KPop Demon Hunters' song Golden became the first K-pop song to win the Golden Globe for best original song.
Singer-songwriter EJAE opened up about "rejection" and "redirection" in an emotional speech.
She reflected on her journey of working tirelessly for 10 years to become a K-pop idol.
It was indeed a "golden" night for KPop Demon Hunters as director Maggie Kang scripted history by becoming the first Asian woman ever to win the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature. Singer-songwriter EJAE became the first Korean-American to take home a Golden Globe for co-writing Golden. It won the Best Original Song award, beating some of the strong contenders such as Wicked: For Good, Avatar: Fire and Ash, Sinners, and Train Dreams.
Golden was performed by HUNTR/X (EJAE, Audrey Nuna & REI AMI) with music by Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo and Park Hong Jun, and lyrics by Kim Eun-jae (EJAE) and Mark Sonnenblick.
EJAE broke down in tears while accepting the award and won hearts with her inspiring speech.
EJAE on winning big at Golden Globes 2026
The award for Best Original Song at the 2026 Golden Globes was accepted on stage by songwriters EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, and Lee Hee-joon.
EJAE delivered a powerful speech, reflecting on her journey to make it in K-pop.
"When I was a little girl I worked tirelessly for 10 years to fulfil one dream, to become a K-pop idol, and I was rejected and disappointed that my voice wasn't good enough and so I leaned on songs and music to get through it, so now I'm here as a singer and a songwriter," she said.
"It's a dream come true to be part of a song that's helping other girls and other boys and everyone of all ages to get through their hardships, to accept themselves," she added.
"So thank you Golden Globes for accepting my voice and our voice," she said further.
EJAE dedicated the Golden Globe win to "people who have had doors closed on them."
Towards the end of her speech, she said, "I can confidently say rejection is redirection. So never give up, it's never too late to shine like you were born to be."
Sonnenblick, the co-writer of the song with EJAE, thanked Netflix, Sony and everybody who "believed in and ushered" the film.
"It's been an amazing year for musical storytelling in movies. We're honoured to be here amongst all these other movies and songs," he added.
