Ejae | |
|---|---|
| Ejae in October 2025 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Kim Eun-jae December 6, 1991 Seoul, South Korea |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 2016–present |
| Labels | |
Partner | Sam Kim |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 김은재 |
| RR | Gim Eunjae |
| MR | Kim Ŭnjae |
Kim Eun-jae (Korean : 김은재; born December 6, 1991), known professionally as Ejae (stylized in all caps), is a South Korean and American [1] singer, songwriter, and record producer.
A graduate of New York University Tisch School of the Arts, Kim started as a trainee for SM Entertainment in 2003 but did not officially debut as a soloist nor music group member. She then transitioned into songwriting and producing and initially became known for her work with K-pop acts Red Velvet, Aespa, Twice, Le Sserafim, and other South Korean artists. This included co-writing the topline for "Psycho" for girl group Red Velvet, which went on to be certified gold in the US.
Kim had her international breakthrough in 2025 after providing the singing voice for Rumi in the Sony Pictures Animation and Netflix film KPop Demon Hunters (2025) and co-writing several songs on its soundtrack. "Golden", one of the songs she co-performed and co-wrote for the film, topped the Billboard Hot 100 and other global music charts, and earned four Grammy Award nominations (including Song of the Year). It became the first K-pop song to win both a Grammy Award and Golden Globe Award, winning Best Song Written For Visual Media and Best Original Song, respectively. The song also earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. Kim released her debut solo single "In Another World" on October 24, 2025. Her second solo single, "Time After Time", was on February 6, 2026.
Kim was born in Seoul in 1991. [2] When she was six months old, the family moved to Fort Lee, New Jersey, where she spent several years of her childhood. [3] She moved back to South Korea at the age of eight, where she attended Seoul Foreign School. [4] After returning to the United States for high school and graduating, she studied at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts, where she received a BFA from Tisch's Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music in 2014. [4] [5] [6]
At the age of 11, Kim started out as a trainee for SM Entertainment for almost 10 years beginning in 2003. [7] [8] However, approval for her debut did not happen, either with a group or as a soloist. [9] [10] [11] In 2011, she took a break from training to finish her studies. [6] By 2015, her contract ended, and she was dropped from the label, bringing her idol training to an end. [9] [12]
After graduating from college, Kim transitioned to songwriting and producing. She met Andrew Choi, who became her mentor. [13] Kim's songwriting "passion crystallized in 2017 when she attended her first SM Entertainment songwriting camp". [6] Her first big break came when she co-wrote the topline for "Psycho" for Red Velvet, [5] [14] which went on to be certified gold in the US. [11] It led to more opportunities to work with SM Entertainment. [5] [13] In 2019, she was featured on the soundtrack of the K-drama Woman of 9.9 Billion. [15]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kim co-wrote "Drama" for Aespa. [16] She also helped co-produce the Girl Crush K-pop Vocals sample pack for producing K-pop songs. [5] [17] In 2022, she worked with Red Velvet again on the lead single "Birthday". [18] In 2025, Kim signed with Prescription Songs, an independent music publisher. [19]
In April 2025, it was announced that Kim would be featured on the soundtrack of the Netflix film KPop Demon Hunters . [20] She also wrote several of the songs on the soundtrack. [21] [22] [23] Director Maggie Kang attributed Kim's demos as one of the reasons the film was greenlit; Kim explained she had co-written and recorded "most of the demos" for the film when the directors then asked her to be the official singing voice for the character Rumi. [24] The film received positive reviews for its soundtrack. [25] [26] The soundtrack also charted at number two on the Billboard 200. One of the songs she co-wrote and performed, "Golden", topped the Billboard Hot 100. [27] On "Golden"'s composition, Ars Technica commented that the song "spans an impressive three-octave range, eventually hitting an A-5 on the chorus–a high note usually reserved for classically trained operatic sopranos" and Kim's "performance on this song has impressed a lot of YouTube vocal coaches". [28] The Korea Herald similarly highlighted Kim's "Golden" performance, noting "the result is both technically impressive and emotionally resonant, a combination that has resonated with audiences far beyond the film". [6] On August 18, 2025, Billboard highlighted that songs from the film's soundtrack "claim four of the top five on the Billboard Global 200 chart" and that only "four [other] elite albums", three by Taylor Swift and one by Drake, "have generated as many as four concurrent top five hits" on the Global 200 since the chart's debut in September 2020. [29] Kim is credited on three of these charting songs; in addition to "Golden", Kim co-wrote and performed "How It's Done" and co-wrote "Your Idol". [29] [21] Kim noted she reached a high note of D6 during the adlib background vocals of "How It's Done". [30]
