'KPop Demon Hunters' gets a 'Golden' Oscars moment with HUNTR/X performance

It’s been a “Golden” awards season for the breakout hit from “KPop Demon Hunters,” and the music team behind the unstoppable hit dazzled during its Oscars performance before taking home a win for best original song.

Following a fusion of traditional Korean instrumentalists and dancers in colorful hanboks for a performance that began late in the show and without introduction, the HUNTR/X trio of Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami and EJAE appeared from behind a silhouette before being unveiled in coordinated white and gold outfits.

As they sang the fizzy pop smash, the Hollywood crowd enthusiastically hoisted glowing light sticks, the must-have K-pop accessory. The trio belted the sweeping chorus in a truncated version of the song, with the lit up Dolby Theatre adding literal meaning to the "now I'm shining" lyric. When the performance ended, the singers stood tall, soaking in the auspicious moment.

Moments after the performance, "Golden" was announced as the best original song winner.

"Everyone is singing our songs," said a tearful EJAE about the breakout success of the K-pop movie and soundtrack. "I realized this award is not about success, but about resilience."

With its win, “Golden” becomes only the third song in Billboard chart history to spend eight or more weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and win an Oscar (the song spent eight nonconsecutive weeks atop the chart). Its predecessors are Debby Boone’s “You Light Up My Life” (10 weeks, 1977) and Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” (12 weeks, 2002-03).

“Golden” was one of five songs nominated for a best original song Oscar, and, along with “I Lied to You” from “Sinners,” was the only song deemed worthy of a performance on the March 15 telecast.

Songs by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner ("Train Dreams" from "Train Dreams"), Nicholas Pike ("Sweet Dreams of Joy" from "Viva Verdi!") and perennial nominee Diane Warren ("Dear Me" from her documentary "Relentless") were scuttled to streamline the show, according to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The Oscars have previously acknowledged music from other countries in the best song category – most famously the Telugu-language “Naatu Naatu” from 2022's “RRR” and last year’s “El Mal,” a Spanish song from 2024’s French musical, “Emilia Pérez.” But “Golden” represents the first K-pop composition to be nominated and win.

The Sunday presentation marked only the second time HUNTR/X has performed the song live; in February, the group offered their first performance outside of the U.S. at the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards in London.

“Golden” has enjoyed a charmed run through awards season. In January, the pop smash nabbed a Golden Globe Award for best original song, and also made history at the February Grammy Awards as the first K-pop-associated song to win best song written for visual media.