With “Golden” acting as Netflix’s song of choice for KPop Demon Hunters during awards season, the chart-topping global hit sung by EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami as HUNTR/X can officially claim its first honor in the U.S. following the 2025 Hollywood Music in Media Awards.
Co-written by EJAE alongside Mark Sonnenblick, Park Hong Jun (a.k.a. Teddy), Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam and Jeong Hoon Seo and performed by EJAE, Nuna and Rei, “Golden” was named the winner of Song – Animated Film at the 16th annual Hollywood Music in Media Awards at its November 19 ceremony in Los Angeles.
The HMMAs are an industry barometer for music in film, TV and video games. “Golden” was against several big names in its category including Hayley Williams and David Byrne’s “Open the Door” from The Twits, Rag’n’bone Man and Wizthemc’s “Gooflife” off The Bad Guys 2 soundtrack, Shakira’s new Zootopia 2 song for Disney “Zoo,” and more. The recognition also puts the song’s creators and performers in front of a voting body attentive to the Oscars, Grammys, and other film-music ceremonies — leading to the sort of early awards momentum that can translate into more nominations and greater visibility.
While this isn’t the first award for “Golden,” it does mark the song’s first recognition in America. The chart-topping hit previously won Best OST at South Korea’s K-World Dream Awards in Seoul, with HUNTR/X earning the award for Best International New Artist at Spain’s Los 40 Music Awards.
EJAE, the singer-songwriter and vocalist for KPop Demon Hunters lead character Rumi, has herself been singled out for several industry honors including being named among ASCAP’s Women Behind the Music trailblazers, winning the Spark Award at IndieWire Honors, while being named one of Variety’s 10 Artisans to Watch at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, and one of the publication’s Hitmakers at its annual Variety Hitmakers Awards.
As the calendar tips toward December and early-year ceremonies before more of the major award shows next year, “Golden” could pick up several more prizes. The track is up for Song of the Year and Best OST at the 2025 MAMA Awards (which will take place in Hong Kong on November 28-29), as well as Best Original Song at the 2025 Astra Creative Arts Awards (coming December 11).
Of course, “Golden” earned multiple Grammy nominations this year, mostly notably in the main category of Song of the Year. “Golden” will also compete in Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, Best Song Written for Visual Media, while David Guetta’s remix of the track competes in Best Remixed Recording.
Beyond KPop Demon Hunters, the HMMAs recognized a wide slate of standout musical moments across today’s film and TV landscape.
Sinners emerged as the night’s dominant force at the 2025 HMMAs, taking home three awards including wins for Ludwig Göransson’s haunting feature score and the emotional centerpiece track “I Lied to You,” co-written with Raphael Saadiq and performed by the film’s breakout star Miles Caton, who was also honored for on-screen performance. Diane Warren added to her legendary resume with a win for “Dear Me” from Diane Warren: Relentless, while the Wicked franchise earned two accolades of its own. Plus, composer Tom Howe also doubled up with recognition for both his animated film score and documentary-series song work. At the same time, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy collected honors in score and music supervision categories.
The HMMA win underlines that “Golden” is more than a chart-topping hit, but an important bilingual anthem with its upbeat, universal lyrics in English (with moments of Korean) giving the song crossover emotional lift and international singalong power. Alongside EJAE’s mesmerizing vocal performance on the track, the song’s warm storytelling has won over fans, become a playlist staple, and is now earning undeniable industry respect across music, film, and animation. With institutional recognition of the song going beyond a commercial phenomenon, “Golden” can power into the rest of the awards season, both buoyed by its popular momentum and be further taken seriously by the gatekeepers who shape long-term cultural legacy.
Read on for the full list of nominees and winners from the 2025 Hollywood Music in Media Awards.
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