Career profile of K-pop artist Ejae

In 2020, early in her career, South Korean-American musician Kim Eun-jae, known as Ejae, joined the small songwriting team for a new animated film project, KPop Demon Hunters. She ended up co-writing some of the film’s biggest hits, including Golden, Your Idol, How It’s Done, and providing the singing voice for its protagonist Rumi.

The film, released in June 2025, became, quite simply, a global phenomenon: I tell her that Golden has been played in our house and in our car every day for a year, thanks to my five-year-old’s obsession with it. “I’m sorry,” Ejae says, giving a small smile. But no wonder she’s smiling; Ejae’s life has been a whirlwind of fame, adoration, accolades and red carpets ever since the film came out.

Today, we’re in Paris on the set of Ejae’s photo shoot. Yesterday she was sitting in the front row at the Dior couture show (she is an ambassador for the brand). She attended the Golden Globes in January, the Grammys in February (taking home awards for Golden at both) and the Met Gala in May. She sang at the opening of the World Cup in June (a song she co-wrote for the tournament, naturally) and performed at this year’s BAFTAs, Brit awards, Coachella and the Oscars, where she scooped the best original song award and discovered that Beyoncé and Jay-Z are mega-fans.

“I was at their after party and Jay-Z came up to me and said, ‘Hi, my name’s Shawn,’” says Ejae, 34. “I was beyond starstruck. Beyoncé is my idol and she said, ‘You have an incredible voice.’ I asked her, ‘Do you know Golden?’ She was like, ‘Yeah, my girls sing it.’” Ejae pauses, wide-eyed, and adds: “And her daughter’s name is Rumi.”

Blending comedy, action, fantasy and music, KPop Demon Hunters, an American animation drenched in Korean characters and pop culture, is about a girl band called Huntrix – Rumi, Zoey and Mira – who sell out stadiums while secretly fighting demons that feed on human souls.

Rumi, Zoey and Mira are voiced by actors, but their singing voices come from Ejae, South Korean-American singer Rei Ami (Zoey) and American singer Audrey Nuna (Mira). The trio have become best friends, having performed together countless times.

Ejae describes Golden as the film’s Let It Go, a pivotal moment in the Disney film Frozen and another song that went viral. Golden is a certified pop banger about self-empowerment, self-belief and the power of female friendship. If you’re a parent of a young child, you will not have been to a kids’ party in the past year at which Golden wasn’t blasted out over the bouncy castle.