Mark Sonnenblick and Ejae attend Netflix’s “KPopDemon Hunters” press event at Bar Lis on November 18, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Gonzalo Marroquin/Getty Images for Netflix)
Getty Images for Netflix
With “Golden” acting as Netflix’s song of choice for KPop Demon Hunters during awards season, the chart-topping global hit sung by EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami as HUNTR/X can officially claim its first honor in the U.S. following the 2025 Hollywood Music in Media Awards.
Co-written by EJAE alongside Mark Sonnenblick, Park Hong Jun (a.k.a. Teddy), Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam and Jeong Hoon Seo and performed by EJAE, Nuna and Rei, “Golden” was named the winner of Song – Animated Film at the 16th annual Hollywood Music in Media Awards at its November 19 ceremony in Los Angeles.
The HMMAs are an industry barometer for music in film, TV and video games. “Golden” was against several big names in its category including Hayley Williams and David Byrne’s “Open the Door” from The Twits, Rag’n’bone Man and Wizthemc’s “Gooflife” off The Bad Guys 2 soundtrack, Shakira’s new Zootopia 2 song for Disney “Zoo,” and more. The recognition also puts the song’s creators and performers in front of a voting body attentive to the Oscars, Grammys, and other film-music ceremonies — leading to the sort of early awards momentum that can translate into more nominations and greater visibility.
While this isn’t the first award for “Golden,” it does mark the song’s first recognition in America. The chart-topping hit previously won Best OST at South Korea’s K-World Dream Awards in Seoul, with HUNTR/X earning the award for Best International New Artist at Spain’s Los 40 Music Awards.
EJAE, the singer-songwriter and vocalist for KPop Demon Hunters lead character Rumi, has herself been singled out for several industry honors including being named among ASCAP’s Women Behind the Music trailblazers, winning the Spark Award at IndieWire Honors, while being named one of Variety’s 10 Artisans to Watch at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, and one of the publication’s Hitmakers at its annual Variety Hitmakers Awards.
As the calendar tips toward December and early-year ceremonies before more of the major award shows next year, “Golden” could pick up several more prizes. The track is up for Song of the Year and Best OST at the 2025 MAMA Awards (which will take place in Hong Kong on November 28-29), as well as Best Original Song at the 2025 Astra Creative Arts Awards (coming December 11).
Of course, “Golden” earned multiple Grammy nominations this year, mostly notably in the main category of Song of the Year. “Golden” will also compete in Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, Best Song Written for Visual Media, while David Guetta’s remix of the track competes in Best Remixed Recording.
Beyond KPop Demon Hunters, the HMMAs recognized a wide slate of standout musical moments across today’s film and TV landscape.
Sinners emerged as the night’s dominant force at the 2025 HMMAs, taking home three awards including wins for Ludwig Göransson’s haunting feature score and the emotional centerpiece track “I Lied to You,” co-written with Raphael Saadiq and performed by the film’s breakout star Miles Caton, who was also honored for on-screen performance. Diane Warren added to her legendary resume with a win for “Dear Me” from Diane Warren: Relentless, while the Wicked franchise earned two accolades of its own. Plus, composer Tom Howe also doubled up with recognition for both his animated film score and documentary-series song work. At the same time, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy collected honors in score and music supervision categories.
The HMMA win underlines that “Golden” is more than a chart-topping hit, but an important bilingual anthem with its upbeat, universal lyrics in English (with moments of Korean) giving the song crossover emotional lift and international singalong power. Alongside EJAE’s mesmerizing vocal performance on the track, the song’s warm storytelling has won over fans, become a playlist staple, and is now earning undeniable industry respect across music, film, and animation. With institutional recognition of the song going beyond a commercial phenomenon, “Golden” can power into the rest of the awards season, both buoyed by its popular momentum and be further taken seriously by the gatekeepers who shape long-term cultural legacy.
Read on for the full list of nominees and winners from the 2025 Hollywood Music in Media Awards.
The 2025 Hollywood Music in Media Awards Winners
Song – Feature Film
Winner: “I Lied to You” From Sinners. Written by Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Göransson. Performed by Miles Caton.
“Dream as One” from Avatar: Fire and Ash. Written by Miley Cyrus, Mark Ronson, Simon Franglen and Andrew Wyatt. Performed by Miley Cyrus
“Drive” from F1. Written by Ed Sheeran, Blake Slatkin and John Mayer. Performed by Ed Sheeran.
