KPop Demon Hunters’ Golden Set for Oscars Performance

The Oscar-nominated original song Golden from KPop Demon Hunters will take the stage at the Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, March 15, 2026. All three voices behind the movie’s girl group HUNTR/X, Rei Ami, Audrey Nuna, and EJAE, will perform the song, as a part of the cultural festivities.

According to the announcement, the KPop Demon Hunters-inspired musical performance will also include “traditional Korean instrumentalists and dance,” to portray the cultural influences that shaped the movie. Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan from the committee emphasized that these showcases move beyond performances and celebrate “the relationship between music and storytelling.”

Despite not being a South Korean production, KPop Demon Hunters has gained international attention for its blend of animated storytelling and Korean pop music. After winning multiple critical accolades, the movie is currently vying for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song categories at the Oscars.

KPop Demon Hunters Expands Korean Cultural Representation at the Oscars

According to Arden Cho, the voice actor behind one of the three main characters, Rumi, emphasized that considering the number of Koreans involved in KPop Demon Hunters, the win will “be really groundbreaking” for South Korea’s cultural representation.  “I feel like it would be such an honor and what an incredible history-making moment if we were to win an Oscar,” she stated.

Everett Post noted that if KPop Demon Hunters win in the Best Animated Feature category, the director Maggie Kang and producer Michelle Wong will be the first Korean descendants to win in this category. On the other hand, if Golden wins, four of the song’s five co-writers will be the first Koreans to win in the Best Original Song category at the Oscars.

KPop Demon Hunters’ nomination arrived alongside nominations for Bugonia, a film inspired by a Korean movie named Save the Green Planet! (2003). Bugonia is competing at this year’s Academy Awards with four nominations.

While original South Korean productions didn’t gain much visibility at the Oscars 2026, these nominations show the growing crossover culture between K-pop and Hollywood. The recognition of multiple Korean-linked productions at the same time also reflects the ongoing global expansion of Korean entertainment, often referred to as the “Korean Wave” or Hallyu.

The 98th Academy Awards ceremony, hosted by Conan O'Brien, will take place at Ovation Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre. The ceremony will also be broadcast and streamed live in more than 200 territories, on ABC and Hulu, respectively.