Golden, the breakout track from Netflix’s animated film KPop Demon Hunters, has reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making history as the first K-pop song by female singers to claim the top spot.
Sung by Audrey Nuna, Ejae, and Rei Ami, the upbeat hit racked up nearly 32 million official streams in the first week of August, Billboard reported. The song had debuted at number 81 on July 5 before steadily climbing the charts.
Ejae, who co-wrote the track, told BBC Newsbeat the team knew it would be strong but were stunned by how far it went. “It’s like I’m surfing for the first time and a big wave just came through,” she said.
The film follows fictional K-pop girl group Huntr/x, who use music to protect humans from demons. Since its June release, it has become Netflix’s most-watched animated film and the streaming service’s fourth-most watched movie of all time.
Director Maggie Kang said the songs were written to drive the story, not just serve as a hook. “The music here was woven into the narrative in a way that enhanced it rather than distracted,” she said.
Golden is not the only chart success from the film. Your Idol, performed by the movie’s fictional rivals Saja Boys, also entered the Hot 100, peaking at number eight. Both songs topped US Spotify charts in July, beating well-known K-pop acts like BTS and Blackpink.
Earlier this month, Golden also hit number one on the UK Singles Chart, the first K-pop single to do so since Psy’s Gangnam Style in 2012. Official Charts CEO Martin Talbot called it “another landmark moment” for the genre’s global reach.
