In a summer that’s been short on musical surprises, an animated K-pop girl group has pulled off the unthinkable: topping charts from America to the U.K., breaking long-standing records, and injecting much-needed excitement into the global pop landscape. The phenomenon at the heart of this story isn’t a flesh-and-blood act, but Huntr/x (stylized as HUNTR/X), a fictional trio from the Netflix animated film KPop Demon Hunters. Their lead single, “Golden,” has not only climbed to the summit of the Billboard Hot 100 and reclaimed the No. 1 spot on the U.K. singles chart, but it’s also shattered streaming records and revived the fortunes of girl groups worldwide.
To understand the magnitude of Huntr/x’s breakthrough, it helps to look back at past musical oddities. In 1969, the animated group The Archies—made up of comic book characters—dominated the American charts with “Sugar, Sugar,” the year’s top song according to Billboard. Fast-forward 56 years, and history is repeating itself. As Slate reports, the 2025 summer charts were languishing, with hits from previous years refusing to budge. Enter KPop Demon Hunters, a Netflix original that quickly became the streaming giant’s second-biggest movie of all time and sparked a musical revival led by its imaginary stars.
Huntr/x, voiced by real-life singers Ejae, Rei Ami, and Audrey Nuna—all of South Korean descent—delivered “Golden” as a soaring empowerment anthem. The track’s infectious chorus, “We’re goin’ up, up, up!/ It’s our moment/ You know together we’re glowin’/ Gonna be, gonna be golden,” resonated far beyond the film’s plot, capturing the imaginations of fans who may never have even watched the movie. As Slate notes, “Golden” functions both as a standalone pop banger and as a narrative device, reflecting the struggles and triumphs of the film’s heroine, Rumi, who grapples with her identity as a half-demon and bandleader.
The song’s chart journey has been nothing short of remarkable. According to Billboard, “Golden” debuted at No. 81 on the Hot 100, then steadily climbed for six weeks before finally hitting No. 1 on August 16, 2025. The climb defied the typical pattern of modern pop singles, which often peak upon release and drop off soon after. Instead, “Golden” benefited from a virtuous cycle: the movie fueled streaming of the songs, which in turn drove more views of the movie, and so on. The result? “Golden” has already spent three weeks atop Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart and hit No. 3 on the Digital Song Sales chart. While American radio has been slow to catch on—“Golden” has yet to enter the all-genre Radio Songs chart—it’s cracked the top 20 on the Pop Airplay list, signaling a growing acceptance among mainstream programmers.
The impact of Huntr/x and the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack hasn’t been limited to the U.S. On August 15, 2025, “Golden” reclaimed the No. 1 spot on the U.K. singles chart, making it the first K-pop single to top the U.K. list in over 13 years—since PSY’s “Gangnam Style” in 2012, according to Billboard. The track had briefly ceded the top spot to Chappell Roan’s “The Subway,” but returned with a surge in streaming. The soundtrack itself broke the U.K. record for the most album streams in a week for a soundtrack, with 18,631 streaming-equivalent sales, surpassing the 2023 Barbie soundtrack’s previous record. Two other tracks from the soundtrack, “Soda Pop” and “Your Idol” by the animated boyband Saja Boys, also landed in the U.K. top 10, hitting No. 6 and No. 7, respectively.
Back in the U.S., the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack has proven just as formidable. It debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 in early July and climbed to No. 2 by mid-August, with nine of its twelve songs appearing on the Hot 100 and seven in the Top 40. This kind of deep chart penetration is rare for any soundtrack, let alone one tied to an animated film. As Slate observes, it’s reminiscent of the Encanto soundtrack’s explosive success in 2022, when “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” soared up the charts after the movie became a Disney+ staple.
The success of Huntr/x marks several milestones. “Golden” is the first No. 1 in America by a female K-pop act and the first K-pop chart-topper not affiliated with BTS since the boy band began its hiatus over two years ago. It’s also the first No. 1 by any girl group—regardless of nationality—since Destiny’s Child’s “Bootylicious” in 2001. For fans of girl groups, whose chart presence has dwindled in the 21st century, this is a moment of vindication. As Slate points out, “the ladies of Huntr/x are part of a proud tradition,” even if their origins are, technically, “prefabricated.”
Behind the scenes, the project was a collaborative effort between Eastern and Western creators. The film and soundtrack were crafted by a team that included producer Ian Eisendrath and songwriters Ejae and Mark Sonnenblick. Eisendrath admitted to The Hollywood Reporter that he’d “hoped for like 2 percent of the reception that we’ve had.” Netflix, anticipating the film’s potential, released KPop Demon Hunters in select theaters before its streaming debut to ensure eligibility for next year’s Oscars. With this kind of momentum, it’s entirely possible that Ejae, Rei Ami, and Audrey Nuna could find themselves performing at the Dolby Theatre come awards season.
Why did “Golden” and the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack strike such a chord? Part of the answer lies in the hunger for something new on the charts. The first half of 2025 saw the Billboard Hot 100 dominated by aging hits from previous years and a lack of fresh, exciting pop. The arrival of Huntr/x—an animated, fictional act with real human voices and global appeal—offered a jolt of energy and fun, especially for younger listeners. The group’s bilingual songs, blending English and Korean, also resonated with devoted K-pop fans who value both authenticity and inclusivity.
Of course, not everyone is ready to embrace a cartoon group as the face of pop music’s future. Some critics have questioned whether the success of Huntr/x signals a new era of “synthetic” pop, while others see it as a natural evolution in a world where streaming, animation, and international collaboration are breaking down old barriers. What’s clear is that, for now, Huntr/x and “Golden” have given the music world a much-needed shot in the arm—and reminded us all that sometimes, a little imaginary fun is exactly what we need.
With the fall set to bring the return of pop juggernauts like Taylor Swift, it remains to be seen whether Huntr/x’s reign will endure. But as of this summer, the fictional demon hunters have become very real chart champions, and their golden moment is one for the history books.
