KOREA:LUNE π―οΈ
the untold story of ejae | january 14, 2026 π a korean friend explains | β 7 min read
β οΈ MY STORY ONLY β this is based on public interviews and my interpretation. i’m just a fan digging deep into k-pop stories that deserve to be told. π
π· source: abc news / kevork djansezian/CBS
π tl;dr:
β’ ejae trained at SM entertainment for ~10 years starting at age 11 β’ she was told her voice “wasn’t strong enough” to debut β’ she became a songwriter instead and wrote red velvet’s “psycho” β’ now she just won a golden globe for “golden” from kpop demon hunters β’ first k-pop song to ever win best original song at the golden globes
…and honestly? i can’t stop thinking about this.
π¬ ok so. i need to talk about this.
you know that song “golden” from kpop demon hunters? the one that’s been #1 on billboard for like 8 weeks straight?
the woman who wrote and sang it β ejae β just won a golden globe.
two, actually. (best original song AND best animated feature for the movie)
and she broke down crying on stage.
but here’s the thing most people don’t know.
sm entertainment trained her for almost 10 years. and then said her voice wasn’t good enough.
let that sink in.
π the beginning: 11 years old, big dreams
it’s 2003. a korean-american girl named kim eun-jae lands in seoul. she’s 11.
she’s just been accepted as an sm entertainment trainee.
sm. the company that created boa. the company that would later debut super junior, girls’ generation, shinee, f(x), exo, red velvet, nct, aespa.
the biggest k-pop label in the world at the time.
and they wanted her.
imagine being 11 and thinking “this is it. this is my destiny.”
π the training years: 2003-2015
here’s what nobody talks about.
ejae trained alongside:
- girls’ generation (μλ μλ)
- shinee (μ€μ΄λ)
- f(x) (μνμμ€)
she was THERE. in those practice rooms. at 7am every single day.
according to her interviews, she was always the first one in the practice room.
and here’s the part that really got me.
in her you quiz on the block (μ ν΄μ¦μ¨λλΈλ) interview, she talked about how hard she worked… only to never be chosen for any debut lineup.
not once. in almost 10 years.
π the rejection: “your voice isn’t strong enough”
- ejae is 22 years old (korean age ~24).
she’s been a trainee for almost a decade.
almost 10 years of:
- waking up at 6am
- vocal training
- dance practice until midnight
- missing birthdays, holidays, a normal life
and then sm told her:
“your voice isn’t strong enough.”
that was it. almost 10 years. gone. just like that.
in her golden globe speech, she said (through tears):
“when i was a little girl, i worked tirelessly for 10 years to fulfill one dream β to become a k-pop idol. i was rejected and disappointed that my voice wasn’t good enough.”
imagine. IMAGINE.
being told your voice β the thing you’ve been training for a decade β isn’t good enough.
by the company that trained you.
π the dark years
π· source: abc news / richard shotwell/invision/AP
ejae went back to america.
she enrolled at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts (Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music).
but she was struggling.
in interviews with korean outlets, she described how deeply the rejection cut. for about a month, she barely left her bed, sleeping and crying as she processed what felt like the death of her childhood goal.
she admitted she developed a deep resentment towards idols and the k-pop system that had shut her out.
the woman who just won a golden globe for a k-pop themed movie… used to resent k-pop because it rejected her.
the irony is insane.
π the plot twist: writing for the company that rejected her
here’s where it gets wild.
after giving up on being an idol, ejae became a songwriter.
and guess who she started writing for?
SM Entertainment.
THE SAME COMPANY THAT REJECTED HER VOICE.
in 2017, she attended a songwriting camp at sm β the very company that had rejected her as a performer.
her breakthrough?
red velvet’s “psycho” (2019)
yes. THAT psycho. the one that went certified gold in the US. the one with hundreds of millions of streams.
she wrote it.
for sm.
the company that said her voice wasn’t good enough… was now paying her to write songs.
but wait. it gets better (or more painful, depending on how you see it).
she also wrote hits for:
- aespa
- twice
- le sserafim
- nmixx
all for companies that… train idols. that have trainees. that reject trainees every single day.
the same system that broke her… she was now feeding it.
(i have so many feelings about this tbh)
π the moment: golden globe 2026
january 11, 2026. beverly hilton hotel, los angeles.
“kpop demon hunters” wins best animated feature.
and then.
“and the golden globe for best original song goes to… ‘golden’ from kpop demon hunters!”
ejae walks to the stage.
she’s shaking.
and then she says:
“when i was a little girl, i worked tirelessly for 10 years to fulfill one dream β to become a k-pop idol. i was rejected and disappointed that my voice wasn’t good enough.”
the audience is silent.
“so i leaned on songs and music to get through it. so now i’m here as a singer and a songwriter.”
she starts crying.
“this award goes to people who’ve had doors closed on them. i can confidently say that rejection is redirection. so never give up. it’s never too late to shine like you were born to be.”
“rejection is redirection.”
standing ovation.
tears everywhere.
π the numbers that will blow your mind
| sm’s evaluation | the world’s response |
|---|---|
| “voice isn’t strong enough” | billboard #1 for 8 weeks |
| rejected after ~10 years | golden globe winner (x2) |
| trainee until 22 | grammy nominated (song of the year) |
| no debut | 1.3 billion spotify streams |
sm said no.
the entire world said yes.
π the irony that keeps me up at night
here’s what gets me.
sm rejected ejae’s voice.
but then sm USED ejae’s voice.
for years, she sang demo versions of songs before giving them to sm artists.
her voice was literally the blueprint for sm songs.
she even sang demos for aespa tracks.
the same voice sm said wasn’t good enough.
iβ
(i need a moment)
π€ HUNTR/X: the fictional group that became real
π· source: abc news / neilson barnard/getty images
in kpop demon hunters, ejae voices rumi β one of three members of the fictional k-pop group HUNTR/X.
alongside audrey nuna and rei ami, they became the voices behind the biggest animated soundtrack ever.
“golden” broke records:
- #1 on billboard hot 100 for 8 weeks
- #1 on billboard global 200 for 14 weeks
- 1.3 billion streams on spotify alone
- first k-pop song to win golden globe for best original song
a girl who was told she couldn’t be a k-pop idol…
became the voice of the most successful k-pop song in animation history.
you can’t write this stuff.
π my thoughts (totally personal)
i’ve been thinking about this story a lot.
because it’s not just about ejae.
it’s about every trainee who got rejected.
every kid who practiced for years and was told “not good enough.”
every dreamer who had to find a new path.
ejae’s story is painful. but it’s also hopeful.
because she proved that:
rejection isn’t the end. sometimes it’s just the beginning of a different story.
π sources:
- ABC News – KPop Demon Hunters songwriters deliver powerful Golden Globes speech
- CNBC – Ejae Golden Globe rejection story
- Billboard – Ejae Golden Globes speech
- Music Week – Golden is really hard to sing
- Harper’s Bazaar – Ejae best original song speech
this is my perspective as someone following korean entertainment news. i could be wrong about some interpretations. if you have different info, i genuinely want to hear it.
β korea:lune π―οΈ
π¬ what do you think?
did you know ejae’s story before this?
does it change how you hear “golden”?
how many voices did the system say “no” to… that the world would have said “yes” to?
let me know below. π
