Ejae
Ejae 김은재 | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Kim Eun-jae |
| Born | December 6, 1991 Seoul, South Korea |
| Genres | |
| Occupations | |
| Labels | SM Entertainment
|
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 김은재 |
| RR | Gim Eunjae |
| MR | Kim Ŭnjae |
Kim Eun-jae (Korean: 김은재; born December 6, 1991), also known by her stage name Ejae (stylized in all caps), is a South Korean and American singer-songwriter and record producer. She is known for her work with Red Velvet, Aespa, Twice, Nmixx, Le Sserafim, Kep1er, Billlie, Kard, and other South Korean artists. She is also known for providing the singing voice of the character Rumi in the 2025 film KPop Demon Hunters, as well as writing several of the songs on its soundtrack. "Golden", a song she recorded for the film, topped the Billboard Hot 100 as well as in several other countries.
Career
Born in Seoul, Kim started out as a trainee for SM Entertainment for almost 10 years.[1] However, her debut was not successful, both with a group and as a soloist, as she was considered to be too old.[2][3] In 2011, she left SM Entertainment.[4] She moved to the US full-time, and studied at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts.[5][4]
After graduating, Kim transitioned to songwriting and producing. She met Andrew Choi, who became her mentor.[6] Kim's songwriting "passion crystallized in 2017 when she attended her first SM Entertainment songwriting camp".[4] Her first big break came when she co-wrote the topline for "Psycho" for Red Velvet,[5][7] which went on to be certified gold in the US.[3] It led to more opportunities to work with SM Entertainment.[5][6] In 2019, she was featured on the soundtrack of the K-drama Woman of 9.9 Billion.[8]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kim co-wrote "Drama" for Aespa.[9] She also helped co-produce the Girl Crush K-pop Vocals sample pack for producing k-pop songs.[5][10] In 2022, she worked with Red Velvet again on the lead single "Birthday".[11]
In 2025, Kim signed with Prescription Songs, an independent music publisher.[12] In April of that year, it was announced that she would be featured on the soundtrack of the Netflix film KPop Demon Hunters.[13] She also wrote several of the songs on the soundtrack.[14][15][16] 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.[17] The film received positive reviews for its soundtrack.[18][19] 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.[20] 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".[21] 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".[4] 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.[22] 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".[22][14]
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.[23] 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.[24][25]
Personal life
Kim's grandfather is actor and arts patron Shin Young-kyun.[26][27] She is currently based in Brooklyn.[16]
Discography
Soundtrack appearances
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [28] |
AUS [29] |
CAN [30] |
KOR [31] |
MLY [32] |
NZ [33] |
PHL [34] |
SGP [35] |
UK [36] |
WW [37] | ||||
| "Whisper in the Dark" (사랑을 속삭여) (with Joo Hee)[38] |
2016 | — | — | — | —[A] | — | — | — | — | — | — | Monster OST | |
| "Take It Slow"[8] | 2019 | — | — | — | —[B] | — | — | — | — | — | — | Woman of 9.9 Billion OST | |
| "Midnight Cinderella"[41] | 2020 | — | — | — | —[C] | — | — | — | — | — | — | Dinner Mate OST | |
| "Once Again"[43] | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Genesis OST | |
| "How It's Done" (with Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami as Huntr/x) |
2025 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 12 | 9 | 29 | 5 | KPop Demon Hunters OST | |
| "Golden" (with Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami as Huntr/x) |
1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| "Takedown" (with Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami as Huntr/x) |
26 | 17 | 31 | 37 | 18 | 18 | 24 | 13 | —[D] | 14 | |||