“Lose My Mind” From F1. Written by Don Toliver, Doja Cat, Hans Zimmer, Ryan Tedder and Grant Boutin. Performed by Don Toliver, Doja Cat
“Last Time (I Seen the Sun)” From Sinners. Written by Alice Smith, Miles Canton and Ludwig Göransson. Performed by Miles Canton and Alice Smith.
“No Place Like Home” from Wicked: For Good. Written by Stephen Schwartz. Performed by Cynthia Erivo
“The Girl in the Bubble” From Wicked: For Good. Written by Stephen Schwartz. Performed by Ariana Grande
Song – Independent Film
Winner: “Highest 2 Lowest” from Highest 2 Lowest. Written by Aiyanna-Lee Anderson and Nicole Daciana Anderson. Performed By Aiyanna-Lee
“Learn to Let Go” from Everything To Me. Written by Stephanie Economou, Maggie Mcclure, Chloé Caroline Fellows, and Jon Monroe. Performed by Maggie Mcclure, Chloé Caroline, Stephanie Economou.
“My San Francisco” from Plainclothes. Written and Performed by Emily Wells
“Time Is All We Have” from Momo. Written by Fil Eisler and Sam Ryder. Performed By Sam Ryder.
“We Believe in Hope” from Rule Breakers. Written by Jeff Beal, Joan Beal and Aryana Sayeed. Performed by Aryana Sayeed & The Brooklyn Youth Chorus.
Song – Documentary Film
Winner: “Dear Me” from Diane Warren: Relentless. Written by Diane Warren. Performed by Kesha and Diane Warren.
“Dying To Live” from Billy Idol Should Be Dead. Written by Billy Idol, J. Ralph, Steve Stevens, Tommy English, Joe Janiak. Performed by Billy Idol and J. Ralph.
“Have You Seen My Light” from October 8. Written and Produced by Autumn Rowe and Kizzo
“Milagros” from Karol G: Tomorrow Was Beautiful. Written by Carolina Giraldo Navarro, Edgar Barrera, Kevyn Mauricio Cruz, Lenin Yorney Palacios. Performed by Karol G.
“Salt Then Sour Then Sweet” from Come See Me in the Good Light. Written by Sara Bareilles, Andrea Gibson and Brandi Carlile. Performed by Sara Bareilles and Brandi Carlile
Song – Animated Film
Winner: “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters. Written by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo, Park Hong Jun. Performed by EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami.
“Best Time Ever” from Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical. Written by Alan Zachary, Michael Weiner and Jeff Morrow. Performed by Cast.
“Gooflife” From The Bad Guys 2. Written by Daniel Pemberton, Gary Go and Sanele David Sydow. Performed by Rag’n’bone Man & Wizthemc.
“Kaleidoscope” from Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie. Written by Joseph Chase Atkins. Performed by Tehillah Alphonso and Cast.
“Open the Door” From The Twits. Written and Performed by David Byrne & Hayley Williams.
“Zoo” From Zootopia 2. Written by Ed Sheeran & Blake Slatkin and Shakira. Performed by Shakira.
Song – Onscreen Performance (Film)
Winner: Miles Caton – “I Lied To You” from Sinners
Aiyanna-Lee – “Highest 2 Lowest” from Highest 2 Lowest
Bono – “Sunday Bloody Sunday” from Bono: Stories Of Surrender
EJAE, Rei Ami, Audrey Nuna (Aka Huntr/X) – “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters
Tom Basden & Carey Mulligan – “Our Love” from The Ballad Of Wallis Island
Score – Animated Film
Winner: Tom Howe – Dog Man
Arnaud Toulon – Arco
Daniel Pemberton – The Bad Guys 2
Nick Urata – Stitch Head
Stephanie Economou – Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie
Score – Feature Film
Winner: Ludwig Göransson – Sinners
Alexandre Desplat – Frankenstein
Daniel Lopatin – Marty Supreme
Hans Zimmer – F1
Jerskin Fendrix – Bugonia
