This Costa Rican Composer Played Key Role in Golden Globe-Winning Song ‘Golden’
Courtesy of Netflix.
The hit movie KPop Demon Hunters is starting to get its flowers at award shows. Last night (Jan. 11), the animated musical film won two Golden Globes for Best Animated Motion Picture and Best Original Song for their smash hit “Golden.” But did you know a Latino was part of bringing the now Golden Globe-winning song to life?
Turns out Costa Rican composer Daniel Rojas was one of the first songwriters in the project featuring the singing voices of Rumi (EJAE), Mira (Audrey Nuna), and Zoey (Rei Ami). “I was actually the first on the music team to join the project. And I am who brought EJAE in, who is now like the star of the project,” he said in an interview. “EJAE is a friend of mine, and I have known her for a long time, and we have worked together before.” He mentioned that the two artists had previously worked together in Trolls World Tour and the animated television series Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts.
Rojas knew EJAE’s background and her experience training at SM Entertainment, one of South Korea’s biggest entertainment companies. “So I knew that she was exactly the piece we needed to have that knowledge of how that industry works—what kind of music they truly make and all of that.” And that’s how EJAE came on to KPop Demon Hunters as a co-writer for songs like “Golden,” “How It’s Done,” and “Your Idol.” Rojas is credited on songs like “How It’s Done,” “Jinu’s Lamen,” “Score Suite,” and “What It Sounds Like” as a co-writer.
Furthermore, in an Instagram post, Rojas wrote about his experience with EJAE, working on storyboards and diving deep into Korea’s music history. “This became the longest and most involved project of my career, a chapter that spanned over half a decade of my life, and I’m so proud of the work everyone poured into it and grateful I had the chance to be part of it.”
With two Golden Globes and a Critics’ Choice Award (Best Animated Feature) under its belt, KPop Demon Hunters is bound to be nominated at the 2026 Oscars and probably win.