marks along her arms. “The bridge is totally a narrative character. It’s the moment that the conflict, in many ways, enters the story,” Eisendrath adds. “It just has so much joy and reach and yearning and longing.”

In its debut week, “KPop Demon Hunters” slayed on Netflix with 9.2 million views, reaching the streamer’s Top 10 in all 93 countries tracked, and hit No. 1 in 33 countries including South Korea, Brazil, France, Mexico and the Philippines. In its second week, the film earned an additional 24.2 million views, more than doubling its first-week numbers.

Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories.