The K-pop track "Golden" from the animated Netflix film "KPop Demon Hunters" has secured the number one position on Billboard's Hot 100 chart for the third consecutive week. This achievement marks a significant milestone for the K-pop genre, as it continues to dominate American music charts with unprecedented success.
Billboard announced in its weekly chart preview that "Golden" maintained its top position, keeping Alex Warren's "Ordinary" in second place for the second week running. The sustained success of "Golden" comes alongside Stray Kids' "Karma" holding the top spot on the Billboard 200 main albums chart, meaning K-pop currently dominates both major Billboard charts simultaneously.
This dual chart dominance represents a historic moment for K-pop, marking the first time since December 2020 that the genre has simultaneously topped both the singles and albums charts. The last time this occurred was when BTS achieved the feat with their album "Be" and its lead single "Life Goes On," demonstrating the continued global expansion and influence of Korean popular music.
During the tracking week of August 22-28, "Golden" demonstrated strong performance across all metrics measured by the Hot 100 chart. The song garnered 35.3 million streams, representing a 4 percent increase from the previous week, while radio airplay audience impressions reached 19.7 million, showing a substantial 21 percent uptick. Additionally, the track sold 9,000 copies, an 11 percent increase that contributed to its chart dominance.
"Golden" is performed by three Korean American artists: Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, who provide voices for the fictional girl group Huntr/x featured in the animated film. Ejae brings significant industry experience as a composer who previously trained at SM Entertainment, one of Korea's major entertainment companies. Both Ejae and Rei Ami were born in South Korea, adding authentic Korean musical influences to the production.
The song's production team includes notable figures from the K-pop industry, with Teddy and 24 serving as co-producers. These producers are known for their work with The Black Label, a major K-pop agency that has been behind numerous successful releases in the genre.
Since its debut, "Golden" has shown remarkable chart progression on the Hot 100. The song initially entered at number 81 before steadily climbing through positions 23, 6, 4, and 2, eventually reaching the top spot. After briefly dropping back to number 2, the track returned to number one and has now maintained that position for three weeks.
According to Billboard's historical data, "Golden" joins an exclusive group as only the third K-pop song to hold the number one position for three or more weeks. The previous records were set by BTS with "Butter," which dominated for 10 weeks, and "Dynamite," which held the top spot for three weeks, establishing "Golden" among the most successful K-pop tracks in American chart history.
The achievement represents several groundbreaking moments for K-pop representation. Last month, "Golden" became the first K-pop song performed by female artists to reach number one on the Hot 100 chart. The track also made international headlines by simultaneously topping both the Billboard Hot 100 and the British Official Singles Top 100 on August 1, demonstrating its global appeal across major English-speaking markets.
Unlike many previous K-pop successes that relied heavily on dedicated fan bases driving physical album sales and digital downloads, "Golden" has achieved its success through sustained growth on streaming platforms. This organic growth has been significantly boosted by the widespread popularity of the original "KPop Demon Hunters" film, which has found a global audience through Netflix's platform.
Billboard specifically noted that recent gains for "Golden" were enhanced by strategic promotional activities surrounding the film. The song received additional exposure through a sing-along version that was released widely in movie theaters on August 23-24, followed by the premiere of this special version on Netflix on August 25, creating multiple touchpoints for audience engagement.
The Netflix original film "KPop Demon Hunters," produced by Sony Pictures Animation, centers around the fictional girl group Huntr/x, who must balance their music careers with protecting the world from supernatural demonic threats. This unique premise has resonated with both K-pop fans and broader audiences, contributing to the soundtrack's commercial success and helping "Golden" maintain its chart position through multiple weeks of competition.
