Oscars 2026: Ejae and fellow Golden songwriters speak out after being cut-off during speech, ‘We all worked so hard’

Mark Sonnenblick, Ejae, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo, and Teddy Park have won an Oscar for Best Original Song with their track “Golden.” This is a historic moment as it’s the first time a K-pop song has ever received this award. The songwriters, who worked tirelessly on the song for the film Demon Hunters, went on stage to accept their prize, but their speech was unexpectedly cut short. Only Ejae was able to speak before the music started, leaving the rest of the team stunned and the audience protesting. They finished their acceptance remarks behind the scenes.

KPop Demon Hunters’ Golden team finishes speeches after being cut off

Ejae, speaking to DEADLINE, expressed gratitude and honor for the team’s success, emphasizing the collaborative effort and the directors’ vision in creating a beautiful film. She was thrilled their hard work had been recognized and also thanked her fellow Golden singers, Rei Ami and Audrey Nuna.

When the Oscars cut to commercials, Yu Han Lee quickly thanked his family, fellow members of the group Idol, and Teddy Park, calling it a great honor. Meanwhile, Sonnenblick, who wasn’t given a chance to speak right away, thanked everyone who worked on the film. He then highlighted a lyric from their song, explaining, “It’s not ‘I’m going up,’ it’s ‘We’re going up,’ and that’s why we’re here.” He also expressed gratitude to the fans for their support, which helped make the movie and its soundtrack a success.

Kpop Demon Hunters won Best Animated Feature, and director Maggie Kang gave a heartfelt acceptance speech. She thanked everyone who shares her background, dedicated the award to Korea and Koreans around the world, and jokingly apologized for the long wait for this recognition.

The Netflix production recently confirmed its second film, set for a 2029 release. 

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2026-03-16 08:37