In July 2025, YouTube channel Studio USOG announced Kim will contribute a song to the "Another Day of Debut Training" project, with all profits being donated to descendants of Korean independence activists. [31] On August 14, 2025, the group formed through the web series, TDYA, debuted with the song "Keep the Light" composed by Kim and performed the song for the first time the following day at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul in a set of performances celebrating the 80th National Liberation Day of Korea. [32] [33]
On October 4, 2025, Kim announced her debut solo single, "In Another World," which was released on October 24. [34] On the night of October 4, she along with her fellow KPop Demon Hunters cast-mates Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami made a cameo appearance on the season 51 premiere of Saturday Night Live in a sketch based on the film, reprising their respective roles as Rumi, Mira and Zoey. [35] On October 7, they together performed "Golden" live in full for the first time on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon . [36] On October 22, Kim signed with WME. [37] She then featured on the single "Out of My Body" from the upcoming deluxe edition of Anyma's third studio album The End of Genesys, which was released on December 19. [38] On December 25, she and the other voices of Huntrix performed "12 Days of Christmas" at the Snoop Dogg 2025 NFL Halftime Show. [39] On February 6, 2026, she released her second single "Time After Time." [40]
Kim is currently based in Brooklyn. [23]
Since late 2023, Kim has been engaged to Sam Kim, a former music producer. They originally met in 2017 during a songwriting session. They plan to marry on November 7, 2026, in Los Angeles. [8] [41] Her grandfather, Shin Young-kyun, is an actor and arts patron. [42] [43] [8]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Dig. [44] | KOR DL [45] | NZ Hot [46] | UK Sales [47] | |||
| "In Another World" | 2025 | 12 | 47 | 34 | 62 | Non-album singles |
| "Time After Time" | 2026 | — | 163 | — | — | |
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIS Air. [48] | KAZ Air. [49] | MDA Air. [50] | RUS Air. [51] | UKR Air. [52] | |||
| "Out of My Body" (Anyma featuring Ejae) | 2025 | 24 | 23 | 48 | 23 | 31 | The End of Genesys (Deluxe) |
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [53] | AUS [54] | CAN [55] | KOR [56] | MLY [57] | NZ [58] | PHL Hot [59] | SGP [60] | UK [61] | WW [62] | ||||
| "Whisper in the Dark" (사랑을 속삭여) (with Joo Hee) [63] | 2016 | — | — | — | — [A] | — | — | — | — | — | — | Monster OST | |
| "Take It Slow" [15] | 2019 | — | — | — | — [B] | — | — | — | — | — | — | Woman of 9.9 Billion OST | |
| "Midnight Cinderella" [66] | 2020 | — | — | — | — [C] | — | — | — | — | — | — | Dinner Mate OST | |
| "Once Again" [68] | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Genesis OST | |
| "How It's Done" (with Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami as Huntrix) | 2025 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 5 | KPop Demon Hunters OST | |
| "Golden" (with Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami as Huntrix) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| "Takedown" (with Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami as Huntrix) | 21 | 17 | 25 | 37 | 18 | 18 | 24 | 13 | 67 | 11 | |||
| "Free" (as Rumi, with Andrew Choi as Jinu) | 23 | 13 | 21 | 26 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 7 | — [D] | 11 | |||
| "What It Sounds Like" (with Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami as Huntrix) | 15 | 13 | 15 | 44 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 8 | 13 | 7 | |||
| "Prologue (Hunter's Mantra)" (with Marcelo Zarvos) | — | — | — | — [E] | — | — [F] | — | — | — | — | KPop Demon Hunters OST (Deluxe) | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. | |||||||||||||
All song credits are adapted from the Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA) and American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) databases, unless otherwise noted. [81] [82]
indicates a background vocal contribution.
indicates a credited vocal/featured artist contribution.
