Golden, the popular song from the Netflix animated fantasy film KPop Demon Hunters, has made history by becoming the first K-pop song to win an Oscar. The song, performed by Rei Ami, Audrey Nuna, and Ejae as the members of a fictional girl group Huntrix, bagged the Best Music (Original Song) at the 98th annual Academy Awards.
The other nominees in this category were Dear Me from Diane Warren: Relentless by Diane Warren, I Lied to You from Sinners by Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Göransson, Sweet Dreams of Joy from Viva Verdi! by Nicholas Pike, and Train Dreams from Train Dreams by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner.
Presenter Lionel Richie announced the winner moments after Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami, and EJAE briefly performed the song live onstage. Although EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo, and Teddy Park took the stage, only EJAE was able to deliver the acceptance speech.
"Growing up, people made fun of me for liking K-pop, but now everyone is singing our song and all the Korean lyrics. I realized the song, this award is not about success. It's about resilience," EJAE said while delivering an emotional speech.
Oscars 2026 Organizers Receive Backlash
K-pop fans worldwide and other social media users criticised the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for cutting short the acceptance speech by the KPop Demon Hunters producers. Several netizens shared their disappointments online on various social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter). Here are a few of them:
Hey Oscars producers, if you have time for a lengthy Bridesmaids bit and dumb filler presenter intros, you have time to let the winners give their thanks. It's the best part of the show. Cutting off the mic after one person speaks (esp that Golden speech) is so, so cold. #oscars
Do better, Oscars team. These artists grind for years; give them the 60-90 seconds they deserve without the rude interrupt. The backlash online is real fans are pissed, and rightfully so. Let winners speak!
Seriously! I was shocked that they actually didn't pump the breaks on the music and give the Golden team a little more time. That was incredibly cold. Some winners spoke for a WHILE! Ejae's speech wasn't even long, and they certainly had more than enough time for one more person.
This was so cruel. Michael B Jordan wasn't cut short!
It literally ended 20+ minutes early.... They HAD TIMEEEEEEEEE
Hated that cut off. So rude & unneccesary. Stop with presenter scripted "banter".
It amazes me how every single year people criticize these award ceremonies for not giving people time to speak, yet they keep doing it.
It was SHOCKING. Let the Oscar winners have their moment!!!!
It felt like there was so much filler. There was at least 15 minutes of content that could've been cut.
plz the only person that mattered was able to speak (the golden speech) cmon we don't want to hear anything more than that
And notice how Amy Madigan for example went on and on and NO attempt to get her out. If you're giving the award to a multiple team, give them a chance.
Can anyone explain why they were cut off ?? Accident ? Intentional? Makes no sense...
The Netflix animated fantasy film bagged two awards at the 98th annual Academy Awards. Apart from the Best Music (Original Song), the movie also received the Best Animated Feature award. During her acceptance speech, Maggie Kang, the film's co-writer and co-director, dedicated the award to Korea and Koreans worldwide.
"For those of you who look like me, I'm so sorry that it took so long to see us in a movie like this, but it is here. That means the next generations don't have to go longing. This is for Korea and Koreans everywhere," she said.
