HUNTR/X to Debut 'Golden' on Tonight Show Ahead of 'KPop Demon Hunters'

• oleh Agus Setiawan
• Okt, 9 2025

During a neon‑lit press conference in Los Angeles on July 15, 2025, the K‑pop trio EJAE, together with fellow members AUDREY NUNA and REI AMI, unveiled the film‑wide anthem Golden and hinted at a live debut on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” next week. The event, staged as part of the promotional push for the animated feature ‘KPop Demon Hunters’, which hits theaters on August 23, 2025, carried extra weight because the $100 million production is backed by streaming giant Netflix (headquartered in Los Gatos, California) and Hollywood studio Sony Pictures Entertainment (based in Culver City, California).

Directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans explained that they wanted a song that could capture both the supernatural chase vibe of the film and the glossy pop energy that defines today’s K‑pop scene. \"We needed a track that felt like a battle cry for the protagonists and a radio‑ready hit for listeners,\" Kang said, gesturing to the giant screen flashing snippets of the animated chase.

When asked about the vocal demands of Golden, Audrey burst out, \"We’re blessed to have seen this woman, in real life, sing this song for probably the first time in the world, in rehearsal. And just to be in the presence of this, honestly generational talent is, for us, just… she learns from us, she was saying, but we also learn so much from everything that she does.\" EJAE added, \"It’s a hard song, but I can sing it with these girls by my side. No pressure – don’t expect too much, but you should, because we worked really hard.\"

The birth of the anthem itself reads like a sitcom script. In a behind‑the‑scenes interview released on October 8, 2025, EJAE recalled sketching the first melody while sitting in a dentist’s chair – a detail that’s now part of the song’s mythology. The trio later performed an early version of the track for songwriter Mark Sonnenblick during a YouTube session hosted by film‑culture channels The Movie Couple and Mama’s Geeky. Sonnenblick, who co‑wrote the lyrics, said the dental‑chair moment sparked a line‑by‑line rewrite that ultimately turned the piece into a full‑blown earworm.

Word of mouth spread faster than any marketing plan. On October 2, EJAE recounted hearing a child belt out Golden in a Target checkout line, followed minutes later by a thirty‑year‑old woman humming it outside the same store. The next day, a bar‑restaurant patron’s kid was blasting the official music video on a tablet, prompting EJAE’s fiancé to urge her on‑stage performance – a moment EJAE described as \"crazy\" given the song’s sudden cultural penetration.

• Film budget: $100 million
• Runtime: 1 hour 36 minutes
• Lead voice cast: Arden Cho, May Hong, Ji‑young Yoo
• Key song: Golden
• Live TV debut: October 7, 2025 on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Historical Context of “KPop Demon Hunters”

The idea for an animated crossover between K‑pop aesthetics and supernatural action first surfaced in early 2023, when producers at Netflix and Sony sought a fresh franchise to rival the success of “Spider‑Man: Across the Spider‑Verse.” The script landed on writer‑director duo Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, whose previous collaboration on the indie fantasy “Moonlit Orchard” caught the attention of both studios. By March 2024, the project secured a $100 million green‑light, with a multicultural voice cast including Arden Cho (who also serves as an executive producer), May Hong, and Ji‑young Yoo.

Press Conference Reveals the Making of “Golden”

At the July 15 press event, the directors and singers walked journalists through the song’s iterative process. Initial demos, titled “Your Idol,” were recorded by Sonnenblick alone in a home studio. As the film’s edit took shape, Kang and Appelhans asked for a more aggressive tempo to match a chase sequence that takes place inside a neon‑lit Seoul night market. Producer Ian (full name not disclosed) layered synths and traditional Korean percussion, while EJAE, Audrey, and Rei re‑recorded verses to fit the new beat.

Audrey emphasized the collaborative spirit: \"We were all in the same room, tweaking every lyric until it felt like a mantra for the characters. The directors pushed us to make each line feel like a spell.\" The trio’s chemistry, according to the press release, is the secret sauce that turned a standard pop track into a narrative‑driven anthem.

First Televised Performance on The Tonight Show

Set for October 7, 2025, the appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon marks HUNTR/X’s inaugural live television slot. Rehearsals have been intense; the trio spent three days at NBC Studios perfecting choreography that blends K‑pop dance breaks with animated projections of the film’s demon‑hunting protagonists.

Fallon, known for his love of viral hits, teased the performance during a Monday night monologue, saying, \"If you’ve ever tried to sing ‘Golden’ in a dentist’s chair, you’ll understand why this is a big deal.\" The performance is expected to stream on both NBC’s digital platform and Netflix’s YouTube channel, providing a dual‑release strategy that could boost both TV ratings and the film’s streaming debut.

Industry Response and Sequel Negotiations

Analysts at Variety noted that the combined clout of Netflix and Sony gives the franchise a rare cross‑platform advantage. A report on October 5, 2025, confirmed that the two companies are in advanced talks to green‑light a sequel, citing the viral momentum of Golden as a key factor. If a sequel proceeds, budget projections suggest a modest $80 million, relying on the proven formula of music‑driven storytelling.

Meanwhile, music‑industry insiders point to the song’s viral spread – from Target aisles to TikTok trends – as evidence of a new promotional model where audience‑generated moments drive box‑office performance. “We’re seeing a grassroots lift that no traditional ad campaign could match,” said a senior executive at Sony Pictures Entertainment, who asked to remain anonymous.

Box‑Office Outlook and Cultural Impact

Early ticket‑sale data indicates that the film could open to $45 million domestically, a figure that would place it among the top‑grossing animated releases of 2025. The synergy between the movie and its hit song is projected to add a 10‑15 % bump, according to a Nielsen forecast released on October 6.

Beyond numbers, the cultural ripple is palpable. Schools in Seoul have begun teaching a simplified version of the “Golden” choreography during physical‑education classes, while fan art of the demon‑hunting protagonists flooded Instagram overnight. If the upcoming Tonight Show stint translates into a 20 % streaming spike for the trailer, the franchise could become the first animated K‑pop crossover to dominate both cinema and music charts.