Soundtrack
| KPop Demon Hunters (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Standard cover | ||||
| Soundtrack album by various artists | ||||
| Released | June 20, 2025 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 37:50 | |||
| Language |
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| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Sony Pictures Animation chronology | ||||
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| Singles from KPop Demon Hunters (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film) | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
 Deluxe version cover | ||||
The soundtrack album for KPop Demon Hunters was released through Republic Records on June 20,2025,the same day as the film. [2] It was preceded by Twice's version of "Takedown",performed by Twice members Jeongyeon,Jihyo,and Chaeyoung,as the lead single. [3] On July 4,2025,Republic Records released "Golden" as a single along with a three-track bundle that also includes the instrumental and a cappella versions. It was performed by Ejae,Audrey Nuna,and Rei Ami as Huntrix. [4] A third single,"How It's Done",was released on August 27,2025. [5] [6]
The soundtrack features nine original songs written by Danny Chung,Ido,Vince,Kush,Ejae,Jenna Andrews,Stephen Kirk,Lindgren,Mark Sonnenblick,and Daniel Rojas,with production by Teddy Park,24,Ido,Dominsuk,Andrews,Kirk,Lindgren,and Ian Eisendrath. The performers were credited under the names of Huntrix and the Saja Boys,as the characters' respective groups. It also includes three previous releases:"Strategy" by Twice,"Love,Maybe" by MeloMance,and "Path" by Jokers. [3] On September 5,2025,a deluxe version of the soundtrack album was released,featuring the additional tracks "Prologue (Hunter's Mantra)" and "Jinu's Lament",along with sing-along,instrumental,and a cappella versions of the film's songs. [7] [8]
Background
For the film's music,co-directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans considered K-pop as an integral genre for selecting the musical tone. [9] [10] Kang explained that during the film's development they decided it was not "a traditional musical,where characters break into song to express their feelings",and instead the film would have "pockets of music threaded throughout the film,and that felt like an organic way to push the story forward. But as we kept developing the film,we realized,Oh,no—this is a real musical. Even though the characters aren't exactly singing their feelings,every lyric had to serve the story and reveal something about them or advance the plot". [11] When comparing the songs of Huntrix and the Saja Boys,Appelhans explained they "wanted the Saja Boys' songs to be super catchy,but slightly hollow,like there's no real soul underneath" which contrasts with the "emotionally vulnerable and honest" Huntrix songs –"the idea was that the surface-level part of your heart might be obsessed with the boys,but the deeper part is moved by the girls". [12]
They enlisted an array of music producers to work on "chart-worthy K-pop tracks" including Teddy Park,co-founder of The Black Label,along with Grammy-nominated and winning producers Lindgren,Stephen Kirk,and Jenna Andrews,who had worked on music for K-pop artists such as BTS,Twice,and Blackpink amongst others. Ian Eisendrath served as the executive music producer,who noted "I've always thought of K-pop as the most theatrical genre of pop,and so I was just instantly excited by the possibilities of what could happen in a narrative context with the K-pop songs [and] incorporating actual,hit-making K-pop artists. I just felt like everything was really set up to be a special musical and narrative experience." [13] All the songs were written and recorded before being integrated into the narrative,while Eisendrath also wanted them to be standalone records as well. [13]
