Another week, another round of new accomplishments for KPop Demon Hunters and its soundtrack.
This week, “How It’s Done” — performed in the movie by fictional girl group superheroes HUNTR/X — hits the Billboard Hot 100’s top 10 for the first time, moving 14-10 on the chart. It joins “Soda Pop” (10-5) and “Your Idol” (static at No. 4), both by boy band film antagonists Saja Boys, as well as HUNTR/X’s “Golden” (which returns 2-1) as the fourth simultaneous top 10 hit from KPop Demon Hunters, a record for concurrent top 10 hits among movie soundtracks.
How big a deal is this latest chart benchmark? And will the soundtrack’s popularity last the rest of the year at this point? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
1. The KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack notches its fourth top 10 hit this week — as “How It’s Done” meets “Soda Pop,” “Your Idol” and “Golden” in the chart’s top tier — making it the first soundtrack to ever notch four simultaneous top 10 hits, and just the second to have four total. On a scale from 1-10, how massive an achievement do you think this is for the movie and its soundtrack?
Stephen Daw: I mean, if this isn’t a 10, I don’t know what is. I can practically guarantee you that no one involved in the creation or promotion of this film ever thought that KPop Demon Hunters would not only spawn a No. 1 Hot 100 hit but break records for the most soundtrack songs within the chart’s top 10. There are a lot of iconic film soundtracks that haven’t achieved this level of immediate appeal and success, which only goes to show how well-crafted this soundtrack is.
Kyle Denis: 10. I mean it’s beyond massive, right? KPop Demon Hunters is accomplishing things — albeit in a different consumption era — that classic soundtracks like Saturday Night Fever couldn’t. The soundtrack to be performing this impressively is representative where the cultural zeitgeist currently is, both regarding (film and music) streaming and global pop in non-English languages.
Jason Lipshutz: A 10. Not only has KPop Demon Hunters become an out-of-nowhere musical phenomenon, its magnitude has now become historic: it is the first soundtrack with four simultaneous top 10 hits in the history of the Hot 100. Think of all of the culturally dominant movie soundtracks in the modern music era — none of them have produced as many huge hits at the same time. Even the highest expectations for the KPop Demon Hunters couldn’t have included a No. 1 single, a slew of top 10 hits and essentially the entire soundtrack in the top 40 of the Hot 100 — this is record-busting stuff, and easily a 10-out-of-10 achievement.
Andrew Unterberger: Like a 9.5? Gotta save something for it ties or breaks the overall record I guess.
Abby Webster: I’d give it a solid 8 or 9! Clearly no one — even the soundtrack’s creators — expected KPop Demon Hunters to have this level of impact. On top of all its other achievements, it feels pretty significant to see a girl group so high on the charts for the first time in forever, even if HUNTR/X is technically fictional. (Sidenote: “How It’s Done,” the work of longtime BLACKPINK producer Teddy Park, has now officially bested the IRL K-pop group on the Hot 100, since their highest chart peak is at No. 13 with Selena Gomez collab “Ice Cream.” Fight back, girls!)
2. “Golden” not only returns for a second week at No. 1, it continues to rise in streams, sales and airplay. Is it time to start taking “Golden” seriously as a contender to match the 10-week run atop the Hot 100 of “Ordinary,” the song it’s traded off the top spot with the past few weeks?
Stephen Daw: If there is a song out there that can surpass Alex Warren’s streak (outside of any unreleased Taylor Swift songs from The Life of a Showgirl), it’s clearly “Golden.” Every indicator says this song is only getting bigger and bigger, which means it could very well be a long-lasting hit atop the charts. If anyone still isn’t taking “Golden” seriously, they must not be paying attention.
Kyle Denis: I would say yes, but the next ten weeks include high-profile album releases from Sabrina Carpenter and Taylor Swift, so I wouldn’t count my chickens before they hatch.
Jason Lipshutz: It’s still a little early — especially considering the high-profile pop releases about to arrive and potentially knock “Golden” out of the top spot. Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend is going to be a pretty huge pop event this Friday, and in a little over a month, Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl will be a seismic event; maybe “Golden” holds steady at No. 1 to close out the summer, but I’d be surprised if it’s still up there as we get into the fall.
Andrew Unterberger: It doesn’t seem nearly as unlikely as it did just a couple weeks ago. Radio was always going to be the final piece of the puzzle, and it just keeps growing there — who knows when research will dictate an end to that, but it if it keeps on this path for the next month or two, it is going to start racking up those weeks on top a lot quicker and longer than any of anticipated.
Abby Webster: If it means “Ordinary” is done in the top spot for good, I’ll start manifesting now.
3. Not only does KPop Demon Hunters have four top 10 hits now, it has several hits not all that far removed from the region — including three in the top 25, “What It Sounds Like” (24-20), “Free” (23-20) and “Takedown” (26-25). Considering the record for top 10 hits off a soundtrack is five (set by Waiting to Exhale in 1995-96), do you think KPDH will tie that record, best it, or fall just short?
Stephen Daw: As unbelievable as the soundtrack’s performance has been, I would be very surprised if two more of these songs managed to make up the ground and enter the top 10, especially as we head into a new-release-packed fall. I think “What It Sounds Like” could definitely wind up just outside of the top 10, but I highly doubt more of these songs break the barrier. But then again, I didn’t think any of the chart feats this soundtrack has accomplished would happen in the first place, so who knows, maybe anything is possible at this point.