John Powell – Wicked: For Good
Jonny Greenwood – One Battle After Another)
Max Richter – Hamnet
Volker Bertelmann – A House Of Dynamite
Score – SciFi/Fantasy Film
Winner: Simon Franglen – Avatar: Fire and Ash
Alexandre Desplat – Jurassic World Rebirth
Fil Eisler – Momo
Gordy Haab – Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force
Laura Karpman – Captain America: Brave New World
Michael Giacchino – The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Nine Inch Nails – Tron: Ares
Son Lux – Thunderbolts*
Score – Horror/Thriller Film
Winner: Benjamin Wallfisch – Wolf Man
Atticus Derrickson – Black Phone 2
Cornel Wilczek – Bring Her Back
Holly Amber Church – The Other
Jay Wadley – Heart Eyes
Michael Yezerski – Dangerous Animals
Score – Independent Film
Winner: Jeff Beal – Rule Breakers
Aaron Zigman – Truth & Treason
Adem Ilhan – The Ballad of Wallis Island
Jónsi And Alex Somers – Rental Family
Lucrecia Dalt – Rabbit Trap
Steve Gernes – Wet Paper Bag
Score – Documentary
Winner: Anne Nikitin – Pangolin – Kulu’s Journey
Allyson Newman – Arrest the Midwife
Christian Lundberg – Why We Dream
Lolita Ritmanis – An American Miracle
Paul Leonard-Morgan – The Last Dive
Tyler Strickland – John Candy: I Like Me
Music Themed Film or Musical
Winner: Wicked: For Good – Jon M. Chu (Director)
Song Sung Blue – Craig Brewer (Director)
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere – Scott Cooper (Director)
The Ballad of Wallis Island – James Griffiths (Director)
Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires – Paul Hoen (Director)
Music Documentary – Special Program
Winner: Diane Warren: Relentless – Bess Kargman (Director)
Billy Idol Should Be Dead – Jonas Åkerlund (Director)
Bono: Stories of Surrender – Andrew Dominik (Director)
I Was Born This Way – Daniel Junge & Sam Pollard (Directors)
It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley – Amy Berg (Director)
Selena Y Los Dinos – Isabel Castro (Director)
Song – TV Show/Limited Series
Winner: “The Dead Dance” from Wednesday. Written by Lady Gaga and Andrew Watt. Performed By Lady Gaga.
“Afterlife” from Devil May Cry. Written by Amy Lee and Alex Seaver. Performed by Evanescence.
“At Dawn I Look for You” from Étoile. Written by Loral Raphael and Ronnel Raphael. Performed by Sons Of Raphael
“Give It a Good Try” from Unconventional. Written by Craig Richey. Performed by Craig Richey feat. Aubrey Shea.
“Rosebud” from Woman Of The Dead (Season 2). Written By Vera Marie Weber & Caleb Veazey. Performed By Vera Weberb
“The Line” from Arcane. Written by Tyler Joseph. Performed by Twenty One Pilots.
“Turned to Black” from Black Rabbit. Written by Albert Hammond Jr. & Sarah Holt. Performed by The Black Rabbits (Albert Hammond Jr & Jude Law)
“Wolf Song” from Landman. Written and Performed by Andrew Lockington
Score – TV Show/Limited Series
Winner: Theodore Shapiro – Severance
Aaron May & David Ridley – Adolescence
Antonio Sánchez – The Studio
Brandon Roberts & Nicholas Britell – Andor
Chris Bacon – Wednesday
David Fleming – The Last Of Us (Season 2)
Dominic Lewis – Your Friends & Neighbors
Andrew Lockington – Landman
Natalie Holt – Chad Powers
The Gregson-Williams Brothers – The Gilded Age (Season 3)
Song – Onscreen Performance – TV Show/Limited Series
Winner: Kevin Bacon and Jennifer Nettles – “Our Highway” (The Bondsman Season 1)
Kenzi Richardson – “Force of Nature” (Vampirina: Teenage Vampire)
Nikhil Koparkar – “The Hills of Tanchico” (The Wheel Of Time)
