‘Golden’ from KPop Demon Hunters LOST the VMA’s Song of the Summer. The Internet is Not Having It.
In a shocking upset at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, Golden—the chart-topping anthem from Netflix's blockbuster animated hit KPop Demon Hunters—lost out on the prestigious Song of the Summer award to Tate McRae's Just Keep Watching from F1: The Movie, sparking widespread outrage among fans who argue the K-pop-inspired banger defined the season's soundtrack.
The VMAs, held on September 7 at New York's UBS Arena and hosted by LL Cool J, celebrated the hottest tracks and visuals of the year. But for the devoted fandom behind KPop Demon Hunters, the night's biggest snub overshadowed even the triumphs of heavy hitters like Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande.
Golden, performed by the fictional girl group HUNTR/X (voiced by EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and REI AMI), had been a juggernaut all summer long. Released as part of the film's soundtrack on July 4 via Republic Records, it soared to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for multiple weeks, claimed the top spot on the Billboard Global 200, and even notched a historic perfect all-kill in South Korea—the third of 2025 and a record-breaker for hourly chart dominance.
Yet, despite its undeniable dominance, the fan-voted category went to McRae's upbeat racer-themed track, leaving the internet in a frenzy of memes, rants, and calls for a recount.
Here's the TL;DR on why this loss feels like such a gut punch:
Chart Supremacy Snubbed: Golden racked up over 33 million U.S. streams in a single tracking week, topped charts in 16 countries including the UK and US, and helped the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack become the first ever to land four songs in the Hot 100's top 10 simultaneously—a feat not seen since 1995's Waiting to Exhale. McRae's entry? Solid, but nowhere near that global grip.
Cultural Phenomenon Ignored: The song wasn't just a hit; it was a movement. Tied to Netflix's most-watched film ever (266 million views), Golden embodied empowerment with its soaring choruses about embracing your inner light amid chaos—lyrics that resonated from TikTok dances to stadium sing-alongs. Critics like Billboard's Jason Lipshutz called it a "unifying anthem with chest-thumping inspiration," while People dubbed it the "rare giddy, new music feeling" that sparked serotonin hits worldwide.
Fandom Fury Unleashed: Social media exploded post-announcement, with fans decrying the result as "rigged" or "a popularity contest gone wrong." One viral X post lamented, "Golden was robbed and is absolutely the real song of the summer," racking up thousands of likes. Others vented about McRae's win feeling like a "wake up from a coma to turn it off" levels of underwhelming, highlighting Golden's edge in streams (323 million collective views vs. McRae's 33 million).
Bigger Picture for K-Pop Animation: This loss underscores the hurdles for animated and K-pop crossover acts in mainstream awards. Golden marked the first female-led K-pop track to top the Hot 100, yet it couldn't overcome the VMA's fan-vote dynamics, where established pop machines often prevail.
The competition for Song of the Summer was stacked from the jump, announced on August 29 alongside Best Group nominees like BLACKPINK and SEVENTEEN. Golden went head-to-head with a killer lineup: Addison Rae's Headphones On, Alex Warren's Ordinary (Billboard's official summer champ with 11 weeks at No. 1 on the Songs of the Summer chart), Chappell Roan's The Subway, Justin Bieber's Daisies, Sabrina Carpenter's Manchild, and of course, McRae's Just Keep Watching. Each nominee brought heat—Ordinary dominated radio with 73.6 million impressions weekly, while Daisies surged 23% in airplay.
But Golden stood out as the wildcard: a fictional track from an animated film that somehow became a real-world smash, blending K-pop's high-energy hooks with Disney-esque empowerment vibes.
As the film's "I Want" song, Golden plays a pivotal role in KPop Demon Hunters, where HUNTR/X—Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo)—battle demon boyband the Saja Boys while sealing the "Golden Honmoon" to protect fans from supernatural threats.
Co-written by EJAE and Mark Sonnenblick, and produced by heavyweights like Teddy Park (BLACKPINK) and 24, the track's bridge reveals Rumi's part-demon heritage, turning it into a narrative powerhouse. Executive music producer Ian Eisendrath told Variety it was crafted as a "theatrical genre" piece that "doubles as pop storytelling," and it delivered: debuting at No. 81 on the Hot 100 before rocketing to the summit, tying as the highest-charting female K-pop song on U.S. Spotify.
Voters had until the ceremony to rally via MTV's Instagram and app, with Golden fans flooding the polls. The HUNTR/X trio even presented at the show, with EJAE beaming, "These past few months have been crazy and amazing, such an incredible ride for us." But when McRae's name was called, the backlash hit like a demon ambush.
X lit up with posts like, "What the f**k is a Tate McRae and how can I throw tomatoes at her face?" and "GOLDEN LOST TO JUST KEEP WATCHING... Bruh, Sports Car would've been a better entry."
Some fans vented frustration over the "numbers game," pointing to Golden's superior streams and cultural impact—it's the first soundtrack since Saturday Night Fever (1978) to have three top-five Hot 100 hits at once. Others defended the win as fan-voted democracy, but the consensus? Golden was the people's choice that got away.
This defeat stings deeper because Golden's success is nothing short of insane. Dropped amid KPop Demon Hunters' June 20 Netflix premiere, the film shattered records as the streamer's biggest original ever, outpacing even Encanto in soundtrack dominance. The album hit No. 2 on the Billboard 200—the highest for a 2025 soundtrack—and spawned seven Hot 100 entries, including Saja Boys' Your Idol (No. 4 peak) and Soda Pop (No. 5). In the UK, Golden ended Justin Bieber's reign for the first K-pop No. 1 since PSY's Gangnam Style (2012). Globally, it sold 7,756 digital copies in Japan alone by August 31 and peaked at No. 1 in Germany, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Critics raved: Slate's Chris Molanphy hailed it as "well-crafted inspirational pop... an empowerment anthem tailored for fans," saving the "stagnant 2025 musical landscape" clogged by holdovers like Ordinary. EJAE, who co-wrote it, told BBC Newsbeat, "It's like I'm surfing for the first time and a big wave just came through... We're in a time where we need hope, and this song lifts your voice." The track's euphoric synths, sky-high vocals, and lyrics like "We're going up, up, up" captured summer's vibe of resilience and joy, inspiring covers by real K-pop acts like TWICE and IVE.
So, what does this mean for KPop Demon Hunters and Golden? On the surface, it's a blow—especially with the film's sequel already greenlit and directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans teasing more "unanswered questions" like Mira and Zoey's backstories. But dig deeper, and it's a testament to the track's staying power.
Awards aside, Golden has already won the culture war: it's the soundtrack that turned a Netflix animation into a global event, bridging K-pop, anime, and mainstream pop for a diverse audience from kids to BTS stans. As one fan put it on X, "The song made it as big as it did in 80 days... Stay golden." The VMA loss might fuel the fire, but it won't dim the shine—expect Golden to keep dominating playlists, remixes, and that inevitable sequel soundtrack well into 2026.
In the end, while Tate McRae celebrates her upset victory, the real winners are the HUNTR/X faithful who turned a fictional bop into summer's unbreakable anthem. KPop Demon Hunters didn't just drop a song; it unleashed a golden era for animated K-pop crossovers. And if the backlash is any indication, the internet's not letting this one fade quietly.
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Compiled and Edited by Ivy Adams for Pirates & Princesses.