Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters has officially secured the Oscar for Best Original Song with its lead single, “Golden,” triumphing over heavy hitters like Sinners’ “I Lied To You” and Relentless’ “Dear Me.” As the most-streamed movie in Netflix history, the film owes much of its meteoric success to the fictional groups Huntr/x and Saja Boys, whose chart-topping 2025 soundtrack serves as the heartbeat of the narrative. In a musical, every song acts as a crystallized story beat; here is how all seven original tracks stack up from good to absolute perfection.
7. Takedown (Huntr/x)
While fan enthusiasm for the entire soundtrack is high, “Takedown” lands at the bottom by design. As a narrative tool, the song highlights the girls’ lack of genuine passion for a forced diss track. It carries grit and attitude, but it lacks the heart present in the group’s other performances. It effectively serves the plot, but as a standalone musical number, it simply doesn’t reach the heights of the rest of the collection.
6. Soda Pop (Saja Boys)
The Saja Boys’ debut is pure, infectious bubblegum pop. It functions as a masterclass in cutesy wordplay and flirtatious charm, showcasing each member’s personality—from Baby Saja’s rap flow to Romance’s melodic pre-chorus. Beyond the catchy hook, the song carries a sinister undertone, foreshadowing the group’s true intentions by framing the audience as something to be consumed.
5. Golden (Huntr/x)
Award-winning and globally recognized, “Golden” is a vocal powerhouse for lead singer Rumi. It begins as a standard anthem of self-acceptance and overcoming adversity, but the bridge shifts into something far more intimate and introspective. By whispering about her own hidden demonic patterns, Rumi transforms the track into a subversive, genre-defining moment that sets the tone for the entire film.
4. Your Idol (Saja Boys)
This track marks the terrifying “mask-off” moment for the Saja Boys. Shedding their neon boy-band aesthetic for traditional Korean garb and revealing their true demonic forms, the group delivers a haunting performance. The song blends a chilling Latin chant with a gritty industrial pop beat, perfectly capturing the transition from seductive idols to violent servants of the demon king.
3. How It’s Done (Huntr/x)
If you doubted the film’s “sauce,” this opening number proves otherwise. “How It’s Done” is a masterclass in swagger, featuring fierce wordplay and high-octane choreography. As Huntr/x dispatches demons while rapping about their status as pro-level haters, the song establishes an incredible energy that the film manages to maintain throughout its runtime. It is aggressive, sharp, and undeniably iconic.
2. Free (Rumi and Jinu)
Easily the best animated musical love song since Aladdin’s “A Whole New World,” this duet is a moment of pure, restrained vulnerability. Rumi and Jinu trade bars and melodies in a way that highlights their mutual yearning for a life outside their prescribed destinies. Jinu’s rap-infused verse fits seamlessly into the ballad, creating a collaborative masterpiece that leans into both characters’ strengths and flaws.
1. What It Sounds Like (Huntr/x)
A musical lives or dies by its finale, and “What It Sounds Like” is a triumph. It serves as an emotional synthesis of every lesson learned, featuring the members of Huntr/x singing apologies to one another amidst a climactic battle. It is an anthemic, world-saving performance that allows the group to finally shed their forced perfection and embrace their true selves. As the lyrics state: “The song we couldn’t write, this is what it sounds like.”
