On March 16, “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters won the Oscar for Best Original Song, credited to EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo, and Teddy Park. The winners walked onto the stage to accept the award, but their acceptance speech was cut short after only a few minutes.
As the group accepted the Best Original Song award for “Golden,” EJAE spoke onstage, saying, “Growing up, people made fun of me for liking K-pop, but now everyone’s singing our song and all the Korean lyrics. I’m so proud. And I realized this award isn’t about success — it’s about resilience.”
Just as she was about to mention her collaborators, the music began to play. EJAE raised her hand and said, “Please stop.” The music continued as her fellow winners tried to speak, and the lights dimmed before the broadcast cut to commercial. Reactions online were quick to criticize the moment, with commentators calling the cutoff “disrespectful” and “rude.”
The win marks the film’s second Oscar of the evening, following its victory in the Best Animated Film category.
Other nominees for Best Original Song at the 98th Academy Awards included “I Lied to You” from Sinners, written by Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Göransson; “Train Dreams” from Train Dreams, written by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner; “Dear Me” from Diane Warren: Relentless, written by Diane Warren; and “Sweet Dreams of Joy” from Viva Verdi!, written by Nicholas Pike.
