In front of an audience at Chapman University, the co-writer/performer of the first K-pop song to ever win a Grammy reflects on how it emerged after she was told she would never become a K-pop idol: "I wasn't a good enough singer, I wasn't a good enough dancer, I was way too old, and I was also too tall."
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In front of an audience at Chapman University, the co-writer/performer of the first K-pop song to ever win a Grammy reflects on how it emerged after she was told she would never become a K-pop idol: "I wasn't a good enough singer, I wasn't a good enough dancer, I was way too old, and I was also too tall." This article provides comprehensive coverage and analysis of current events.
In front of an audience at Chapman University, the co-writer/performer of the first K-pop song to ever win a Grammy reflects on how it emerged after she was told she would never become a K-pop idol: "I wasn't a good enough singer, I wasn't a good enough dancer, I was way too old, and I was also too tall."
EJAE John Shearer/Getty Images Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment For EJAE, the Korean-American singer/songwriter who is the guest on this episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, which was recorded in front of film students at Chapman University, 2026 — like 2025 before it — is shaping up to be truly, well, golden. In 2025, “Golden,” the banger tune that she co-wrote for the Netflix animated film KPop Demon Hunters — for which she also provided the singing voice for the character Rumi, one third of the girl group at its center, Huntrix — became a worldwide phenomenon, shooting to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and holding that spot for eight weeks. It marked the first time that a K-pop — or Korean popular music — act not associated with BTS had ever topped the Hot 100, and it made Huntrix the first girl group to top it since Destiny’s Child with “Bootylicious” back in 2001. The film, meanwhile, became the most watched original title in Netflix’s history, accumulating more than 500 million views. Related Stories Movies Angela Bassett Says Entertainment Industry Must Move "Beyond Symbolism Without Infrastructure" Movies James Cameron Celebrates Finally Being Honored for Screenwriting: "Been Writing These for 50 Years" For the 34-year-old born Eun-jae Kim, things have only continued to explode in 2026. In January, “Golden” was awarded the best original song Critics Choice and Golden Globe awards, while KPop Demon Hunters won those shows’ best animated feature prizes. On Feb. 1, “Golden” was recognized with the Grammy for best song written for visual media, the first Grammy ever awarded to K-pop. And on March 15, it is widely expected that “Golden” will take home the best original song Oscar and KPop Demon Hunters will take home the best animated feature Oscar. Over the course of this episode, which you can listen to via the player above or read via a lightly-edited transcript below, EJAE — who dropped a new single, “Time After Time,” on Feb. 6 — reflects on her early pursuit of a career as a K-pop idol and the crushing way in which it failed to pan out; what led her to pivot to songwriting; how she came to be involved with KPop Demon Hunters, and how “Golden” evolved from a melody she hummed into her iPhone into a global phenomenon; plus much more. * * * Welcome. Thank you for being here. We’re so excited to have you. Oh my God! Thank you for having me. Hello. Wow. Tonight we are going to go in-depth about “Golden,” but first I think people would like to learn more about you. Can you share where you were born and raised, and what your folks did for a living? That’s a complicated one. I lived half my life in Korea and half my life in the States. I was born in Seoul, Korea, because my mom was on vacation. When I was six months old, which was the legal age to travel back on a plane, I came back to New Jersey, which is where I lived. I stayed there ’til I was eight, then came back to Korea, then stayed there ’til high school, graduated, went to NYU, stayed in New York, and then went back to Korea. What was your name at birth? Eun-jae Kim. When and how did ‘EJAE’ come about? Was that a childhood nickname? I would introduce my name and people couldn’t really pronounce it. So I just went by EJAE. What kind of music were you listening to as a kid? Was it kind of a mix of both cultures’ music, or were you leaning towards one? Definitely a mixture of both cultures. My first love was definitely K-pop. That’s when I kind of figured out, “Oh, I want to be a singer.” I loved the first generation like H.O.T. and g.o.d. It was before K-pop was called K-pop. When did K-pop blow up? That’s a great question. I think probably it was starting to get into the States with Psy coming in with “Gangnam Style.” That became pretty popular. And then BTS, obviously. Blackpink got really big too. So yeah, it was really interesting to see how it got into the mainstream world. If we tracked down your classmates from grade school, would they remember you as a very musical kid? Or was that something that only came later? Oh, 100 percent. I think everyone at school knew I was, essentially, “the singer.” My school was really small. I went to SFS, Seoul Foreign School, in Korea. It’s a very small, missionary-based school. We had like 100 kids in our class. I would do all the theater stuff or a cappella groups. I would be the leader and figure out all the harmonies and stuff. How early on did songwriting enter the picture? Most kids cover the songs they love. Were you also
