The Stars of “KPop Demon Hunters” Perform ‘Golden’ Live at Oscars 2026 Prior to Movie's Best Original Song Win

Tommy McArdle, Yamillah HurtadoMon, March 16, 2026 at 2:22 AM UTC

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Rei Ami, EJAE and Audrey Nuna perform "Golden" at the Oscars on March 15, 2026Credit: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty -

EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami performed the KPop Demon Hunters song “Golden” at the 98th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 15

“Golden” won best original song at this year’s awards ceremony

KPop Demon Hunters also won best animated feature film prior to the song's performance

The singers behind KPop Demon Hunters brought the house down when they performed “Golden” at the 98th Academy Awards.

EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami took the Oscars stage as they performed their viral song at this year’s ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 15. The trio of performers, each clad in white, belted out the hit song as over a dozen dancers wearing gold performed behind them and the entirety of the audience in Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, Calif., rocked out with toys that lit up from their seats.

One Battle After Another's Leonardo DiCaprio and Teyana Taylor were seen jamming to the song from their seats, while Sentimental Value actress Elle Fanning also appeared to dig the performance. “I Lied to You” from Sinners was the only other nominated song performed live at the Oscars; the "Golden" performance came after KPop Demon Hunters won the night's award for best animated feature film and directly before the movie won best original song as well. KPop Demon Hunters was nominated in the latter category along with "Dear Me" (Diane Warren: Relentless), "I Lied to You", "Sweet Dreams of Joy" (Viva Verdi!) and "Train Dreams" (Train Dreams).

Rei Ami, EJAE and Audrey Nuna perform "Golden" at the Oscars on March 15, 2026Credit: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty

EJAE, 34 — who co-wrote a number of the movie's songs and performed the singing voice for its main character Rumi — noted in an interview with PEOPLE directly after the movie received its two Oscar nods that she’d have to overcome her stage fright before her big performance. (At that time, the song's performance during the awards ceremony had not yet been announced.)

"The thought of that is kind of incredibly nerve-racking, because I have really bad stage fright," she said at the time. "I've been trying my best to overcome that stage fright, but I think the Oscars is a whole different level of stage fright.”

“Golden” won best song at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards and best original song — motion picture at this year’s Golden Globes. It also won best song written for visual media at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, where it made history as the first-ever K-Pop song to win a Grammy.

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KPop Demon Hunters was also nominated for best animated feature film, along with Arco, Elio, Little Amélie or the Character of Rain and Zootopia 2. Speaking of the film's Oscar nominations, EJAE told PEOPLE it feels "very surreal."

"I feel very honored and grateful, but it's weirdly pushing me more to work harder," she continued. "I feel more energized for what's to come and [it's] so inspiring because you're amongst such incredible artists and incredible writers and filmmakers."

K-Pop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey in 'Kpop Demon Hunters'Credit: Netflix

Songwriter Mark Sonnenblick, who co-wrote "Golden" with EJAE, previously told PEOPLE his expectations for KPop Demon Hunters were initially low and that he's amazed by the movie's success.

"I think about this whole movie and the expectations for it were so low. It's the fans... the people who found the music early on and spread the word. That's why any of these awards are happening," he said. "That's why we are where we are. It's been cool to go from low expectations to, wow, this amazing, surreal surprise."

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See PEOPLE's coverage of the 98th Academy Awards, airing live on ABC and Hulu on March 15.

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