| Year | Artist | Album | Song | Co-produced / written with | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | EXID | Street | "Hello" (Hani solo) | Monster Factory, Made By, Park Yeong-hyeon | |
| 2017 | Eclipse | "Woo Yoo [Hani solo]" | Monster Factory, MadeBy | ||
| Byul | Leaves | "Leaves" | Byul, Samuel Park, Kim Yeon-seo, Kim Min-ji, Andrew Choi | ||
| 2018 | Suzy | Faces of Love | "SObeR" | Andrew Choi, Aaron Kim, Isaac Han | |
| Babylon | CAELO | "Karma" | Ming Ji-syeon, Bae Sunghyun, Kim Jin, Jeong Da-un, JQ, THE QUIETT, Sendo, Park Ji-ho | ||
| Seo In-young | Non-album single | "Always" | Monster Factory, JION | ||
| 2019 | Nana Mellie | "Goodbye" | Nana Mellie, Isaac Han, Aaron Kim | [83] | |
| Discrete | "Trippin' Bout You" | Ellen Berg, Dennis DeKo Kordnejad, Discrete | |||
| Red Velvet | The ReVe Festival: Finale | "Psycho" | Andrew "Druski" Scott, Cazzi Opeia | ||
| Ejae | Woman of 9.9 Billion | "Take it Slow" | Sammy Hakim, Stephen Wolf | ||
| 2020 | EUN | Dinner Mate Original Soundtrack | "Midnight Cinderella" | Andrew Choi, Ming Ji-syeon | |
| Taeyeon | #GirlsSpkOut | "Sorrow" | Sakurai Sara, Ming Ji-syeon | ||
| Raymond J. Lee | Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (Season 3 Mixtape) | "Ocean of Love" | Matthew Wang, Daniel Rojas | [84] | |
| 2021 | Chung Ha | Street Woman Fighter Special | "Bad Girl" (with Lachica) | Czaer | |
| Twice | Perfect World | "Pieces of Love" | Isaac Han, Albin Nordqvist, Walter Pok, Aaron Kim | ||
| Mobile Legends: Bang Bang | Non-album single | "Together" | Stanley Robinson, Gabe Reali, David Westbom | [85] | |
| Kim Na-young | Me | "Killing Me Softly" | Aaron Kim, Isaac Han, AND | ||
| Twice | Formula of Love: O+T=<3 | "Last Waltz" | Lee Hae-sol, Sim Eun-jee | ||
| League of Legends | Non-album single | "Rebirth" | Matthew Carl Earl | ||
| 2022 | Nada | "Bulletproof" | Nada, Bae Seong-hyeon, Jeong Se-hee, Lee Seul, Yeon Yu-jin, MSB, Brian U, Markalong, Charlotte Louise Jaye Wilson | ||
| Nmixx | Ad Mare | "O.O" | The Hub: Brian U, Enan, MarkAlong, Charlotte Wilson, Chanti, Awry, Ayushy, Jan Baars, Rajan Muse | ||
| Hyo | Deep | "Stupid" | Carlyle Fernandes, Chikk, Heber Nathaniel Martinez | ||
| Lightsum | Into the Light | "Good News" | Galactika: Atenna & Star Wars, Kim Hyun-joong | ||
| Kard | Re: | "Break Down" | BM, Isaac Han, Aaron Kim, J.seph, Somin, Jiwoo, Ghostchild | ||
| Twice | Celebrate | "Flow Like Waves" | Anna Timgren, Aaron Kim | ||
| Red Velvet | The ReVe Festival 2022 – Birthday | "Birthday" | Kole, Isaac Han, Aaron Kim, Ghostchild Ltd, Loosen Door | ||
| 2023 | Billlie | The Billage of Perception: Chapter Three | "nevertheless" | GALACTIKA | |
| Kard | Icky | "Icky" | J.seph, HAHM, BM | ||
| MiSaMo | Masterpiece | "Funny Valentine" | Momo, Yuka Matsumoto, Realmeee, Scott Bruzenak | ||
| Lightsum | Honey or Spice | "Not My Style" | Lee Hae-sol, Kyndyl Miller | ||
| Aespa | Drama | "Drama" | No Identity, Waker (153/Joombas), Charlotte Wilson | ||
| 2024 | Lim Kim | Non-album single | "Ult" | No Identity | |
| Kep1er | Kep1going | "Daisy" | Kole, Isaac Han, Aaron Kim, Ghostchild Ltd, Ashe Ahn | ||
| Madalen Duke, Kayla Diamond | Non-album single | "Bones" | Madalen Duke, Kayla Diamond, Sophie Curtis | [86] | |
| Fifty Fifty | Love Tune | "Starry Night" | Kole, Alawn | ||
| Aespa | Armageddon | "Armageddon" | No Identity, Sumin | ||
| Whiplash | "Kill It" | Imlay, Kirsten Collins, Waker (153/Joombas) | |||
| MiSaMo | Haute Couture | "Baby, I'm Good" | Aaron Kim | ||
