'KPop Demon Hunters' makes Oscars history

“KPop Demon Hunters” brought a solemnisation of Korean civilization to the 98th Academy Awards connected Sunday.

The movie struck golden doubly and made past Sunday, winning Oscars for animated diagnostic and archetypal song. “Golden” became the archetypal K-pop opus to triumph an Oscar. Six of the credited writers were besides the archetypal South Koreans to triumph successful the category.

“Growing up, radical made amusive of maine for liking K-pop, but present everyone’s singing our song,” said Ejae, who co-wrote the song. “This grant is not astir success, it’s astir resilience.”

Korean instrumentals filled the country arsenic dancers successful accepted Korean formal flooded the signifier during a show of “Golden.”

Scenes from the movie played successful the inheritance arsenic Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, who supply the singing voices for the demon-fighting trio Huntr/x, performed the movie’s smash hit.

The singing trio wore achromatic ensembles, with dancers swinging aureate flags down them. They were successful tears successful the assemblage earlier successful the nighttime erstwhile the movie won the Oscar for animated feature.

“For those of you who look similar me, I’m truthful atrocious that it took truthful agelong to spot america successful a movie similar this, but it is here. That means the adjacent generations don’t person to spell longing,” said Maggie Kang, the film’s co-writer and co-director portion accepting award. “This is for Korea and Koreans everywhere.”

Rei Ami, Ejae and Audrey Nuna execute “Golden” during the 98th Academy Awards.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Audience members swung achromatic lit-up globes to the bushed of the song.

“Golden” was 1 of lone 2 unrecorded performances from the archetypal opus category. Miles Caton, on with a plethora of Black artists, performed “I Lied to You” from the movie “Sinners” earlier successful the night.

“KPop Demon Hunters” is not caller to breaking records. After premiering connected Netflix successful June, it became the streaming giant’s astir watched movie, with much than 480 cardinal views arsenic of January.

The Oscar wins headdress disconnected a palmy awards play for the movie. “Golden” became the archetypal K-pop opus to instrumentality location a Grammy, winning for opus written for ocular media. It besides snagged a Golden Globe for archetypal opus and the movie won for animated question picture. The movie besides earned a Producers Guild Award for outstanding animated theatrical question picture.

The movie, which follows fictional miss radical Huntr/x arsenic it battles evil with its punchy K-pop beats, became a taste phenomenon, dominating streaming charts. “Golden” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for much than 8 consecutive weeks.

The Huntr/x singing trio performed the breakout hit, “Golden,” for the archetypal clip connected TV connected “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” successful October. Ami antecedently told The Times that performing astatine the Oscars oregon Grammys is “probably 1 of the highest accolades and achievements you tin execute arsenic an artist, songwriter and producer. Those are each things we person connected our bucket list.”