Songs
The first song,"How It's Done",introduces the members of Huntrix:Rumi (Arden Cho;singing voice Ejae),Mira (May Hong;singing voice Audrey Nuna),and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo;singing voice Rei Ami) as the girl-group Huntrix. The team took inspiration from "Jet Song" from West Side Story ,which introduced the Jets,and wanted a similar introduction for the fictional band. Eisendrath wanted to set up a unique sonic world for the band,and the characters have distinctive voices. [13] The team went through several iterations on finding the beat and tempo. [13]
The song "Golden" introduces the idea of the Golden Honmoon,where the principal characters work to protect the world from demons by sealing their universe off from the supernatural beings;Eisendrath described it as the "I Want" song in traditional music structure,as it explores the characters' purpose,while also dwells on Rumi's inner thoughts,resulting in the change of an "inspirational pop" to a bit darker genre. [13] Appelhans explained that with "Golden" the characters' "gold costumes represent their kind of MacGuffin of a dream that they're chasing of being perfect and beyond reproach". [14] However,at the second act's end,the ideal is visually represented as broken with the dream "literally and physically in tatters" –"the idea that we could service the way that K-pop works,and all the ingredients,but also make it part of this fantasy plot,was really fun". [14] After the release of the film,Appelhans commented that with "Golden" as an "I Want" song they were following "the conventions of a traditional musical" while also "making it a legitimately great pop song" which "is probably why it's [in the Top 10] on the worldwide Spotify charts",noting that "a good pop song also tells a story" which is what "Golden" is doing. [11]
"Soda Pop" is the introduction number for the Saja Boys,which was described as a "super bubblegum-y K-pop boy band song" similar to BTS' "Butter". [13] Eisendrath said,"It's the demons who are evil,but they decide to masquerade as a K-pop boy group,and just be the most appealing,innocent,charming people that have ever been seen performing a K-pop song". [13] The song "may sound like a sweet declaration of puppy love",however,"a deeper listen reveals the demons' true predatory nature" as the demons are there to prey on human souls. [15] Danny Chung provided rap verses in the mid portions of the song. [13]
"Takedown" was considered as a "warrior anthem" expressing their rage and vengeance against the Saja Boys. [13] An end credits version of the song is performed by Jeongyeon,Jihyo and Chaeyoung of the girl group Twice,and is the centerpiece of their TikTok dance challenge. [13]
"Free" is an emotional ballad that explores Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop;singing voice Andrew Choi) and Rumi sharing their deepest secrets,serving as a musical picture of what they want to be in their lives. [13]
"Your Idol" presents Gwi-Ma (Lee Byung-hun),the king of demons,as the Saja Boys team up with him,to perform a "dark,otherworldly number" in contrast to "Soda Pop". [13] According to Ejae,who wrote the song,she was inspired by Exo's "Mama" and Christian hymns in writing the song. [16]