| Irene | Like a Flower | "Like a Flower" | Barney Cox, Joey Eighty, JC. Don, Elena Hoey | ||
| 2025 | Le Sserafim | Hot | "So Cynical (Badum)" | Vitals, Anthony Watts, Huh Yunjin, "Hitman" Bang, Hong Eun-chae, Kim Chaewon | |
| Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami (as Huntrix) | KPop Demon Hunters (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film) | "How It's Done" | Daniel Rojas, Danny Chung, Mark Sonnenblick, 24, IDO, TEDDY | ||
| Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami (as Huntrix) | "Golden" | Mark Sonnenblick, 24, IDO, TEDDY | |||
| Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Danny Chung, Kevin Woo, and samUIL Lee (as the Saja Boys) | "Your Idol" | Mark Sonnenblick, Vince, KUSH, 24, IDO | |||
| Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami (as Huntrix) | "What It Sounds Like" | Jenna Andrews, Stephen Kirk, Mark Sonnenblick, 24, IDO, TEDDY, Daniel Rojas | |||
| Ejae | "Prologue (Hunter's Mantra)" | Marcelo Zarvos, Mark Sonnenblick, Daniel Rojas | |||
| TDYA | Non-album single | "Keep the Light" | SOFTSERVEBOY, Ayushy, JSONG, Mirani, Joy Kim, Lee Jae Ni, Amy Y, LILA, Shico | [32] | |
| Nmixx | Blue Valentine | "O.O Part 2 (Superhero)" | Brian U (The Hub), MarkAlong, Charlotte Wilson | ||
| Twice | Ten: The Story Goes On | "ATM" (Jihyo solo) | JT Roach, Timothy "Bos" Bullock, Mikhail Miller | ||
| Ejae | Non-album single | "In Another World" | Breagh Isabel, Ted Andreville, Vitals, Daniel Rojas | ||
| 2026 | "Time After Time" | Rollo, Vaughn Oliver, Drew Scott |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | KPop Demon Hunters | Rumi (singing voice) | Netflix original film | [23] |
| K-Pop Familjen | Herself | Swedish documentary; Ejae as topliner at KMR Songcamp 2024 | [87] | |
| Saturday Night Live | Herself [G] | Season 51, episode 1 Cameo | [35] | |
| 99th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade | Live performance | [88] | ||
| Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve | [89] |
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee / Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | 2026 | Best Original Song | "Golden" [H] | Pending | [90] |
| American Cinematheque | 2026 | Tribute to the Crafts Feature Film Song | Honored | [91] | |
| Annie Awards | 2025 | Outstanding Achievement for Music in a Feature Production | KPop Demon Hunters [I] | Won | [92] |
| ASCAP Women Behind the Music | 2025 | Trailblazing Women | Ejae | Honored | [93] |
| Asia Artist Awards | 2025 | Best OST | "Golden" [G] | Won | [94] |
| Astra Film Awards | 2026 | Best Original Song | "Golden" [H] | Won | [95] |
| Austin Film Critics Association | 2025 | Best Voice Acting/Animated/Digital Performance | KPop Demon Hunters [J] | Nominated | [96] |
| Brit Awards | 2026 | International Group of the Year | Huntrix [G] | Pending | [97] |
| International Song of the Year | "Golden" [G] | Pending | |||
| Capri Hollywood International Film Festival | 2026 | Best Original Song | "Golden" [K] | Won | [98] |
| Chicago Indie Critics | 2026 | Best Original Song | "Golden" [H] | Nominated | [99] |
| Critics Association of Central Florida | 2026 | Best Original Song | Won | [100] | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | 2026 | Best Song | Won | [101] | |
| Denver Film Critics Society | 2026 | Best Song | Won | [102] | |
| DiscussingFilm's Global Film Critics Awards | 2026 | Best Original Song | Won | [103] | |
| Georgia Film Critics Association | 2026 | Best Original Song | Runner-up | [104] | |
| Gold Derby Music Awards | 2026 | Record of the Year | "Golden" [G] | Nominated | [105] |
