Audrey Nuna realizes reach of ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ on trip to Korea
‘Golden’ gets first full live performance on ‘The Tonight Show’
From left, Rei Ami, EJAE and Audrey Nuna of "KPop Demon Hunters" give their first full live performance of "Golden" on "The Tonight Show" Tuesday. Captured from The Tonight Show's YouTube channel
NEW YORK — Audrey Nuna didn’t realize how far “KPop Demon Hunters” had traveled until she visited Korea.
“I went to Korea a few weeks after the film started taking off,” she told Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show” that aired Tuesday evening. “I got off at Dongdaemun Station and this cute little grandpa was doing a street performance of ‘Golden’ on this Korean traditional instrument. He was so swagged out. I had to do a double take.”
The 26-year-old Korean American singer, who voices one of the leads in the hit animated film, said the moment stayed with her.
“In Korean culture, it’s a big deal if an elderly person is impressed by you,” she said. “You can get into an Ivy League school — that makes sense to them. But for the older generation to embrace something like this, it’s something different.”
That intergenerational connection captures what “KPop Demon Hunters” and its fictional trio Huntr/x have achieved since the film’s release in June. The project’s soundtrack reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, while its breakout single “Golden” has spent several weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, becoming one of 2025’s most streamed songs worldwide.
From left, Rei Ami, Audrey Nuna and EJAE discuss the success of "Kpop Demon Hunters" with Jimmy Fallon on "The Tonight Show," Tuesday. Captured from The Tonight Show YouTube channel
On Tuesday evening, the singers behind the characters — EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami — performed “Golden” live for the first time on “The Tonight Show.” The performance gained close to 4 million views within 12 hours, adding another milestone to the film’s rapid crossover from animation to real-world pop culture.
Performing with visuals inspired by the movie’s supernatural world, the trio delivered vocals that mirrored the energy of their on-screen characters. Fallon surprised them afterward with a platinum plaque recognizing “Golden’s” chart success.
On “The Tonight Show” YouTube channel, one comment read, “I’m a 32-year-old man and I’ve been watching this for nine hours straight at this point.” Another said, “Finally I can sleep well knowing that the original singers already gave us the live performance we’ve been longing to have.” A different commenter wrote, “You know how much pressure that was on her? The whole world had been singing her song, yet no one had ever seen her perform it live. And then to do it for the first time on live TV? That’s absolutely insane.”