"What It Sounds Like" is the final song that serves to introduce the conclusion to the final battle against Gwi-Ma and the Saja Boys;while being an "inspirational pop song",it also dwells on Rumi's journey on battling her inner demons. [13] Kang commented that when developing the song and Rumi's story they "talked a lot about mixed heritage" as well as "queer identity,and addiction and falling back into addiction. We kind of described the "demon part of you" where someone is hiding part of themselves "from the world". [17] The team was inspired by "Green Light" from Lorde,as both songs are about accepting hurt and learning to move on. [17] "Hide and Seek" from Imogen Heap was also an influence on the song due to its vocoder vocals and similar theme of finding true identity. [18] A previous iteration of the song,titled "Kaleidoscope",focused on "taking all the pieces of yourself and making it beautiful". [17] However,they felt "earlier versions of the song didn't ring true because the narrative was wrapped up too neatly" and what remains of "Kaleidoscope" are the lyrics on "broken pieces and finding yourself within those broken pieces" in "What It Sounds Like". [17]
The film's soundtrack includes three previous releases,featuring "Strategy" by Twice,"Love,Maybe" by MeloMance,and "Path" by Jokers. [19] [3] Also included on the soundtrack is an instrumental "Score Suite",featuring excerpts from the film's orchestral score by Marcelo Zarvos. [20]
Deluxe version tracks
"Prologue (Hunter's Mantra)" is the opening piece of the film's score,composed by Marcelo Zarvos,and featuring vocals by Ejae. [8] [21] The piece combines elements pulled from traditional Korean music,including from pansori and the folk song "Arirang",with "modern pop sensibilities". [22] Ejae,commenting on her performance on the piece,said that she "wanted to bring Korea's rich traditional sounds into the music with [her] own twist". [22]
"Jinu's Lament" is a short song,performed mostly in spoken word,that both introduces Jinu and details the decline of Gwi-Ma's power preceding the events of the film. [8] [21] [23] The song is performed by Jinu's voice actor Ahn Hyo-seop,rather than Jinu's singing voice Andrew Choi. [21] [24]
Additional music
"Love Me Right" by Exo is featured in the movie,but is not included in the soundtrack album. [3] During the film's development,"Love Me Right" and "Love,Maybe" were originally included as "temp tracks during the animatic phase". [12] Kang explained that "Love Me Right" was in the "first version of" the Saja Boys' introduction scene and while they had discussed creating "an original track,[...] ultimately,nothing fit quite like that Exo song". [12] Appelhans commented that,after years of using these songs as temporary tracks,"these two songs stuck" because they "carried the tone perfectly" so the team "fought to license them". [12]
Release
Formats
| Region | Initial release date | Edition | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | June 20,2025 | Standard |
| [25] | |
| September 5,2025 | Deluxe |
| [26] [27] |
Cover versions
"Golden" has received multiple cover recordings,released via YouTube,by numerous K-pop artists,including by An Yu-jin, [28] Bada,Lee Hae-ri,Kwon Jin-ah,Kwon Soon-il,and Jung Eun-ji. [29] The song has also been performed live by the group Babymonster at the 2025 MAMA Awards, [30] and by Katherine Jenkins at the 2025 Royal Variety Performance ,accompanied by solo piano and orchestra. [31] In January 2026,Kelly Clarkson released a cover version of "What It Sounds Like". [32]
Track listing
Credits adapted from Tidal. [33]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Takedown" (Twice version: Jeongyeon, Jihyo and Chaeyoung) |
|
| 3:01 |
| 2. | "How It's Done" (Huntrix: Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami) |
|
| 2:56 |
| 3. | "Soda Pop" (Saja Boys: Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Danny Chung, Kevin Woo, SamUIL Lee) |
|
| 2:30 |
| 4. | "Golden" (Huntrix) |
|
| 3:14 |
| 5. | "Strategy" (Twice) |
|
| 2:48 |
| 6. | "Takedown" (Huntrix) |
|
| 3:02 |
| 7. | "Your Idol" (Saja Boys) |
|
| 3:11 |
| 8. | "Free" (Ejae as Rumi, Andrew Choi as Jinu) |
|
| 3:07 |
| 9. | "What It Sounds Like" (Huntrix) |
|
| 4:10 |
| 10. | "Love, Maybe (사랑인가 봐)" (MeloMance) | MeloMance | 3:05 | |