Lumi Pollack, Carmen Sanchez, Ruby Marino – “The Lies We Tell Our Hearts” (Electric Bloom)
Mark Sonnenblick – “Drugs in My Booty” (Harlem Season 3)
Main Title – TV Show/Limited Series
Winner: Your Friends & Neighbors – Dominic Lewis and Hamilton Leithauser
Chief Of War – Hans Zimmer, James Everingham and Kaumakaiwa Kanakaʻole
Étoile – Sons of Raphael
Government Cheese – Pharrell Williams
Outlander: Blood of My Blood – Bear McCreary
Score – Short Film (Live Action)
Winner: Carl Thiel – El Lazo De Petra
Alexander Bornstein – The Lord of All Future Space and Time
Finlay White – Gesualdo
Forrest Gray – Everything Must Go
Kyle Simpson – How to Drag a Body
Score – Short Film (Animated)
Winner: Qing Madi – Valorant
Hayden Thompson and Miranda Tan – Love & Gold Soundtrack
Obadiah Brown-Beach, Bastien Rousset, Henrik Lindström, 2wei, Ruben K, Georg Mausolf, Sigurd Jøhnk-Jensen and Nicholas Horsten – Honor Of Kings – Kong Kong’er Champion Cinematic Short
Raashi Kulkarni – Wednesdays With Gramps
Sam Rothera – All Hail the Duck King
Score – Short Film (Documentary)
Winner: Benjamin Westphalen – A Dream Called Khushi (Happiness)
Alexander Leeming Froudakis & Manuela Lubrano – Stone Biter
Juan Carlos Enriquez – La Mar
Katya Richardson – Love, Chinatown
Michał Drabczyk – The Light of Immortality
Oscar Pan – Cindy Tran: From Here to Here
Score – Independent Film (Foreign Language)
Winner: Fabrizio Mancinelli – Out of the Nest
Emiliano Mazzenga – Catane
Karl Sölve Steven & Rob Thorne – Mārama
Mina Samy – Happy Birthday
Toni M. Mir – Dreaming of Lions
Score – Documentary Series -TV/Digital
Winner: Duncan Thum & David Bertok – Chef’s Table: Legends
Hans Zimmer, Kara Talve and Anže Rozman – The Americas
Jasha Klebe – American Manhunt: Osama Bin Laden
John Dragonetti – Turning Point: The Vietnam War
Nainita Desai – Secrets of the Penguins
Score – TV Show/Limited Series (Foreign Language)
Winner: Arturo Cardelús – Terra Alta
Ariel Blumenthal, Gal Lev – Red Alert
Guillaume Roussel – Carême
Sandrine Rudaz – On the High Seas
Suad Bushnaq – Al Batal (The Hero)
Score – Video Game (Console & PC)
Winner: League of Legends: Welcome to Noxus – League of Legends (Bill Hemstapat, Sebastien Najand, Alex Seaver, J.D. Spears, Alexander Temple, Richard Thomson, Seth Tsui, Gong Ao, Merlin Cen)
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach – Ludvig Forssell
Dune: Awakening – Knut Avenstroup Haugen
Fallen Aces: Episode 1 – Josh Barron
Ghost Of Yōtei – Toma Otowa
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – Gordy Haab
Mafia: the Old Country – Bt (Brian Transeau)
Spirit of the North 2 – Pav Gekko
Sword of the Sea – Austin Wintory
The Rogue Prince of Persia – Asadi (Danny Asadi)
Song – Video Game (Console & PC)
Winner: “Against the Tide” from Wuthering Waves. Written by Obadiah Brown-Beach. Performed by Forts And Obadiah Brown-Beach
“Coral Crown” from Hades II: Original Soundtrack. Written by Darren Korb. Performed by Scylla and the Sirens.
“Footsteps” from Rue Valley. Written and Performed By Ana Krstajić
“Rivals ‘Til The End” from Marvel Rivals. Written by Danny Koo, Marbling, Netease Sound, Masahiro Aoki, H.K.H. Vocals By Chrissy Costanza.
“The Rogue Prince of Persia” from The Rogue Prince Of Persia. Written and Performed by Asadi (Daniel Asadi) and Xye.
“When The Sun Is Low” From Dune: Awakening. Written by Knut Avenstroup Haugen. Performed by Clara Sorace, The Chamber Orchestra of London, Børre Flyen and Knut Avenstroup Haugen.
