If this rendition of “Golden” is any indication of what 2026 will look like, then it seems this year will be a glowing one.
The singing voices of KPop Demon Hunters have been performing their golden hit everywhere, most recently at Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. The trio, consisting of EJAE, Rei Ami, and Audrey Nuna, have added some slight variations to “Golden” when they’ve performed it, but they have officially debuted a new rendition titled “Golden (Glowin’ version)” and sung it live at Jimmy Kimmel. The string orchestra was notably comprised of Asian female musicians.
Produced by Ian Eisendrath, John Nathaniel, IDO, 24, this new rendition is more symphonic, giving a refreshing take on a beloved classic. Surrounded by flashing lights, the three singers sound, if possible, more emotional and angelic as they sing the “Glowin’ version.” The strings closes out the song with a beautiful coda.
“Golden” was the number one hit from last year and has broken multiple records. The first female K-Pop group to ever be number one, it held the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for eight consecutive weeks. It has spent 28 weeks on the Billboard Global Excl. US chart and still remains there as of this article’s writing. The single as well as soundtrack have scored four Grammy nominations.
Directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, KPop Demon Hunters is a celebration of Korean culture and music with its story about three demon hunters who protect humanity through their voices. Rumi, Mira, and Zoey (voices by Arden Cho, May Hong, and Ji-young Yoo, respectively) are this generation’s Demon Hunters and are also the world’s hottest K-Pop group called Huntr/x. The only way to prevent the demons from escaping from the underworld is by creating a powerful barrier called the Honmoon but first, they have to fight off a powerful demon boy band called the Saja Boys.
The film became Netflix’s most-watched title, surpassing that of the first season of Squid Game and has clocked 500 million views as of December 2025. A sequel has been announced and is aiming for a 2029 release window.
Join the Huntr/x fandom. Or the Saja Boys’. Whichever fandom you want to be a part of, KPop Demon Hunters can be streamed on Netflix.
Source: YouTube
