
HUNTR/X took to the stage at the 2026 Oscars to perform their huge KPop Demon Hunters hit song ‘Golden’.
- READ MORE: Oscars 2026 winners – see the full list
EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI are the voices of HUNTR/X, the fictional band from the Netflix smash hit, and on Sunday night (March 15) played the hit track.
The three of them took to the stage after a brief theatrical performance inspired by the film took place, and performed dressed in all-white, while illuminated by glowing yellow lights.
The set took place after KPop Demon Hunters beat off tough competition from Zootopia 2, Little Amélie or The Character Of Rain, Arco and Elio to be named the winner in the Best Animated Film category.
Later in the night, ‘Golden’ also went on to win Best Original Song – becoming the first K-pop track to win an Oscar. Other songs nominated in the category this year included ‘Train Dreams’ from the film of the same name, ‘I Lied To You’ from Sinners, and Viva Verdi!’s ‘Sweet Dreams Of Joy’.
The latter also saw EJAE deliver a powerful, emotional speech about what the win meant to her, although many viewers and audience members were left frustrated after organisers of the event cut her speech short.
At the event last night, One Battle After Another led the way in terms of wins, taking home six awards from 13 nominations. In addition to winning the prestigious Best Picture prize, the film’s writer and director Paul Thomas Anderson also collected the awards for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.
The film then went on to win for Best Casting – a new category this year – as well as Best Editing and Best Supporting Actor for Sean Penn.
Other memorable moments from the night included members of the Bridesmaids cast reuniting to present two awards, and of them, Rose Byrne was nominated for Best Actress for her performance in If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You – but lost out to Hamnet star Jessie Buckley.
Also during the event, host Conan O’Brien poked fun at Timothée Chalamet’s controversial comments about ballet and opera during his opening monologue, Javier Bardem condemned Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu for creating “another illegal war”, and cast members from a selection of Rob Reiner films appeared on stage to deliver an emotional tribute to the late director.
As well as being recognised at the Oscars, ‘Golden’ also took home the Best Song prize at the Golden Globes, won the Grammy for Best Song Written For Visual Media, and performed live at the BRITs (becoming the first K-pop song to do so).
The track was named as the second best song of 2025 by NME, while KPop Demon Hunters was also included in the films of 2025 list.
The movie was one of the biggest hits of 2025, becoming the most–watched film in Netflix history. However, the film was not eligible for the BAFTA Awards due to regulations surrounding cinema releases.
The post Watch HUNTR/X perform ‘Golden’ at the 2026 Oscars appeared first on NME.

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