Song/Score – Mobile Video Game
Winner: Afk Journey – Alec Justice
Delta Force – Delta Force Music Team
Honor Of Kings – Matthew Carl Earl, Laurent Courbier, and Others
Identity V-Gambler In The Spotlight – Zhang Guanglei & Wang Jingfei
Valorant – Bbno$
Music Supervision – TV Show/Limited Series
Winner: Sean Fernald – Dexter: Resurrection
George Drakoulias – Severance
Jen Malone & Nicole Weisberg – Wednesday
Manish Raval, Tom Wolfe, Jonathan Leahy – Nobody Wants This
Melyssa Hardwick – The Summer I Turned Pretty
Nora Felder – Yellowjackets (Season 3)
Robin Urdang – Étoile
Music Supervision – Film
Winner: Nick Angel – Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
Ashley Neumeister – Ruth & Boaz
Maggie Rodford – Wicked: For Good
Gary Welch – The Ballad Of Wallis Island
Jemma Burns – Christy
Mike Turner & Jonathan Lane – Winter Spring Summer Or Fall
Music Supervision – Video Game
Winner: Steve Schnur – Battlefield 6
Bénédicte Ouimet & Jérôme Angelot – Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Benjamin Beladi – The Sandbox – 2025 Seasons (5 & 6)
Jonny Altepeter – Valorant
Manu Bachet – The Rogue Prince of Persia
Yuanye Huang, Jing Zhang, Shuqin Xiao, Peiyue Lu, Samuel Siu – Honor of Kings
Song/Score – Commercial Advertisement
Winner: Apple: 6 Out of 5 Stars – Silo: Music – Neil Ormandy, Linkoln, Allen Stone
Amazon Midnight Opus (“What the World Needs Now Is Love”) – Haim Mazar
Matter And Space (“Butterflies”) – Alex Yewon
Sea of Remnants (“Yo Ho!”) – Guanglei Zhang / Sibo Huang “Yo Ho!”
The End of the Run Is Just the Beginning – Alexandra Petkovski (Aka Fjøra)
Valorant (“In My Zone”) – Bbno$
Soundtrack Album
Winner: F1 – Atlantic Records
Karma: The Dark World – Black Razor Records
KPop Demon Hunters – Republic Records
Sinners – Sony Masterworks Records
Wicked: For Good – Republic Records
World Of Warcraft: Undermine(D) – Blizzard Entertainment
Song – Short Film
Winner: “Stars In My Eyes” from Sweetwater. Written by Sean Douglas. Performed by Kyra Sedgwick.
“Sean Is Three” from Sean The Baby. Written by Cameron Adams. Performed By Amelia Rolland.
“Somos Fuertes” from Somos Fuertes Official Music Video. Written and Performed by J.Frazil.
“Car Keys” from Everything Must Go. Written by Forrest Gray, Tiffany So & Saba Saghafi. Performed By Forrest Gray.
“Down We Go” from Rabbit Rabbit. Written and Performed by Zoë Lustri
Score – TV/Streamed Movie
Winner: Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy – Dustin O’Halloran
Exterritorial – Sara Barone
Fountain Of Youth – Christopher Benstead
Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story – Tommy Fields
The Pickup – Christopher Lennertz
Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires – Tom Howe
Music Design – Trailer
Winner: Necaxa (FX – Hulu) – Juan Carlos Enriquez
Delta Force – Peter Tomlinson
Destiny: Rising – Weicheng Xia & Guanglei Zhang
Project Spectrum – Ludvig Forssell
Sea Of Remnants (Yo Ho!) – Guanglei Zhang & Sibo Huang
Valorant – Qing Madi
Wet Paper Bag – Steve Gernes
Main Title – TV Show (Foreign Language)
Winner: On The High Seas – Sandrine Rudaz
Al Batal (The Hero) – Suad Bushnaq
Carême – Guillaume Roussel
Lam Shamseya – Mina Samy
Two Graves – Marc Timon
Music Video (Independent)
Winner: Evanescence – “Afterlife”
Teya – “Bite Marks”
Mohammed K Paika – “Just Human”
Gabrielle Aapri – “Refuge”
Alexandra Fresquez – “Symphony”
Matt B, Rocky Dawuni, Tony Succar, & Wouter Kellerman – “They Know”
Live Concert for Visual Media
Winner: The Lion King at the Hollywood Bowl – The Lion King Cast
Infinity Concert – Jason Huang
Beyond the World – Yufan Xu/Xihao Wang/China Broadcasting Chinese Orchestra
Garden State 20th Anniversary Concert – Musical Performers: The Shins, Iron & Wine, Frou Frou, Cary Brothers, Laufey, Thievery Corporation, Colin Hay, Madison Cunningham, Remy Zero, The Milk Carton Kids, Sophie Barker, And Bonnie Somerville
Not Gonna Lie, Live From Ruthmere Museum – Abbie Thomas
Exhibitions, Theme Parks, Special Projects
Winner: Walt Disney World’s Epcot: Test Track – Zain Effendi
Dark Castle (Xd Dark Ride) – Benjamin Botkin, Carl Vaudrin, Benjamin Beladi
Dreamland Theme Park – Chris Thomas
One Step Beyond: A Journey to Mars – Rhian Sheehan
Scadstory Atlanta – Erik Desiderio
Snapshot – Eduardo Andrade
Tapestry of Happiness – Haim Mazar