'Rejection is redirection': KPop Demon Hunters' Ejae breaks down in tears after Golden Globe win for Netflix hit

Dubai: Ejae just turned rejection into a Golden Globe — and yes, she cried doing it.

The singer-songwriter behind Rumi’s voice in Netflix’s pop-culture juggernaut KPop Demon Hunters couldn’t hold back tears on Sunday night as she accepted the Golden Globe for Best Original Song for the soundtrack smash, Golden. And honestly? Who could blame her.

“Deep breaths,” Ejae said into the mic, already emotional, standing alongside her collaborators — lyricist Mark Sonnenblick and the team of composers behind the track. What followed was less an awards speech and more a full-circle moment years in the making.

Long before topping Billboard charts and winning Hollywood’s biggest trophies, Ejae was a kid chasing a K-pop dream — and being told, repeatedly, that her voice wasn’t good enough.

“I worked for 10 years to become a K-pop idol,” she said. “And I was rejected.”
So she did what artists do best: she turned heartbreak into music. And that music, ironically, is what finally brought her here.

The room erupted in applause as she gathered herself and continued, calling Golden “a dream come true” — not just for her, but for anyone who’s ever felt shut out, sidelined, or overlooked. “If this song helps people get through hard moments or accept themselves,” she said, “then it’s done its job.”

And what a job it’s done.

KPop Demon Hunters didn’t just dominate Netflix — it hijacked the global charts. Its soundtrack became a streaming monster, with Golden emerging as the season’s most obvious awards darling. By the time Globes night rolled around, the win felt inevitable.

As the singing voice of Rumi, Ejae performed the lead vocals for HUNTR/X, the film’s fictional K-pop girl group who double as demon hunters saving the world between choreography breaks. She attended the ceremony with fellow vocal powerhouses Audrey Nuna (Mira) and Rei Ami (Zoey), while the characters themselves are voiced by Arden Cho, May Hong, and Ji-young Yoo.

After thanking Netflix and directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, Ejae ended on a note that landed straight in the heart — and straight into quote-of-the-night territory.

“This award is for everyone who’s had doors closed on them,” she said. “Rejection is redirection. It’s never too late to shine like you were born to.”

Mic drop. Tears. Gold.