KPop Demon Hunters' 'Golden' Draws Inspiration from Notorious B.I.G.'s Iconic Track 'Juicy,' According to the Director.

      “Golden,” the beautiful anthem at the heart of the Netflix hit KPop Demon Hunters, draws a less-than-obvious musical influence from The Notorious B.I.G.’s breakout 1994 track “Juicy.”

      This insight comes from Chris Appelhans, who co-directed the film alongside Maggie Kang. Kang conceived the idea for KPop Demon Hunters, which follows a trio of young women who are part of the megagroup Huntr/x while secretly fighting demons. This film has become the most-watched movie on Netflix.

      In a recent oral history of KPop Demon Hunters for The New York Times, Kang, Appelhans, and other key figures involved in the production shared their inspirations and influences during the nine-year journey to create the film.

      The songwriting of “Golden” plays a crucial role, as the members of Huntr/x narrate their friendship and confront the darker aspects of KPop.

      Regarding “Golden,” Appelhans stated, “our inspirations included a Biggie track called ‘Juicy.’ We also drew from Drake, Eminem, and Lil Wayne. These songs tell stories of rising from anonymity and discovering oneself through music.”

      He clarifies that “Golden” doesn’t literally sound like “Juicy," but both songs share themes of overcoming challenges and realizing dreams. Here’s “Juicy,” and here’s “Golden.”

      The Notorious B.I.G., born Christopher Wallace and also known as Biggie Smalls, was tragically killed in a 1997 shooting that remains a topic of ongoing speculation. He was only 24 years old.

      Recently, he has been in the news due to reflections on his connection with Sean Combs, who signed him to Bad Boy Records. It’s refreshing to see Biggie acknowledged for inspiring a new wave of KPop and hip-hop fans.

      KPop Demon Hunters and the Creation of “Golden”

      The influence of hip-hop is evident in KPop Demon Hunters from the very beginning: the youngest member of Huntr/x, rapper and lyricist Zoey, has her speaking voice provided by Ji-young Yoo and her singing voice by South Korean artist Rei Ami. Additionally, the song “Takedown,” a fierce anti-demon diss track, essentially embodies a hip-hop vibe.

      Singer-songwriter Ejae shared with the New York Times that crafting the song “Golden” was one of the film's biggest hurdles. Besides lending her voice to Huntr/x leader Rumi, she co-wrote “Golden” as well as the Huntr/x tracks “How It’s Done” and “What It Sounds Like,” along with “Your Idol,” performed by their demonic boy band rivals, the Saja Boys.

      Kang mentioned that the film went through roughly eight iterations of “Golden” before finalizing the version featured in the movie.

      “The last version came to me while I was in a car in Vancouver on my way to the airport. I heard the initial tingly notes and immediately knew that was it. I hadn’t even heard the lyrics yet, just the track. When we asked EJAE to reach her highest vocal range, she replied, hoping she would never have to perform it live,” Kang recounted.

      Ejae remarked to the Times: “It’s not a comfortable range for me. I can definitely hit the notes, but it would be impossible to sing live. There’s no breathing room — 90 percent of it is Rumi’s vocals. That’s pretty unrealistic.”

      Ultimately, everything turned out incredibly well: “Golden,” the second single from the film's soundtrack, topped the Billboard Global 200, became the longest-reigning number one song by a fictional group on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and achieved the third perfect all-kill in South Korea for 2025. (A perfect all-kill occurs when a song ranks first across the real-time, daily, and weekly metrics of iChart, a major aggregator for South Korean music streaming.)

      Furthermore, “Golden” is a strong contender in the Oscars race for best original song, among several categories where KPop Demon Hunters is anticipated to excel.

      Main image: KPop Demon Hunters. Netflix.