Keden’s Lee Jae says, “It was important to include Korean lyrics in ‘Golden’…I want to win a Grammy.”

On October 15, at the CGV Yongsan Ipark Mall in Seoul’s Yongsan District, EJAE, who sang for the character Lumi in the Netflix animated film “K-Pop Demon Hunters” (abbreviated as “Keddhun”), held a press conference. She expressed her motivation for working on the project: “I wanted to showcase Korean culture. Until now, many American animated films have been set in China or Japan. When I was young, American kids didn’t know where Korea was. They always asked me, ‘Japan? China?’. It made me so angry that I practiced Korean diligently. Seeing the great results now, I’m just grateful and proud.”

EJAE, a Korean-American, played a significant role as the composer and lyricist of the film’s original soundtrack (OST), including the song “Golden,” and provided the vocals for Lumi’s part in the K-pop girl group Huntress in the movie. The song “Golden” topped both the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Official Singles Chart Top 100 for eight weeks. It’s also considered a potential Grammy Awards contender. EJAE said, “I really want to win the award,” and noted that the song aimed to portray Huntress as debuting in the real world.

The song “Golden” includes Korean lyrics like “in the darkened future” and “we who shine brightly and unbreakably”. EJAE remarked, “Korean is such a beautiful language,” and emphasized the importance of integrating Korean elements into K-pop. Being fluent in both Korean and English, she ensured that the lyrics harmonized without losing meaning.

Highlighting the film’s cultural representation, EJAE said, “ needed to show Korean culture.” She mentioned that the inclusion of Korean lyrics was crucial and that memorable Korean phrases were placed in sections easily remembered by audiences. Notably, during sing-along screenings in the US, kids, even non-Koreans, joined in singing the Korean part, making her proud.

Besides “Golden,” EJAE contributed to other tracks like “How it’s Done” and “Your Idol.” She believes “Golden” resonated because of its hopeful message, which she needed during challenging times, pouring her personal emotions into the process.

EJAE spent over a decade as a trainee at SM Entertainment but never debuted, paralleling the story of Lumi, who also faced struggles and growth. EJAE shared that hardships and rejection taught her resilience and self-belief.

Living in Yeonhui-dong, Seoul, she would walk to a cafe in Hongdae, creating beats from noon until 11 PM. She described this as a self-discovery journey. The transition from a singer trainee to a composer was a pivotal moment for her.

EJAE sees similarities between herself and Lumi, who hides her mark as a demon’s daughter. During her trainee days, EJAE tried to conceal her husky voice, viewing it as a flaw but later embraced it.

EJAE, the granddaughter of veteran actor Shin Young-kyun, recalls her grandfather advising her to immerse herself in lyrics as they are also a form of performance art.

Going forward, EJAE wishes to grow as both a composer and an artist, planning to sing songs that resonate with her personally. She hopes to collaborate with K-pop artists like BTS and aespa. EJAE plans to return to Korea within the year and will release a new song, “In Another World,” on October 24.