Kpop Demon Hunters
Netflix
Golden by HUNTR/X from the Netflix animated film KPop Demon Hunters just hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, a first for any KPop group. Some have said that this doesn’t “count” because the group is fictional, but there are obviously very real voices behind those characters. And one of them just released a new KPop Demon Hunters song. Kind of.
Rei Ami is an American singer, rapper and voice actress originally from South Korea, and she is the singing voice of the HUNTR/X rapper Zoey in the film, as each character had both a speaking voice actor (in Zoey’s case, Ji-young Yoo) and a singing voice for their tracks.
On social media, Rei Ami responded to a request from a fan about an apparently teased diss track from Zoey targeting the Saja Boys, wondering if she could do a full version. And she did.
The track, which doesn’t have an official name, was written by Rei Ami, Reibes and Hunters. The beat is BMTJ via YouTube. She says it was compiled via Instagram and Tik Tok Live over the course of two days. Here it is:
The track is about 1:20, which is obviously shorter than most of the other songs from HUNTR/X and the rest on the official soundtrack, but despite its low-key production, easily sounds like something that could have shown up in the film.
KPop Demon Hunters continues to break record after record, arguably its biggest being yesterday, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time for a Kpop group with the track Golden. But besides that?
- It has the record for the most perfect All-Kills ever.
- It became #1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart
- It was the second-ever Kpop song to hit #1 in the UK, alongside Gangnam Style.
- It is the only movie to hit its peak viewership five weeks into release on Netflix
- It is the most-viewed animated movie in Netlfix history, and it may be on pace to be its most-viewed.
While there are rumblings behind the scenes about what Netflix has planned next for KPop Demon Hunters, like a trilogy of films and maybe even a live-action remake and a stage show, nothing official has been announced yet (Update: They’ve just announced a sing-along theater event). The movie is such a huge hit it is probably hard to process and figure out next steps, given that they’ve clearly given birth to an enormous franchise suddenly out of nowhere. But I expect we’re about to hear the next stage of HUNTR/X and the Demon Hunters soon enough.
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