| 11. | "Path (오솔길)" (Jokers) |
| Jokers | 3:41 |
| 12. | "Score Suite" |
| Zarvos | 3:00 |
| Total length: | 37:50 | |||
Deluxe version
Credits adapted from Tidal. [27]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Prologue (Hunter's Mantra)" (Ejae) |
|
| 1:36 |
| 2. | "Jinu's Lament" (Ahn Hyo-seop as Jinu) |
|
| 0:46 |
| 3. | "How It's Done" (Huntrix) |
|
| 2:56 |
| 4. | "Soda Pop" (Saja Boys) |
|
| 2:30 |
| 5. | "Golden" (Huntrix) |
|
| 3:14 |
| 6. | "Strategy" (Twice) |
|
| 2:48 |
| 7. | "Takedown" (Huntrix) |
|
| 3:02 |
| 8. | "Your Idol" (Saja Boys) |
|
| 3:11 |
| 9. | "Free" (Ejae as Rumi, Andrew Choi as Jinu) |
|
| 3:07 |
| 10. | "What It Sounds Like" (Huntrix) |
|
| 4:10 |
| 11. | "Love, Maybe (사랑인가 봐)" (MeloMance) |
| MeloMance | 3:05 |
| 12. | "Path (오솔길)" (Jokers) |
| Jokers | 3:41 |
| 13. | "Takedown" (Twice version: Jeongyeon, Jihyo and Chaeyoung) |
|
| 3:01 |
| 14. | "Score Suite" |
| Zarvos | 3:00 |
| Total length: | 40:12 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "How It's Done" (Sing-Along) |
|
| 2:56 |
| 2. | "Soda Pop" (Sing-Along) |
|
| 2:30 |
| 3. | "Golden" (Sing-Along) |
|
| 3:14 |
| 4. | "Takedown" (Sing-Along) |
|
| 3:02 |
| 5. | "Your Idol" (Sing-Along) |
|
| 3:11 |
| 6. | "Free" (Sing-Along) |
|
| 3:07 |
| 7. | "What It Sounds Like" (Sing-Along) |
|
| 4:10 |
| 8. | "How It's Done" (Instrumental) |
|
| 2:56 |
| 9. | "Soda Pop" (Instrumental) |
|
| 2:30 |
| 10. | "Golden" (Instrumental) |
|
| 3:14 |
| 11. | "Takedown" (Instrumental) |
|
| 3:02 |
| 12. | "Your Idol" (Instrumental) |
|
| 3:11 |
| 13. | "Free" (Instrumental) |
|
| 3:07 |
| 14. | "What It Sounds Like" (Instrumental) |
|
| 4:10 |
| 15. | "How It's Done" (Acapella) |
|
| 2:52 |
| 16. | "Soda Pop" (Acapella) |
|
| 2:21 |
| 17. | "Golden" (Acapella) |
|
| 3:12 |
| 18. | "Takedown" (Acapella) |
|
| 3:02 |
| 19. | "Your Idol" (Acapella) |
|
| 3:11 |
| 20. | "Free" (Acapella) |
|
| 2:54 |
| 21. | "What It Sounds Like" (Acapella) |
|
| 4:01 |
| Total length: | 1:05:55 | |||
Notes
- ^[p] denotes a primary and vocal producer.
Personnel
Credits adapted from Tidal. [34]
- Huntrix – vocals (tracks 2, 4, 6, 9)
- Ejae – vocals (tracks 2, 4, 6, 8, 9)
- Audrey Nuna – vocals (tracks 2, 4, 6, 9)
- Rei Ami – vocals (tracks 2, 4, 6, 9)
- Saja Boys – vocals (tracks 3, 7)
- Andrew Choi – vocals (tracks 3, 7–8)
- Neckwav – vocals (tracks 3, 7)
- Danny Chung – vocals (tracks 3, 7)
- Kevin Woo – vocals (tracks 3, 7)
- SamUIL Lee – vocals (tracks 3, 7)
- Twice – vocals (tracks 1, 5), background vocals (track 5)
- MeloMance – vocals (track 10)
- Jokers – vocals (track 11)
- Marcelo Zarvos – vocals (track 12)
- Shorelle – background vocals (track 5)
- Jenna Andrews – background vocals (tracks 8–9)
- Stephen Kirk – background vocals, bass, drum programming, guitar, keyboard, strings (tracks 8–9)
- Luke Kim – guitar (track 5)
- KayOne – digital editing (tracks 1, 5–6)
- Dave Kutch – mastering (tracks 2–4, 7–9, 12)
- Kwon Nam-woo – mastering (tracks 1, 5–6)
- Curtis Douglas – mix engineering (tracks 2–4, 6–9), vocal mixing (tracks 1, 6)
- Lee Tae-sub – mix engineering (tracks 1, 5)
- Erich Talaba – mix engineering (track 12)
- Matthew Tung – mixing (track 12)
- Maximo Abraham – mixing and recording (track 12)
- Thea Prevalsky – mixing (track 12)
- Kim Dae-sung – vocal mixing (track 10)
- Hyejin Choi – recording (tracks 1, 6)
- Andy Dudman – strings engineering (tracks 1–4, 6–9), recording (track 12)
- Derik Lee – vocal engineering (track 1–4, 6–9)
- Noah Hubbell – vocal engineering (tracks 2–4, 7, 9)
- Kyung-hoon Shin – vocal engineering (track 3, 7)
- Lim Chan-mi – recording (track 5)
- Seo Eun-il – recording (track 5)
- Earattack – recording and vocal production (track 5)
- Lawrence Manchester – recording (track 12)
- Nick Taylor – recording (track 12)
- Cris Avila – sound editing (track 12)
