Huntr/x “Golden” hit #1

Golden Huntr/x

Writer(s): Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, 24, Ido, Teddy (see lyrics here) Released: July 4, 2025 First Charted: July 2, 2025 Peak: 18 BB, 11 BA, 15 DG, 112 ST, 12 RR, 10 AC, 3 A40, 110 UK, 15 CN, 117 AU (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, 1.2 UK, 3.96 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 1041.09 video, 1388.24 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: It was only a matter of time before someone created a movie to tap into the Kpop craze initiated by Korean pop acts like BTS and Psy that crossed over in America. 2025’s KPop Demon Hunters was “an animated musical with no big-name voice actors, based around a genre with passionate but extremely protective fans, whose stars – even some of the very biggest ones – have found difficulty crossing over to the most mainstream American spaces.” BB’25 “There were a million ways that could go wrong, and only one way that it really could go right: The songs were gonna have to be very, very, very good.” BB’25 Rolling Stone declared “the animated K-pop fantasia…was one of 2025’s pop-cultural bright spots.” RS’25 The soundtrack album’s “giddy lead single” RS’25 “only amped up the joyful frenzy surrounding it.” RS’25 The “synth-draped” RS’25 “Golden” spent eight weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and the magazine’s staff picked it as the song of the year, calling it “the best, most exciting pop song of 2025.” BB’25 The song was nominated for a Grammy for Song of the Year. The song was “credited to the titular stars-slash-slayers HUNTR/X and performed by Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami, and co-writer EJAE.” RS’25 “It was the perfect HUNTR/X song. It’s aspirational, in the grand tradition of Disney…songs” BB’25 and “the propulsive drums and glistening synths make the entire thing feel like an Olympic awards ceremony.” BB’25 “But the real miracle of ‘Golden’ is that you don’t need to already be a fan of KPop Demon Hunters – or really even of K-pop in general – to love it. It’s thrived…where previous Disney and movie anthems failed, because they were too inextricably tied to their source soundtracks.” BB’25 “The song is so glorious, and its ascent has taken it so high up, that it’s largely broken free of the movie’s orbit.” BB’25 Resources: BB’25 Billboard (12/11/2025). “The 100 Best Songs of 2025: Staff Picks” RS’25 Rolling Stone (12/4/2025). “The 100 Best Songs of 2025” Related Links: First posted 1/18/2026.