Ejae, who provides the singing voice for Rumi, a member of the fictional KPop girl group trio HUNTR/X featured in the 2025 hit Netflix animated film “KPop Demon Hunters,” holding an Oscar statuette. Photo from KPop Demon Hunters’ Instagram |
AFP reported that the Netflix hit took home Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for its track “Golden” at the ceremony, held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday.
According to Forbessix of the song’s writers: Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, Kwak Joong Gyu, Lee Yu Han, Nam Hee Dong and Seo Jeong Hoon took to the stage after “Golden” was announced as the winner, with Ejae speaking first.
“Growing up, people made fun of me for liking K-pop, but now everyone’s singing our song and all the Korean lyrics,” she said. “I’m so proud.”
After delivering several additional thank-yous, she turned to her fellow songwriters and asked “Is there anything else?”
Lee then stepped forward to continue the remarks. However, before he could speak, the orchestra, typically used during live broadcasts to signal speakers to wrap up, began playing, cutting him off, as reported by The Korea Times.
Ejae was heard calling out “Stop it, please!” while Sonnenblick reportedly jumped in an attempt to signal for the music to stop, but the speech was not resumed.
The moment quickly drew scrutiny online. Some viewers said the interruption was a routine time-management decision in a tightly scheduled live broadcast, noting that timing variations are common during such events.
Others, however, questioned the disparity after comparing the segment with other awards presented that evening. Winners in the Best Cinematography category were given nearly four minutes for their acceptance speech, while the remarks for “Golden” lasted less than two minutes before being cut off.
Speeches in major categories such as Best Actor, Best Director and Best Actress were also allowed to continue at greater length, according to social media users, further fueling debate among viewers who suggested the interruption may have been unfair.
The incident also gained attention because of a similar moment earlier in the ceremony.
During the Best Animated Feature acceptance for the same film, producer Michelle L.M. Wong appeared ready to speak after directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, when the orchestra again began playing.
The achievements of “KPop Demon Hunters” have remained significant. It has surpassed 500 million views on Netflix, becoming the first movie in the platform’s history to reach the milestone.
Last month, “Golden” also made history as South Korea’s first major win at the Grammy Awards, taking Best Song Written for Visual Media.
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