Oscars 2026: ‘Golden’ from ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ wins ‘Best Original Song’
After breaking records as the most-viewed original film in Netflix history, KPop Demon Hunters solidified its status as a cultural landmark by picking up an Oscar for ‘Best Original Song’ with ‘Golden’.
Ejae, Ido, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Mark Sonnenblick, Teddy & 24 won their first Oscar after ‘Golden’ was responsible for getting casuals interested in the K-pop genre. KPop Demon Hunters has become the first Netflix film in history to win the Oscar for ‘Best Original Song’.
Other nominees in the category included ‘Dear Me’ from Diane Warren: Relentless, ‘I Lied To You’ from Sinners, ‘Train Dreams’ from Train Dreams, and ‘Sweet Dreams of Joy’ from Viva Verdi!
At this point, you have to wonder what Warren has to do to win a competitive award. Sure, she’s been awarded an honorary Oscar for her overall contributions to cinema, but this is the 17th consecutive time she’s made the shortlist and walked away empty-handed.
Rumi, Mira, and Zoey have been a fixture of the awards circuit, and having performed the signature song of the fictional band Huntr/x several times already, it was almost inevitable that they’d end up giving another rousing rendition at the Oscars.
KPop Demon Hunters was already a juggernaut for Netflix that caused the streamer to give up its longstanding resistance to theatrical distribution after the animated hit was released in cinemas over the summer due to popular demand.
‘Golden’ is not only the film’s anthem, but it also topped the charts in over 30 countries, proving it had far more than a niche appeal.
While there were many songs from the soundtrack that theoretically could have been in contention, Netflix made the smart choice to choose to only campaign ‘Golden’, preventing the possibility of vote-splitting.
To be honest, it was a foregone conclusion that ‘Golden’ would emerge victorious, but there’s nothing wrong with a little predictability every now and then.
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.