| "Free" (as Rumi, with Andrew Choi as Jinu) |
25 | 14 | 29 | 26 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 7 | —[E] | 13 | |||
| "What It Sounds Like" (with Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami as Huntr/x) |
24 | 13 | 25 | 44 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 9 | —[F] | 11 | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. | |||||||||||||
Production and songwriting credits
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 | KOMCA[G] |
| 2017 | Eclipse EP | "Milk" | Monster Factory, MadeBy | ||
| Byul | Leaves | "Leaves" | Byul, Samuel Park, Kim Yeon-seo, Kim Min-ji, Andrew Choi | ||
| 2018 | Suzy | Faces of Love EP | "SObeR" | Andrew Choi, Aaron Kim, Isaac Han | |
| Babylon (베이빌론) | 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 | Non-album single | "Goodbye" | Nana Mellie, Isaac Han, Aaron Kim | [47] |
| Discrete | Non-album single | "Trippin' Bout You" | Ellen Berg, Dennis DeKo Kordnejad, Discrete | KOMCA | |
| Red Velvet | The ReVe Festival: Finale | "Psycho" | Andrew "Druski" Scott, Cazzi Opeia | ||
| 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 | [48] | |
| 2021 | Chung Ha | Street Woman Fighter Special | "Bad Girl" (with Lachica) | Czaer | KOMCA |
| 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 | [49] | |
| Kim Na-young | Me | "Killing Me Softly" | Aaron Kim, Isaac Han, AND | KOMCA | |
| 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 | [50] | |
| 2022 | Nada | "Bulletproof" | Nada, Bae Seong-hyeon, Jeong Se-hee, Lee Seul, Yeon Yu-jin, MSB, Brian U, Markalong, Charlotte Louise Jaye Wilson | KOMCA | |
| Nmixx | Ad Mare | "O.O" | The Hub: Brian U, Enan, MarkAlong, Charlotte Wilson, Chanti, Awry, Ayushy, Jan Baars, Rajan Muse | ||
| Hyoyeon | Deep EP | "Stupid" | Carlyle Fernandes, Chikk, Heber Nathaniel Martinez | ||
| Lightsum | Into the Light EP | "Good News" | Galactika: Atenna & Star Wars, Kim Hyun-joong | ||
| Kard | Re: EP | "Break Down" | BM, Issac Han, Aaron Kim, J.seph, Somin, Jiwoo, Ghostchild | ||
| Twice | Celebrate | "Flow Like Waves" | Anna Timgren, Aaron Kim | ||
| Red Velvet | The ReVe Festival 2022 – Birthday EP | "Birthday" | Kole, Issac Han, Aaron Kim, Ghostchild Ltd, Loosen Door | ||
| 2023 | Billlie | The Billage of Perception: Chapter Three EP | "nevertheless" | GALACTIKA | |
| Kard | Icky | "Icky" | J.seph, HAHM, BM | ||
| MiSaMo | Masterpiece EP | "Funny Valentine" | Momo, Yuka Matsumoto, Realmeee, Scott Bruzenak | ||
| Lightsum | Honey or Spice EP | "Not My Style" | Lee Hae-sol, Kyndyl Miller | ||
| Aespa | Drama EP | "Drama" | No Identity, Waker (153/Joombas), Charlotte Wilson | ||
| 2024 | Lim Kim | Non-album single | "Ult" | No Identity | |
| Kep1er | Kep1going | "Daisy" | Kole, Issac Han, Aaron Kim, Ghostchild Ltd, Ashe Ahn | [51] | |
| Madalen Duke, Kayla Diamond | Non-album single | "Bones" | Madalen Duke, Kayla Diamond, Sophie Curtis | [52] | |
| Fifty Fifty | Love Tune EP | Starry Night | Kole, Alawn | KOMCA | |
| Aespa | Armageddon | "Armageddon" | No Identity, Sumin | ||
| Whiplash EP | "Kill It" | Imlay, Kirsten Collins, Waker (153/Joombas) | |||
| MiSaMo | Haute Couture EP | "Baby, I'm Good" | Aaron Kim | [53] | |
| Irene | Like a Flower EP | "Like a Flower" | Barney Cox, Joey Eighty, JC. Don, Elena Hoey | KOMCA | |
| 2025 | Le Sserafim | Hot EP | "So Cynical (Badum)" | Vitals, Anthony Watts, Huh Yunjin, Hong Eun-chae, Kim Chaewon | |
| Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami (as Huntr/x) | KPop Demon Hunters (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film) | "How It's Done" | Danny Chung, Mark Sonnenblick | [14] | |
| Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami (as Huntr/x) | "Golden" | Mark Sonnenblick | [15] | ||
| Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Danny Chung, Kevin Woo, and samUIL Lee (as the Saja Boys) | "Your Idol" | Mark Sonnenblick, Vince, and KUSH | [14] | ||
| TDYA | Non-album single | "Keep the Light" | SOFTSERVEBOY, Ayushy, JSONG, Mirani, Joy Kim, Lee Jae Ni, Amy Y, LILA, Shico | [24] |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Hollywood Music In Media Awards | Best Original Song - Video Game | "Rebirth" | Nominated | [50] |
