Seoul [South Korea], February 21 (ANI): The song Golden from the hit animated film ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ continues to make waves globally, achieving 5x platinum status just seven months after the movie’s release. It took a mighty group of songwriters to deliver “Golden.” That group included EJAE, who also provides the singing voice of Rumi, Mark Sonnenblick and South Korean hit factory The Black Label – IDO (Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Zhun), according to Variety.
Speaking about the creative process, Zhun, via translator, explained to Variety, “The production team wanted us to work on the drum loop. They wanted it to be a very specific BPM between 100 and 120, so we developed the drum loop first and went from there.” Nam added that the song followed a traditional KPop structure, “We had two voices, two verses and a bridge.”
Filmmakers Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans requested a high note as a key element for the track, which EJAE performed. “This was a very important component to the song itself,” Zhun said. “That note was A5 and written in intentionally by EJAE. When IDO first heard it, our reaction was one of awe. There’s a limit to how high a note can be, so we weren’t expecting to include a note so high. It’s really incredible to see her hit that note,” according to Variety.
In addition to Golden, IDO also composed music for the film’s all-female group Huntr/x and the Saja Boys. Zhun credited film music producer Ian Eisendrath for helping create two distinct musical identities: “Saja Boys are a group that’s actually evil, pretending to be kind, whereas Huntr/x is a group expressing frustration, and they are the heroines of the story itself. His guidance helped us mesh the music into the visual image, because it feels completely different than standalone music.”
When asked about lyrics that resonated most, Lee highlighted the line, “I’m done hiding, now I’m shining,” as a reflection of Rumi’s inner growth. Nam and Zhun expressed pride that Korean lyrics reached a global audience, saying, “To see people singing along to these Korean lyrics is a very moving moment for me,” according to Variety.
Golden continues to cement the impact of KPop in international music and demonstrates the skill of The Black Label team in blending traditional KPop elements with cinematic storytelling. (ANI)