‘KPop Demon Hunters’ star EJAE opens up about stepping into the spotlight

Netflix “KPop Demon Hunters” artist EJAE — the singing voice behind HUNTR/X’s Rumi — has been steadily building her music career as a composer, working behind the scenes and collaborating with K-pop groups such as Red Velvet, Le Sserafim, Twice and NMIXX. Now, however, she is set to step into the spotlight as a singer, something she had only been able to dream of before.

“I’ve always thought being a composer is the most important thing for me, so honestly, I never really considered myself an artist,” EJAE said during a news conference held at CGV Yongsan in central Seoul on October 15.

“But because people have been showing me so much love and support and saying that they want to hear me sing, it made me rethink what being an artist means. And I came to the conclusion that a composer is also an artist.”

She added that composing is therapeutic for her and that she will continue doing it, while also releasing her own songs that resonate personally. “So of course, I’ll give songs to other artists, but if a song is really personal to me, I feel like it should be me singing it. One of those songs is ‘In Another World.’”

Describing the new track, set to debut on Oct. 24, she said it is a calm, gentle song — the opposite of “Golden” — and perfect for listening to while taking a walk and reflecting on your thoughts.

“KPop Demon Hunters,” released on June 20, centers on Rumi, the lead singer of its fictional girl group HUNTR/X, and her journey while the group continues to protect the world from evil demons and faces off against the demon boy band Saja Boys.

EJAE not only provided the vocals for Rumi, but also created the film’s hit song, “Golden” and contributed to other tracks, including “How It’s Done” and “Your Idol.”

Through this, she has topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight consecutive weeks with “Golden.” She has witnessed social media flood with fans singing along to her songs, watched her music reach global audiences and now finds herself gaining massive public attention. This was something she says she could hardly have imagined just a few months ago, saying the experience “still doesn’t feel real.”

Riding this wave of attention and love, EJAE also revealed her hopes to collaborate with other artists, including K-pop idols like aespa and BTS, as well as pop stars Dua Lipa and Sabrina Carpenter.

“There are so many artists [I would love to work with],” EJAE said. “In K-pop, I really want to work with aespa. I think we would really match each other’s vibes. And also BTS. It would be an honor to work with them. They’re so cool and Jungkook is amazing at singing. It would just be an honor.”

“For pop, I think it would be interesting to collaborate with Dua Lipa and Sabrina Carpenter,” she added. “I think it would be nice to mix some K-pop elements into the melody or production, like I did with ‘Golden.’”

She also expressed her desire to collaborate with HUNTR/X’s other vocalists, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami — who provided the voices for Mira and Zoey — as well as other Korean American artists.

Although the film was produced in English, the songs feature Korean lyrics — a choice intended to reflect Korean culture by EJAE and the whole film crew, including its director Maggie Kang. She also shared her perspective on K-pop, saying, “K-pop is ‘K.’ So there should be Korean lyrics.”

She said, “One of the most important goals for ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ was to showcase Korean culture. The director, studio and I all agreed that the lyrics had to include Korean, even for a largely American audience.”

“It was so important for us to put Korean in the chorus part, not just the verse, because after all, that’s what people remember. And I’m so proud I did because at the sing-along events held in the U.S., there are people who are not Korean singing along to the [Korean] lyrics.”

For “Golden,” EJAE said the song not only allowed Rumi to explore her character but also gave EJAE herself the opportunity to discover the full range of her own vocals. Packed with high notes, the track challenged her to push beyond her usual limits. “I had to sing higher than my normal range,” she explained.

She also added that while making “Golden,” she was personally going through a hard time, which influenced the song.

“Interestingly, while making the song, I was going through a bit of a tough time, so writing a hopeful song was something that I needed, and I realized that I put some of my personal emotion in without noticing.”

With the high notes and popularity, many artists have covered “Golden.” Although EJAE said she didn’t take inspiration from any real-life artists and focused solely on Rumi’s story when creating the song, she mentioned that, as its composer, the artist she feels vocally suits the track is Ailee — who even uploaded her own cover of the song on social media.

Having spent a decade as an SM Entertainment trainee without debuting, EJAE described embracing setbacks and giving 100 percent to everything she does — a work ethic influenced by her grandfather, Korean actor Shin Young-kyun. “I think music saved me,” she said, recalling her early days making beats at a cafe in Hongdae.

Her trainee experience influenced the creation of “Your Idol” for the film’s fictional boy band Saja Boys. EJAE also shared that the reverse version of “Hunter’s Mantra” is incorporated into the song.

“Though the idol life may seem glamorous, there’s a dark side that I saw during my time as a trainee,” she said. “I wanted to express the danger and scariness through the song. That’s why the lyrics are a bit unique, too. I wanted to give a cool vibe but also a sense of ‘That’s weird’ or ‘That’s so scary.’”

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]