The original soundtrack 'Golden' from the Netflix animated film 'K-Pop Demon Hunters' has reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S. On the 1st, it also topped the UK Official Singles Chart Top 100, simultaneously dominating the two major pop markets.
On the 11th (local time), Billboard noted, "'Golden' moved up one spot from last week, surpassing Alex Warren's 'Ordinary' to take the top position on the chart," adding that it was the ninth K-Pop-related song to reach No. 1 and the first 'Hot 100' No. 1 song sung by a female vocalist.
During this counting period, 'Golden' recorded 31.7 million streams, a 9% increase from the previous week, 8.4 million in radio airplay points, a 71% increase, and 7,000 in sales, a 35% rise. This has been assessed as a remarkable achievement in streaming, a popular 'popularity indicator,' rather than sales centered on fan communities typical of K-Pop.
'Golden' is a song by the virtual K-Pop girl group 'HuntRix' in the movie, performed by three Korean-American artists: composer Lee Jae, singer Audrey Nuna, and Rae Ami, all of whom are former trainees at SM Entertainment. Billboard introduced, "Lee Jae and Rae Ami were born in Seoul, while Audrey Nuna is from New Jersey, USA."
The song entered the Hot 100 at No. 81 early last month, then climbed to No. 23, No. 6, No. 4, and No. 2, reaching the top position in just seven weeks. The only K-Pop artists to reach No. 1 on the Hot 100 are BTS (with six songs), and team members Jimin (one song) and Jungkook (one song). This is the first time for a song sung by a female vocalist.
Additionally, it has been three years since an animated OST reached No. 1 on the Hot 100, following 'We Don't Talk About Bruno' from 'Encanto' in 2022.
Lee Jae, who participated in singing and composing as the character Lumi in HuntRix, expressed on social media, "I have no words. I can only cry," and thanked fans for their love.
As the film and soundtrack prosper, foreign tourists are flocking to Seoul landmarks featured in the work, such as Namsan, Bukchon, and the Han River, as well as the National Museum of Korea, and characters like the traditional Korean tiger and magpie are also gaining popularity.
Im Hee-yoon, a popular music critic, analyzed, "While the film's success certainly helped, the song 'Golden' possesses a powerful essence. Its bright melody has a captivating pull that makes you want to sing along," adding, "Unlike last summer when songs by Sabrina Carpenter or Billie Eilish hit it big, this year hasn't produced a strong summer hit. This also played a part in 'Golden's rise."