The team behind Golden made history at the 2026 Oscars when the song became the first K-pop song to win Best Original Song, but its moment in the spotlight soured when the orchestra interrupted one of its co-writers mid-speech, sparking an immediate backlash online.
Ejae led the acceptance speech when she and six fellow composers, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo and Teddy Park, took the stage at the Dolby Theater on March 15.
Visibly moved, she began by reflecting on how far that moment had taken her.
“Thank you so much to the Academy for this crazy award,” she said, blinking back tears.
“When I was a kid, people made fun of me because I liked K-pop, but now everyone sings our song and all the Korean lyrics. I’m so proud.”
He went on to talk about what the win meant beyond the award itself.
“I realize that the song, this award, is not about success, but about resilience,” she said, before thanking her family, her fiancé, her manager, the cast of Kpop Demon HuntersNetflix and Sony Animation.
Then he turned to see if any of his co-authors had anyone to thank.
One of them approached the microphone with a piece of paper in his hand and began: “I would like to thank you,” before the orchestra interrupted, signaling the end of their allotted time.
The crew was led off stage as the broadcast went to a commercial break.
Sonnenblick was visibly frustrated, jumping up and down and appearing to say “let’s go” as they moved forward. Their reaction made it clear that the group felt the moment had been mishandled.
The Internet agreed.
X’s reaction was quick and direct. “OMG this is so rude!! They just made history give them an extra 5 seconds,” one user wrote.
Another took a broader swipe at the ceremony’s priorities: “STOP CUTTING THE WINNERS’ SPEECHES WHEN WE HAVE TO SIT FOR A LONG TIME WITHOUT FUN.”
It was an unfortunate ending to what would have otherwise been a historic evening for the film.
Kpop Demon Hunters had already won Best Animated Feature that same night, during which co-writer and director Maggie Kang gave a speech that brought its own emotional weight.
“For those of you who look like me, I’m so sorry it took so long to see us in a movie like this, but it’s here,” he said.
“That means future generations won’t have to yearn.”
At the beginning of the broadcast, Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami had performed. Golden live, one of only two songs to be performed during the ceremony, along with I lied to you of sinners.
The performance brought the house down. The speech, through no fault of the winners, did not have the ending it deserved.