Notes
- ^ "Whisper in the Dark" did not enter the Circle Digital Chart but peaked at number 56 on the component BGM Chart.[39]
- ^ "Take It Slow" did not enter the Circle Digital Chart but peaked at number 55 on the component BGM Chart.[40]
- ^ "Midnight Cinderella" did not enter the Circle Digital Chart but peaked at number 107 on the component BGM Chart.[42]
- ^ "Takedown" did not enter the Official Singles Chart, but peaked at number 36 on the Official Singles Sales and number 28 on the Streaming charts.[36]
- ^ "Free" did not enter the Official Singles Chart, but peaked at number 39 on the Official Singles Sales and number 37 on the Streaming chart.[45]
- ^ "What It Sounds Like" did not enter the Official Singles Chart, but peaked at number 12 on the Official Singles Sales and number 22 on the Streaming chart.[36]
- ^ All songwriting credits are adapted from the Korea Music Copyright Association's database, unless otherwise noted.[46]
References
- ^ Jones, C. T. (August 4, 2025). "How Two Songwriters From K-Pop and Musical Theater Built This Summer's Surprise Chart Smash". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
- ^ "KPop Demon Hunters singer-songwriter Ejae on becoming Rumi, writing Golden and gunning for a Grammy". The Straits Times. August 14, 2025. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
- ^ a b Liu, Cherry (August 12, 2025). "Who is Ejae, who wrote the hit song 'Golden' from Netflix's K-pop Demon Hunters?". South China Morning Post. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Kim, Jae-heun (August 12, 2025). "'Winning Grammy will be a message to every Asian American girl who's ever felt impostor syndrome,' says 'Golden' songwriter Ejae". The Korea Herald (in Korean). Retrieved August 12, 2025.
- ^ a b c d SIRMA (January 13, 2021). "K-pop: The Inner Workings of a Global Phenomenon". Roland Articles. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ a b Mitchell, Ben (August 5, 2025). "'Music is my therapy': Meet 'KPop Demon Hunters' star EJAE". PIX11. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
- ^ Yim, Hyun-su (February 10, 2020). "[Herald Interview] Why you can't stop listening to Red Velvet's 'Psycho'". The Korea Herald (in Korean). Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ a b Johnson, Sarah (February 23, 2020). "Woman of 9.9 Billion". Heart and Seoul. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
- ^ Kim, Eun-jae (November 2023). "[INTERVIEW] Making of "Drama" by aespa with EJAE and Charlotte Wilson" (Interview). Interviewed by Genius Korea. Genius.
- ^ "Girl Crush K-Pop Vocals: K-pop Sample Pack by VOX". Splice. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ Justin (November 28, 2022). "WATCH: Red Velvet Celebrates Like It's Your "Birthday" In New MV". What The Kpop. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
- ^ "Ejae Signs With Prescription Songs". CelebrityAccess. February 11, 2025. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ "KPop Demon Hunters Is Now Streaming". Netflix Tudum. Archived from the original on June 24, 2025. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ a b c d "KPop Demon Hunters: Inside the Animated Film's Electrifying Original Songs". Netflix Tudum. Archived from the original on June 25, 2025. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ a b Grein, Paul (July 7, 2025). "Here's Which 'KPop Demon Hunters' Song Will Be Entered for 2026 Oscars — and What It Would Mean If It's Nominated". Billboard. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ a b "Who sing for Huntrix and Saja Boys? Meet the Korean industry insiders, rising stars behind Netflix's 'KPop Demon Hunters'". Yahoo News. June 25, 2025. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
- ^ Kim, Eun-jae (July 1, 2025). "[INTERVIEW] EJAE on Writing the Hits and Singing for Rumi in KPop Demon Hunters" (Interview). Interviewed by Genius Korea. Genius.