| Golden Globe Awards | 2026 | Best Original Song | "Golden" [H] | Won | [106] |
| Grammy Awards | 2026 | Song of the Year | Nominated | [107] [108] | |
| Best Song Written for Visual Media | Won | ||||
| Best Pop Duo/Group Performance | "Golden" [G] | Nominated | |||
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | 2022 | Best Original Song in a Video Game | "Rebirth" [L] | Nominated | [109] |
| 2025 | Original Song – Animated Film | "Golden" [H] | Won | [110] [111] | |
| Song – Onscreen Performance (Film) | "Golden" [G] | Nominated | |||
| Houston Film Critics Society | 2025 | Best Original Song | "Golden" [H] | Won | [112] |
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | 2026 | Duo/Group of the Year | Huntrix [G] | Pending | [113] |
| Pop Song of the Year | "Golden" [G] | Pending | |||
| K-pop Song of the Year | Pending | ||||
| Best Lyrics | Pending | ||||
| IndieWire Honors | 2025 | Spark Award | Ejae [M] | Honored | [114] |
| K-World Dream Awards | 2025 | Best OST | "Golden" [G] | Won | [115] |
| Korea First Brand Awards | 2026 | Hot Icon (Female) | Huntrix [G] | Won | [116] |
| Korea Grand Music Awards | 2025 | Best Virtual Artist | "Golden" [G] | Nominated | [117] |
| Las Vegas Film Critics Society | 2025 | Best Song | "Golden" [H] | Nominated | [118] |
| Latino Entertainment Journalists Association | 2026 | Best Song | Won | [119] | |
| Lumiere Awards | 2026 | Best Original Song | Won | [120] | |
| Los 40 Music Awards | 2025 | Best International New Artist | Huntrix [G] | Won | [121] |
| MAMA Awards | 2025 | Song of the Year | "Golden" [H] | Nominated | [122] |
| Best OST | "Golden" [G] | Won | [123] | ||
| Melon Music Awards | 2025 | Song of the Year | Nominated | [124] | |
| Best OST | Won | [125] | |||
| MTV Video Music Awards | 2025 | Song of Summer | Nominated | [126] | |
| Music Awards Japan | 2026 | Song of the Year | Longlisted | [127] | |
| Best Anime Song | Longlisted | ||||
| Best K-Pop Song | Longlisted | ||||
| Best K-Pop Artist | Huntrix [G] | Longlisted | |||
| Music City Film Critics Association | 2026 | Best Original Song | "Golden" [G] | Nominated | [128] |
| New Jersey Film Critics Circle | 2025 | Best Original Song | "Golden" [H] | Won | [129] |
| New Mexico Film Critics Association Awards | 2025 | Best Original Song | Runner-up | [130] | |
| NMPA & Billboard Grammy Week Songwriter Awards | 2026 | Breakthrough Songwriter | Ejae | Honored | [131] |
| North Carolina Film Critics Association | 2026 | Best Original Song | "Golden" [H] | Won | [132] |
| North Dakota Film Society | 2026 | Best Original Song | "Golden" [K] | Won | [133] [134] |
| The Online Film & Television Association | 2026 | Best Original Song | "Golden" [H] | Runner-up | [135] |
| Pittsburgh Film Critics Association | 2026 | Best Song | Runner-up | [136] | |
| Puerto Rico Critics Association | 2026 | Best Original Song | Won | [137] | |
| Santa Barbara International Film Festival | 2026 | Variety Artisans Award | Ejae – "Golden" from KPop Demon Hunters – Original Song | Won | [138] |
| Satellite Awards | 2026 | Best Original Song | "Golden" [H] | Pending | [139] |
| SCAD Savannah Film Festival | 2025 | Variety 's 10 Artisans to Watch | Ejae | Honored | [140] |
| Society of Composers & Lyricists Awards | 2026 | Outstanding Original Song for a Comedy or Musical Visual Media Production | "Golden" [K] | Won | [141] |
| Variety Hitmakers Awards | 2025 | Variety's Hitmakers | Ejae [G] | Honored | [142] |
I'm Korean American; I'm not just Korean or just American.