KPop Demon Hunters is quite possibly the biggest budding franchise to emerge from 2025. However, its path to glory was paved with a “labor of love.” Including songwriter and Rumi voice actress EJAE being dropped from her record label.
EJAE—real name Kim Eun-jae—revealed that she “wanted to be a K-pop idol” when she was younger. Things didn’t quite go as planned, though. “I was a K-pop trainee since I was 11 years old,” she told Deadline. “[I did that for 12 years], and eventually I did get dropped.”
“I never knew that songwriting would ever be a thing for me,” EJAE continued. “It was never in the cards, but it still happened in an organic way. I was around 22 or 23 when I got dropped.” She went on to say that she “was struggling to find out what I was supposed to do. I started producing more. I loved the Soundcloud scene at the time, and I fell in love with producing and making beats.”
“Then I just realized what people in that crowd were talking about. They were saying I had to keep posting, I had to go on YouTube because social media was a huge platform to try and make people like you,” EJAE added. “And all of that felt so tiring, and I just had to get real with myself. I don’t have thick skin. I got my feelings hurt when people talked about my appearance. So, I realized that my personality doesn’t work with being an artist or being a K-pop idol.”
EJAE started her K-pop journey two decades ago
“So, I chose my mental health because I had friends in the industry who, sadly, committed suicide, and seeing that, I thought it was a big sign that I needed to prioritize my mental health in saying this path was not for me,” EJAE said. “And I’m very glad I did, because now I’m here as the singing voice of an animated character in a movie. But look, I’m 33, and I’ve learned my lesson.”
EJAE’s fellow KPop Demon Hunter songwriter Mark Sonnenblick spoke out as well. “All of this reception is inspiring,” he said. “Behind this movie is a city of artists and executives who poured their hearts into something that may have seemed obvious, because it’s like, of course, K-pop is popular, but it wasn’t that simple.
“This was such a labor of love for something that isn’t big IP,” he continued, “and to see the response that the audience has had and the love of the fans, that’s the only reason why we’re even in these conversations, because of how people have built word of mouth and formed a relationship with the material. I have nothing but gratitude.”
The post How Getting Dropped From a Record Label Helped ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Songwriters Create Massively Popular ‘Labor of Love’ appeared first on VICE.
