It’s fair to say that the world has never seen anything quite like Kpop Demon Hunters, which has absolutely captivated audiences — to the point that fictional band HUNTR/X is now making very real moves in the music industry. Its single “Golden,” for instance, has spent five weeks so far at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the first female K-pop group to reach the chart’s summit.
That said, the imaginary trio also has some very real musical influences that informed its look and sound — and in a conversation with Billboard over noodles, the singing voices behind HUNTR/X spoke about some of their personal favorite K-pop acts. EJAE, who portrays Rumi in the Kpop Demon Hunters musical numbers, begins, “I like the OG generation, so, like, G.O.D, shout-out.”
“H.O.T, S.E.S, like, they are the reasons why I fell in love with K-pop,” she continues. “And like, aespa, BLACKPINK, BTS, TWICE.”
“I’m a big 2010s era [fan], like, I fainted at a Big Bang concert when I was like 12,” Audrey Nuna, who sings for Mira, says. “2NE1 was hugely inspirational, because I feel like they were just so cool. Obviously they’re amazingly beautiful as well, but I think for me, it was like they led with their coolness, and they led with their kind of self empowerment. That was huge to see, like, an Asian female face who was owning their stuff to that degree.”
REI AMI, who voices Zoey, agrees. “They weren’t doing like the traditional girl group, aesthetic approach, of, like, very good, frilly, girly,” she says of 2NE1. “No, they were hard, in your face, full of attitude. And I think us being raised in the West, there was a part of us that we saw in them. Because, you know, we are Korean-American. There’s a whole Western side to us, and it shows in our music and our artistry.”
The ladies’ outing with Billboard comes as Kpop Demon Hunters is dominating on the charts following the film’s premiere on Netflix in June. In addition to the mini-residency “Golden” has taken up on the Hot 100, the project’s soundtrack recently reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
And while HUNTR/X is the first female K-pop group to top the Hot 100, they’re also the first all-female group, period, to rule the chart since Destiny’s Child did it with “Bootylicious” in 2001.
“It is really cool, because I feel like they were so trailblazing in their own way as well,” says Nuna of the iconic R&B trio comprised of Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. “It feels like a similar narrative, in the sense of three women of color just –.”
“Dominating,” REI AMI jumps in.
With all the success Demon Hunters is seeing, fans have been clamoring for another installment. A part two is reportedly in talks, but as REI AMI reminds Billboard, “The sequel has not been confirmed.”
“We are, you know, looking forward, and we will know once we get that email,” she continues.
So what do the voices of HUNTR/X intend to do in the meantime? “We should start, like, a tap-dancing group or something,” says Nuna as REI AMI and EJAE laugh. “Or a whistle chorus. An a cappella group.”
Check out the trio’s full interview with Billboard above.