Sony Pictures Animation and Netflix have a hit on their hands with KPop Demon Hunters, the fantasy action film that’s given us a trio of new heroines who slay evil while singing truly infectious music.
The pop tracks stay with you long after the movie’s over, and it’s a testament to the incredible collaboration between the filmmakers, Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, and songwriter EJAE. The musician known for her work with K-pop artists TWICE and Red Velvet, among others, had been tapped to work alongside composer Daniel Rojas during pre-production on the film and over the years contributed demos to the songs that would become a part of the story. Working on the in-universe chart-topping hits from the film’s all-girl group Huntrix and their rival demon boy band, the Saja Boys, was a years-long process and EJAE’s first foray into songwriting for the movies.
In a conversation with Forbes, EJAE discussed her journey to making music for a soundtrack that would be no-skips worthy and being called upon to provide the singing voice for the Huntrix lead singer.
“It was a natural process because I’ve been singing all of Rumi’s parts,” EJAE told Forbes about providing the lead protagonist’s vocals to complement Arden Cho’s performance. “I was singing Mira and Zoey’s parts, including the raps. I got to use my voice, as I wrote some of the songs. It was naturally connected to me. I express myself more if it’s a melody or a lyric that I wrote. I think that helped me, even with the directors, on how they wanted Rumi’s voice to be.”
She added, “I was honestly super excited, because I freaking love this character. I resonate so much with the character.”
To EJAE the music’s power comes from her own life experiences. “It’s a beautiful thing that we have two different sides that we get pulled back and forth,” she explained about how she closely related to Rumi, who is half-human and half-demon. “It’s fun. Sometimes I could be more Korean. The fact that I have that choice—there’s beauty to that. I see it as a prideful thing for me that I’m both. Everything is both, right?”
That feeling of having a part of you be othered is very relatable now more than ever for anyone coming from a marginalized background, and such an empowering message. It’s hit very close to home, as I’ve found myself listening to “Golden” over and over this weekend.
Applying her real-life truth speaks to the timelessness of the words. “That really helped when I was writing [the songs] because I know Korean culture,” EJAE said. “I know the idioms in Korean. I watch K-dramas, and I trained as an idol myself. My Korean is good. English is my first language. So, when I was writing the lyrics, I wanted [both languages to flow] to make sense.”
So really it’s a no-brainer that she would be picked to fill in Rumi’s shoes for the final product. “I think singing is acting in a way,” she said about extending her writing to how Rumi would create Huntrix’s music. “Writing the songs helped because when I was writing it, I was honed in on that emotion. So naturally, when I sing it, it releases my stress and inner trauma. The melody and everything were just so beautiful. “This is What It Sounds Like” was awesome. [The filmmakers] gave me the freedom to do a lot of the vocal arrangement and the harmonies like a finale.”
EJAE continued, “It was perfect for me because when I was 25, I didn’t want to be an artist anymore. I was too scared. I don’t think I have thick enough skin for this.”
She said of the full circle moment, “I have so much respect for all these artists. But, I literally said, ‘if I ever become an artist, I want to be like an animated character, singing from behind the scenes. Just use my voice. [Then this happened and] I was like, ‘Oh cool.’”
Stream KPop Demon Hunters on Netflix and the soundtrack online.
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