KPop Demon Hunters Makes Oscar History: "Golden" Win, Maggie Kang's Tearful Speech, and a Star-Studded Night
KPop Demon Hunters dominated the music and animation categories at the 98th Academy Awards Sunday night. The Netflix animated blockbuster claimed Best Animated Feature Film and stands as the frontrunner for Best Original Song for "Golden" — completing one of the most celebrated awards runs in recent memory for a K-pop animated film.
KPop Demon Hunters Wins Best Animated Feature at the 2026 Oscars
The animated film KPop Demon Hunters won the Best Animated Feature award at the 2026 Oscars, marking a significant milestone for Asian representation in international cinema. The award was accepted on stage by co-director Maggie Kang, producer Michelle L.M. Wong, and co-director Chris Appelhans.
With the win, Kang and Wong made history as the first female Asian winners in the Best Animated Feature category. Kang delivered a tearful speech that already resonates far beyond Hollywood. Kang began her acceptance in tears, saying: "For those of you who look like me, I'm so sorry that it took us so long to see us in a movie like this. This is for Korea and for Koreans everywhere."
KPop Demon Hunters beat Arco, Elio, Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, and Zootopia 2 to win the category. The film's winning streak has been unstoppable — it previously won at the Golden Globes, Critics' Choice Awards, PGA Awards, and took home 10 Annie Awards.
"Golden" — The Song That Made K-Pop Oscar History
"Golden" made history by becoming the first song in the K-pop genre ever to be nominated for an Oscar. It was a full-circle moment for singer-songwriter EJAE, who trained for 10 years to be a K-pop idol but was rejected.
The song reached number one on the Billboard Global 200 and topped charts in more than 30 countries, including South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States. At the 68th Grammy Awards, "Golden" won Best Song Written for Visual Media, making it the first K-pop song to win a Grammy.
EJAE reflected on her journey writing the song: "This movie saved me, to be honest." She added: "It is just so beautiful and I feel so accepted. So thank you to the fans so much."
EJAE, Rei Ami, Audrey Nuna, and The Girl Who Cried Pearls at the Oscars
The KPop Demon Hunters segment at the Oscars opened with a fusion of traditional Korean instrumentalists and dance, drawing on the folklore and cultural roots at the heart of the animated blockbuster. EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami — the singing voices behind HUNTR/X — performed "Golden" live on the Oscar stage.
In a separate category, The Girl Who Cried Pearls from the National Film Board of Canada, directed by Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film. The short's win added to a strong night for independent animation alongside the KPop Demon Hunters juggernaut.
Miles Caton, Shaboozey, and Brittany Howard Close Out the Music Moments
The Sinners performance featured Miles Caton and songwriter Raphael Saadiq performing the Oscar-nominated "I Lied to You," joined by an all-star ensemble including Shaboozey, Brittany Howard, Misty Copeland, Eric Gales, Buddy Guy, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, Bobby Rush, Jayme Lawson, Li Jun Li, and Alice Smith.
Show producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan described the Sinners tribute as exploring music's role in Ryan Coogler's record-breaking film, translating that dynamic into a cinematic live moment on the Oscars stage. The two performances together made Sunday night's ceremony one of the most musically charged Oscar telecasts in years, with K-pop, blues, and soul all colliding on the Dolby Theatre stage.