- ^ "Kpop Demon Hunters Review: Netflix's Animated K-Pop Musical Hits the Mark". The Kraze. June 25, 2025. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ Bell, Crystal (June 26, 2025). "Netflix's 'K-pop Demon Hunters' review: Balancing demon-slaying with idol realness". Mashable. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ Trust, Gary (August 11, 2025). "HUNTR/X's 'Golden' From 'KPop Demon Hunters' Hits No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
- ^ Ouellette, Jennifer (August 12, 2025). "They're golden: Fictional band from K-Pop Demon Hunters tops the charts". Ars Technica. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
- ^ a b Trust, Gary (August 18, 2025). "'KPop Demon Hunters' Hits Make Up 4 of Top 5 on Billboard Global 200, Led By HUNTR/X's 'Golden'". Billboard. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
- ^ Kim, Na-yeon (July 23, 2025). 우정잉X에이미X미란이X현진 데뷔곡, '케데헌' 작곡가 프로듀싱..수익금 '전액기부'. OSEN. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
- ^ a b Lee, Si-jin (August 14, 2025). "'KPop Demon Hunters' songwriter Ejae composes Aug. 15 commemorative song: Veterans Ministry". The Korea Herald. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
- ^ Lee, Jung-joo (August 15, 2025). "Lee vows for safe, peaceful, people-powered nation in special ceremony". The Korea Herald. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
- ^ "[★포토]신영균 손녀 김은재, '촉촉한 보이스'". Star News (in Korean). December 9, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
- ^ 신영균, 배우-가수 지망생 손녀들과 방송나들이 '피는 못속여'. Daum. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
- ^ "Billboard Hot 100: Week of August 23, 2025". Billboard. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
- ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. August 4, 2025. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
- ^ "Billboard Canadian Hot 100: Week of August 16, 2025". Billboard. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
- ^ "Digital Chart: 2025 Weeks 30". Circle Chart. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ "The Official Southeast Asia Charts – This Week's Official Malaysia Chart Top 20 from 07/04/2025 to 07/10/2025". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 15, 2025. [Select 2025 Week 28]
- ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. July 18, 2025. Retrieved July 18, 2025.
- ^ "Philippines Hot 100 - Billboard Philippines". Billboard Philippines. July 3, 2024. Archived from the original on July 10, 2025. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
- ^ Peaks on the Official Singapore Chart:
- "Takedown", "Free", and "What It Sounds Like": "The Official Singapore Charts Week 28 (4 - 10 Jul 2025)". RIAS. Archived from the original on July 15, 2025. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
- "How It's Done": "The Official Singapore Charts Week 29 (11 - 17 Jul 2025)". RIAS. Archived from the original on July 22, 2025. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
- "Golden": "The Official Singapore Charts Week 30 (18 - 24 Jul 2025)". RIAS. Archived from the original on July 29, 2025. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
- ^ a b c "HUNTR/X/EJAE/AUDREY NUNA/REI songs and albums | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
- ^ "Billboard Global 200: Week of August 23, 2025". Billboard. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
- ^ whisper in the dark (Instrumental) by EJAE & 주희 on Apple Music, July 19, 2016, retrieved June 27, 2025
- ^ "BGM Chart: 2016 Weeks 30". Circle Chart. Archived from the original on July 3, 2025. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
- ^ "BGM Chart: 2019 Weeks 51". Circle Chart. Archived from the original on July 3, 2025. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
- ^ "Midnight Cinderella / EJAE - genie". www.genie.co.kr (in Korean). Retrieved June 27, 2025.
- ^ "BGM Chart: 2020 Weeks 25". Circle Chart. Archived from the original on July 3, 2025. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
- ^ 복제인간 OST Part.1 / EJAE. 벅스! (in Korean). June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
- ^ "New Zealand single certifications – KPop Demon Hunters Cast – Golden". Radioscope. Retrieved July 31, 2025. Type Golden in the "Search:" field.
- ^ "RUMI/JINU/EJAE/ANDREW CHOI songs and albums | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
- ^ "Songs Registered Under EJAE(10012400)" (in Korean). Korea Music Copyright Association. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
- ^ "Goodbye / Nana Mellie(나나멜리)". 벅스! (in Korean). June 13, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
- ^ "So grateful to be apart of the song "Ocean of Love" from the neflix/dreamworks show @drmwrx KIPO season 3!..." www.instagram.com. October 10, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
- ^ Together by Mobile Legends: Bang Bang on Apple Music, May 2, 2021, retrieved July 25, 2025
- ^ a b "2022 HMMA Nominations and Winners". Hollywood Music In Media Awards. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ Daisy by Kep1er on Apple Music, September 7, 2022, retrieved June 27, 2025
- ^ BONES by Madalen Duke & Kayla Diamond on Apple Music, June 21, 2024, retrieved July 25, 2025
- ^ Baby, I'm good by MISAMO on Apple Music, November 6, 2024, retrieved June 27, 2025