K-pop has evolved into a global phenomenon! The music fills the ears of every listener, whether they speak the language or not, and draws them in. It flows with pop beats that have you wanting to dance to the fun rhythm, which leads fans to memorize the dances by these idols. It is not just one genre of music either; you can find elements of pop, hip-hop, R&B, electronic, as well as rock blended with the Korean musical influences. BTS and BlackPink now dominate a large part of American culture, as people hear them on the radio and groove along to their beats
Its fame has grown into an incredibly successful movie, and I’m not talking about a documentary. K-Pop: Demon Hunters is the newest Sony Animation movie to premiere on Netflix. A world-renowned K-pop girl group named Huntrix balances their lives in the spotlight with their secret identities as demon hunters. With generations of hunters before them, they are trying to turn the Honmon golden, which is a gate that keeps the demons out of our world. They do so with their music, dance, and voices. Once it turns to gold, they would’ve completed their generational mission as hunters.
The film’s message reveals the flawed idea that we should not expose our fears, secrets, and lies, forcing us to always put on a brave face a vulnerable emotion resonates with a lot of people. That is why it gained such a global audience It’s currently the number one on Netflix’s global charts. The film’s soundtrack has also dominated the Billboard global charts, beating out BTS.
Currently sitting at number one in the top 50 global charts on Spotify, the film’s most popular song is Golden, a song about finding and accepting yourself for who you are and finally being who you’re meant to be. It’s truly an inspiring song, and it’s helped by its very catchy tune. And the song Free which is sung by one of the main characters, Rumi (Arden Cho), and the other, who is a demon Jinu (Ahn Hyo-Seop), is still a banger song at just # 29, which still isn’t bad when the majority of the soundtrack is topping the charts in some form or the other.
The songs have gained so much popularity, and I believe it’s because the movie itself is truly good. It sends the message to be a good person, not just to the world but to yourself. That it matters just as much. The film’s story and its music work together to create a spectacle, and that’s what helps boost those chart numbers.
Sony, known for music, technology, and films, is challenging competitors because they are changing the animation landscape with their animated movies. It’s introducing people to a whole new genre of music that they would have never listened to before. The music takes inspiration from real K-pop groups like BlackPink, but whether its largely English lyrics truly classify it as K-pop remains a subject of discussion. I’m not an expert on the genre, but it did lead me to listening to more K-pop music.
Now, I won’t spoil anything because the twist is critical to the movie’s message, which is the secret about Rumi and what she’s hiding. With her mother having passed away and her father missing, she’s been raised by her mother’s best friend, Celine (Yunjin Kim). She truly dedicates herself to keeping everything hidden and hiding everything inside yourself so no one else can see. It’s not a healthy coping mechanism at all, yet many cultures or groups of people promote this behavior. It’s a hard reality, but one many can face when watching this movie. I believe it can help people see what’s in front of them and inspire them to change.
With this film, it feels like everything is intentional by design. Whether it’s character design, world-building, sound, or even the best tropes from K-dramas. Having an actual K-pop group sing one of the songs, Takedown, doesn’t hurt either. TWICE, another big all-girls group known globally gave a powerhouse performance of the song. The creators intended the movie to be Korean-powered, and a Korean person voiced every character. Some are more well-known than others, like comedian Ken Jeong. Musically, the film enlists the help of a music producer Teddy Park, who has worked with BlackPink. Also, Grammy winner Lindgren, who worked with BTS and TWICE. They truly spared no expense to make this hit.
The film’s co-director, Maggie Kang, was inspired by k-pop groups she admired growing up. In a Netflix press interview, Kang says, “Because we wanted the music to be incredible and really speak to the K-pop fans and legitimately fit into the K-pop space, we felt it was important to partner with a Korean label.”
It also speaks to Korean culture. As it includes the walls overlooking Seoul, traditional medicine clinics, bathhouses, and the Namsan Tower. This shows true culture and not relying on the tropes and clichés that other cultures may have created. They offer representation that is not only accurate but respectful to those of the culture. There are talks of a sequel coming out in 2028, which is a bit of a way off. However, if we know Sony Animation, known for its Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse series. The quality will be worth the wait.
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