‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Singers Light Up ‘Tonight Show’ Stage With First Live Performance of No. 1 Smash ‘Golden’

Tuesday night (Oct. 7) was full of firsts for the real-life singers of the Netflix hit KPop Demon Hunters No. 1 single “Golden.” Not only did EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami get to sit on the couch with Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon and talk about the wild ride they’ve been on since the animated film that was released on June 20 has blown up to become the streamer’s most-watched movie of all time, but they also got to perform their signature hit live on TV for the first time.

Dressed in all black, the trio, who provide the vocals for fictional group HUNTR/X in the film, were introduced by a short animated video before EJAE sang, “I was a ghost, I was alone/ Eoduwojin abgilsog-e/ Given the throne, I didn’t know how to believe/ I was the queen that I was meant to be/ I lived two lives, tried to play both sides.”

Ami then moved to the front and sang about living “two lives” and trying to play “both sides,” as images from the film screened behind them before Nuna stepped up with some soul-sparked vocals about being a “problem child” who got “too wild.” When the soaring chorus came around, all three lined up and busted out the by-now-iconic “Up, up, up” refrain on a futuristic set featuring flashing vertical neon stripes and a digital projection floor.

The performance came as the soundtrack to the film is slated to return to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart dated Oct. 11, rolling up its second week atop the tally. “Golden” has spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, turning the real-life trio into overnight stars thanks to their vocal work in the film about a K-pop supergroup who balance pop stardom with a side gig as demon slayers in which they sing for the roles of Rumi (EJAE), Mira (Nuna) and Zoey (Ami).

Before that, the group sat on the couch with Fallon to talk about the “surreal,” “scrumptious,” and “delicious” experience they’ve had so far, with EJAE laughing that their surprise Saturday Night Live cameo last weekend was “so insane.” Ami added that the “10-year-old in me just came to live being on set” in the sketch they shared with the night’s host, 2026 Super Bowl halftime performer Bad Bunny, comparing the experience to being at “theater camp.”

Fallon then proceeded to blow their minds with some facts and figures about the hit soundtrack, which has been on the Billboard 200 album charts for 15 weeks so far. He also noted that “Golden” has been No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks, is the longest-running No. 1 so far this year on the Global 200 Singles chart, is the first No. 1 female K-pop song in the history of the Hot 100 and that they are the longest-running No. 1 girl group of the century in the Hot 100, besting Destiny’s Child.

All they could do was cover their faces and exhale at the impressive list of accomplishments. Asked what their wildest experiences have been so far, EJAE said that during a trip to South Korea recently she was wearing a mask and a hat and was still recognized by the cabin crew and pilots, who all came by to say hello. During Nuna’s trip to Korea, she watched a “cute little grandpa” in a “swagged out” outfit play “Golden” on a traditional Korean instrument in a subway station, a sight she said was the highest possible compliment.

Ami described a shopping trip to H Mart in Los Angeles to get some cup noodles during which she heard a five-year-old boy just belting “Golden” at the top of his lungs, which melted her heart. “It’s one thing to hear our song on the radio, but to hear it come out of a child… live… in H Mart?” she said.

After describing how she instantly came up with the hook after getting the rough “Golden” track from the song’s producers while riding in a cab, EJAE told the story of seeing a ghost while recording the song. With volume knob stuck during the session, EJAE called an engineer to help, but then it inexplicably began working again, even though nobody was in the room with her. “For a split second, .3 milliseconds, I saw a tall dude with a flannel,” she said referring to the specter as a “grunge ghost,” and noting that her mom later reminded her of the myth in Korea that if you see a ghost while recording a song it’s a guaranteed hit.

Fallon ended the chat by surprising the trio with the presentation of the platinum plaque for the movie’s soundtrack.

Watch EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami on The Tonight Show below.