Oscars 2026: Golden from 'KPop Demon Hunters' becomes first K-pop song to win Best Original Song

Highlights

• “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters wins the Oscar for Best Original Song
  
• The track becomes the first K-pop song to claim the award
  
• Songwriters including Ejae and Teddy Park become the first South Koreans to win in the category
  
• The film also won Best Animated Feature, marking its second award of the night
  

A song from the animated film KPop Demon Hunters made Academy Awards history after “Golden” won the Oscar for Best Original Song at the 98th ceremony.

The track became the first K-pop song to receive the honour, marking a significant moment for South Korean artists on Hollywood’s biggest stage. Songwriters including Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, Ido and Teddy Park were among those recognised for the win.

A milestone for Korean music at the Oscars

The victory marks the first time South Korean creatives have won in the Best Original Song category. Singer Ejae, 24, delivered an emotional speech during the ceremony as the award was accepted.

However, songwriter Sonnenblick was cut off mid-speech as the ceremony moved forward.

The recognition adds to the growing global presence of Korean entertainment, which has expanded from film and television to music-driven projects in international cinema.

Second Oscar of the night for the film

The win for “Golden” was the second award of the evening for KPop Demon Hunters. Earlier in the ceremony, the animated film took home the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

While accepting that award, the film’s co-writer and co-director Maggie Kang spoke about the significance of seeing Korean stories on the big screen.

She said she hoped future generations would not have to wait as long to see themselves represented in films like this.

Strong competition in the category

“Golden” triumphed over songs from several films, including Sinners, Train Dreams and Viva Verdi!.

Among the nominees was “Dear Me”, performed by Kesha for the documentary Diane Warren: Relentless and written by veteran songwriter Diane Warren.

The loss extended Warren’s long run of nominations without a competitive win. She has now received 17 Oscar nominations, dating back to 1987 when she was first nominated for “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” from Mannequin. Despite the record, she received an honorary Academy Award in 2022 recognising her contribution to film music.

The historic win for “Golden” underlined the growing international influence of Korean pop culture, with KPop Demon Hunters leaving the ceremony with two major awards.