Did You Know? Ejae Was Once "Dropped" As a K-Pop Trainee
The golden singing voice behind Rumi of KPop Demon Hunters trained to be an idol under SM Entertainment for 10 years.
by Em Enriquez
Published on Jan 14, 2026
The ladies behind KPop Demon Hunters continue to show us how it's done, done, done!
At the 2026 Golden Globes held early Monday morning, the Netflix original took home the trophies for Best Animated Feature film and Best Original Song, the latter bestowed on its mega hit Golden. One of the songwriters to accept the award was Ejae, who also provided the vocals for the main demon hunter Rumi. During her speech, the singer was overcome with emotion, expressing:
Ejae narrated how being recognized for her musical prowess was a long time coming, especially considering how long she's been at work in the industry. "When I was a little girl, I worked tirelessly for 10 years to fulfill one dream, to become a K-pop idol. And I was rejected and disappointed that my voice wasn't good enough," she shared.
The real-life HUNTRIX leader expresses her gratitude to the Golden Globes for "accepting" the same voice that she used to be insecure about. "It's a dream come true to be part of a song that is helping other girls, other boys, and everyone [of] all ages get through their hardships and to accept themselves... I can confidently say rejection is redirection."
Ejae's declamation has quickly become a viral moment, majorly because of the multitudes of people who can relate to her story. In a past interview, she detailed how she was once rejected or "dropped" by a popular South Korean entertainment agency, and how this experience fueled her drive to achieve her dreams today.
Ejae on Being Rejected as a K-Pop Trainee
Ejae spent much of her adolescent years as a trainee under SM Entertainment, a company that has produced K-pop juggernauts Girls' Generation, SHINee, EXO, Red Velvet, and more. Training to become a performer put her skills to the test, and much of her talent was put up to scrutiny by evaluators. "Back then, SM had a very specific kind of style, and they tried to change my voice," she opened up.
"My vocals are very low and husky, and it was a big insecurity of mine because they weren’t clean and pretty like the voices they wanted," she continued, detailing how she was pressured to sound a certain way. "I kept trying to change my voice to suit them, which caused a lot of issues with my vocal cords and led to my voice cracking or my not being able to sing at all."
Come 2015, a 22-year-old Ejae was ultimately "dropped" by SM, which led her to try out songwriting instead, even if she didn't initially see herself doing it as a career. "I got very realistic with myself about whether I actually wanted to be a singer," she recalled.
"I’d see my friends debut in the K-pop industry, and it seems glamorous from the outside, but it’s really quite grueling. It’s really hard on people mentally. I knew I didn’t have a thick enough skin for that, but songwriting felt like home to me. It felt healing. I was able to write about whatever was troubling me."
Ejae found her footing through the original songs she wrote and put out post-SM Entertainment. One of her most notable works was the fifth song she ever composed, titled Psycho, which became a smash single for Red Velvet. Even as a writer, Ejae still got to lend her voice to some original soundtracks of Korean dramas, and eventually, to the world of KPop Demon Hunters.
Aside from being Netflix's most viewed original movie to date, KPop Demon Hunters is also enjoying critical acclaim worldwide. After its landmark victories at the Globes, the song Golden also earned five nominations at the 2026 Grammy Awards, and could potentially be named Song of the Year. The recognition alone is history in the making, as it made Ejae the first Korean-American female songwriter to ever be up for a Grammy.
Em is queer and probably daydreaming somewhere. They're Preview's associate entertainment editor who's often spotted in cowboy boots and lemon-tinted sunnies.