Kyle Denis: KPop Demon Hunters has defied every last expectation I had for its chart performance so far. With that being said, I think it’ll tie the record.
Jason Lipshutz: Sadly, I think it falls just short — which is a bummer, considering that “What It Sounds Like” is my favorite song off the soundtrack! I’d be pretty surprised if it can climb up 10 more spots, though, and I also don’t see “What It Sounds Like,” “Free” or “Takedown” cycling into the top 10 after the higher-charting soundtrack songs start to dwindle. Who knows, though? Even as someone who sniffed out the KPop Demon Hunters explosion fairly early, the soundtrack has blown away all of my prognostications. It’s already set a few records, and I could certainly see it setting a few more.
Andrew Unterberger: The fact that it’s even a conversation is absolutely wild. I think ultimately this fourth one will most likely be the last one, but who knows? Another month or so of growth, and if the Sabrina Carpenter and Taylor Swift songs don’t end up sticking immediately… five, six, even seven are all possibilities. It’s a reverse album bomb the likes of which we’ve never really seen on the Billboard Hot 100 before.
Abby Webster: Honestly, it’s a little surprising that “What It Sounds Like” and “Free” aren’t a little higher on the chart already — like “Golden,” the former is a powerful pop song with in-and-out-of-movie-universe emotional resonance, while the latter is essentially a radio-friendly duet. So I could see a world where those two rise and tie the record.
4. Now that we’re seemingly past the initial curiosity stage of the KPop Demon Hunters cycle, what do you think is still keeping the movie and its soundtrack going up two months in?
Stephen Daw: There’s two things at play here. First, the music on this soundtrack is just very catchy. It’s simple, but true — these songs are composed in a way that keeps you coming back for more, and the performances from EJAE, Rei Ami and Audrey Nuna in particular scratch that melodic itch in people’s heads.
But the other thing that I think is really benefitting this album is its own success, weirdly. I didn’t watch KPop Demon Hunters for the first six weeks that it was out, simply because it didn’t seem like something I would be into. But after “Golden” kept climbing the charts and eventually went No. 1, I finally caved and wanted to tune in to see what this cultural moment that I was clearly missing out on was — and I had a blast watching this movie! The more this unlikely hit continues to dominate, the more people will continue to tune in, which will only make the album and film succeed even more.
Kyle Denis: I’m not even sure we’re past the initial curiosity stage. I think for the top 40 world and routine pop music listeners that stage has passed, but it’s a massive country and there are millions of people who are being exposed to this movie and soundtrack for the first time every week. I think the relentlessly uptempo, pure pop sound of the Demon Hunter songs — “Golden” specifically — also offer something different for the 2025 top 40 scene, which is currently ruled by overbearing, CCM-coded ballads like Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” and still shaking off the last bits of 2024’s country crossover moment.
Jason Lipshutz: A combination of radio adoption and repeat viewings. “Golden” has fully transcended the film to become a standalone hit, which has helped broaden its appeal to top 40 radio listeners who are still unaware of KPop Demon Hunters and simply want to listen to a catchy K-pop song. Meanwhile, the family-friendly Netflix movie has undoubtedly earned replay after replay from kids, who in turn want to keep listening to the music on their favorite streaming service. Once it became clear that KPop Demon Hunters was resonating as an animated musical on a global streaming service, the potential for a months-long cultural takeover, a la the Disney smashes of the past, was clear. It has more than fulfilled that potential over the past two months.
Andrew Unterberger: It’s at the point now where the act of consuming it is almost as much of a joy to its fans as the thing itself. Once a fandom is at that level there’s really no limit to how big things can get.
Abby Webster: Another thing KPop Demon Hunters has successfully cribbed from K-pop: a strong and committed fanbase! I don’t think word of mouth has necessarily died down, since I’m still getting texts from K-pop skeptics in my life who finally put the film on out of curiosity. But superfans are clearly enjoying repeat viewings, whether that’s the kids who have watched it fifty-plus times or the families that turned out to 1,750 theaters this weekend for the sing-along screenings.
5. True or false: KPop Demon Hunters will still have songs in the Hot 100’s top 10 at the end of the calendar year.
Stephen Daw: True. I think everything will probably get cleared out of the top 10 by Taylor Swift when The Life of a Showgirl drops, but once that first week is over, I think songs like “Golden” and “Your Idol” will make their way back into the top 10 and probably stay there until the holiday takeover.
Kyle Denis: Like I said, all HUNTR/X and Saja Boys have done this year is prove me wrong, so I’m going with true.
Jason Lipshutz: True! Considering how stagnant the top of the Hot 100 has been this year — and how huge these soundtrack songs have become — it’d be impossible to bet against them. Maybe there will even be a holiday-themed remix or two: “Eggnog (Soda Pop Holiday Edition)”? “Gelt (Golden Hanukkah Remix)”? The possibilities are endless!
Andrew Unterberger: I think it will have song — “Golden” specifically. Songs plural, I dunno. But “Your Idol” keeps outpacing my expectations, and then again so do the rest of them so yeah, I can’t predict this with any real amount of confidence.
Abby Webster: True, possibly? I assume Taylor Swift is coming to reset the top 10 with The Life of a Showgirl, but there’s a chance Oscar campaigning may play a role — with nominations announced in January 2026, I think it could make sense for “Golden,” at the very least, to see a bump at the end of this year.