'KPop Demon Hunters' Singers Reveal Their Oscar Hopes and Which Celebrity Guest They'd Want to Perform With [Exclusive]

When KPop Demon Hunters was preparing to release earlier this year, nobody was expecting to be talking about the Netflix animated film in the same breath as the Academy Awards. Three and a half months later, though, Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans‘s musical fantasy flick has become a global phenomenon, rising to the top as the biggest movie in Netflix history, with over 325 million views, and even forcing the streamer’s hand into granting a rare theatrical run. However, the part of the smash hit that has found perhaps the widest audience has been the music. The fictional idol group HUNTR/X has had a very real impact on the Billboard Hot 100, making history with four tracks reaching the top ten, including “Golden,” “Soda Pop,” “Your Idol,” and “How It’s Done.” Now, things have gotten real after the film’s soundtrack earned five Grammy nominations, including a historic Song of the Year nod that has EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami anxiously thinking about a trip to Hollywood.

The trio of singers behind Rumi, Mira, and Zoey spoke to Collider’s Aidan Kelley after the announcement of their nominations, and their conversation turned to the possibility of performing at the Oscars. “Golden,” written by EJAE and Mark Sonnenblick, now looks like a strong contender for Best Original Song in a field that’s likely to feature competition from films like Sinners and The Testament of Ann Lee. 2025’s ceremony notably scrapped live performances of the nominated songs in favor of pre-recorded segments highlighting the songwriters, but given how poorly the decision was taken, it would come as no shock if the Academy returned to tradition for 2026. Between the Grammy buzz and the fact that it reached the top of Billboard’s charts last year, KPop‘s signature song is looking increasingly like the perfect track to play live.

“I would be so nervous!” EJAE said when asked about the possibility. The feeling was mutual with her fellow HUNTR/X members, as Ami added, “I’d be mortified, honestly,” before EJAE called it “nerve-racking.” The meteoric rise of KPop Demon Hunters is still settling in for them, and it’s still hard for Ami to imagine an Oscar nomination being a realistic possibility when few had ever heard of the Sony Pictures Animation movie before June.

“To be in that space and that room, even as artists, it just seemed so far away. I thought it would take me forever to walk up to that door and get there. Now, people are like, ‘You guys might be nominated! You guys might perform.’ I’m like, what are you talking about?

‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Singers Know Which Star They Would Want on Stage

Although HUNTR/X may be some of the biggest breakout stars of the summer, the singing voices behind the fictional K-pop icons admitted performing in a room full of Hollywood’s best and brightest would leave them a bit starstruck. “We might be performing for, like, Meryl Streep and Leonardo DiCaprio,” EJAE said. “Like, are you kidding me? That’s too much.” Ami added that, if Pedro Pascal is in attendance, “I’m going to lose my mind,” while the lead singer joked that she’d “need to, like, take off my contacts and just be blind” to get through the show. They do at least know one A-lister who would be more than happy to see them perform, with Nuna chiming in, “You guys, Emma Stone already loves ‘Golden.’” The prospect of the Bugonia star singing along or, even better, being on-stage with them had the trio especially excited about the possibilities and wondering, “Can we bring her up? Make her sing it.” EJAE expressed her hopes that “she’s on stage when we bring her up.”

Whatever happens at the Oscars, EJAE, Nuna, and Ami are guaranteed a chance to step on stage as HUNTR/X one more time, if they decide. A sequel is already in the works from Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation, though it isn’t expected until 2029. So far, nothing has been confirmed regarding the actors and creators involved, but presumably any follow-up would welcome back both the singing and speaking voices of the idols, including Arden Cho as Rumi, May Hong as Mira, and Ji-young Yoo as Zoey. The original film also featured Ahn Hyo-seop as the leader of the demonic Saja Boys, Jinu, alongside Yunjin Kim, Daniel Dae Kim, Ken Jeong, and Lee Byung-hun.

KPop Demon Hunters is now streaming on Netflix. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on the future of Netflix’s biggest hit.