‘Successful Grammy will probably be a message to each Asian American woman who’s ever felt impostor syndrome,’ says ‘Golden’ songwriter Ejae

Everybody has a dream. Some see it by means of. Others are pressured to let go.

For 33-year-old Korean American singer-songwriter Ejae, born Kim Eun-jae, the dream was to debut as a Okay-pop idol after spending 10 years coaching at SM Leisure. However the name by no means got here. Neither in a gaggle nor as a soloist did the powerhouse label see her match to debut.

As a substitute of turning her again on music, Ejae discovered one other path — one that may lead her to co-write “Golden,” the hovering anthem from Netflix’s megahit “KPop Demon Hunters,” launched in June.

The tune has made historical past, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Sizzling 100 and topping each the Billboard International 200 and International Excl. US charts — a uncommon feat for a tune from an animated movie soundtrack. It additionally claimed No. 1 on the UK Official Singles Chart, turning into the primary Okay-pop monitor to take action since Psy’s “Gangnam Type” in 2012. Netflix has additionally reportedly submitted “Golden” for awards consideration.

Ejae’s subsequent aim is not about turning into a well-known singer. It’s about profitable a Grammy — an achievement she says would carry a which means far past her personal profession.

“It wouldn’t simply be a private milestone,” she mentioned. “It might be a message to each Asian American woman who’s ever felt impostor syndrome on this trade,” she mentioned in an electronic mail interview with The Korea Herald.

From trainee to songwriter

Ejae describes her years at SM Leisure as “unimaginable” and “character-defining,” instilling in her a piece ethic and perseverance that may later maintain her. Studying dance and efficiency at such a excessive stage additionally proved invaluable when she started writing for Okay-pop idols.

“As a trainee, I realized to consider how a tune would possibly translate into choreography or a music video,” she mentioned. “That perspective has formed my songwriting ever since.”

In 2011, Ejae took a break from in-person coaching to check at New York College’s Tisch College of the Arts. Round that point, she found the underground SoundCloud scene, drawing inspiration from artists like Ta-ku, Sango and Shlohmo. Making beats grew to become each a artistic outlet and a approach to deal with the despair that adopted her trainee years.

Her pivot to songwriting got here unexpectedly.

“Some producers in Korea requested me to topline on tracks for enjoyable,” she recalled, explaining how she began by contributing melodies. “My first tune ended up being picked up by a widely known artist. That’s once I realized writing wasn’t simply one thing I loved — it was one thing I wanted. It grew to become my remedy.” Ejae’s trainee interval at SM Leisure ended about two years after she graduated.

Her ardour crystallized in 2017 when she attended her first SM Leisure songwriting camp. On the very first day, she penned what would develop into Purple Velvet’s hit “Psycho,” a tune born from an argument along with her then-long-distance fiance. Launched in 2019, the monitor’s success opened new doorways and, ultimately, led her to the chance that may change the whole lot: “KPop Demon Hunters.”

Changing into Rumi and discovering ‘Golden’

Ejae entered the undertaking by means of composer Daniel Rojas, becoming a member of early within the artistic course of. Collectively, they wrote a number of the first songs that set the tone for the soundtrack. As a result of she recorded many of the preliminary demos, the administrators invited her to develop into the singing voice of the movie’s lead character, Rumi.

“Having been a part of the undertaking from the beginning, I felt deeply linked to her,” she mentioned. “As a former Okay-pop trainee, I associated to her perfectionism, her wrestle to cover her flaws and her drive to chase her dream.”

“Golden,” co-written with Mark Sonnenblick below the steering of music director Ian Eisendrath, is a pivotal second within the movie. The tune displays every character’s struggles, whereas carrying a message of perseverance.

“There’s a bittersweet layer,” Ejae defined. “Rumi’s lyrics replicate her desperation to repair her patterns. It’s like her private pep discuss — telling herself not to surrender and that she will be able to attain her desires.”

In crafting the tune, Ejae additionally needed to meet a private problem: hitting Rumi’s excessive notes to showcase her “loopy vocal abilities.” The result’s each technically spectacular and emotionally resonant, a mix that has resonated with audiences far past the movie.

Past “Golden,” Ejae is particularly pleased with “Hunter’s Mantra,” the movie’s opening quantity that fuses conventional Korean genres like pansori and Arirang with fashionable pop sensibilities. Pansori is a standard Korean musical storytelling efficiency that mixes singing, narration and dramatic expression.

“I needed to deliver Korea’s wealthy conventional sounds into the music with my very own twist,” she mentioned. “It’s a part of who I’m.”

Chasing Grammy gold

For Ejae, the Grammy dream is not only about recognition — it’s about illustration.

“As an Asian American, particularly a Korean American lady, I don’t actually see sufficient individuals who appear to be me within the pop and Okay-pop trade,” she mentioned. “That’s why profitable an award for a tune about hope and chasing your desires could be extremely serendipitous.”

As somebody who as soon as doubted her ability and expertise, fearing that she could be uncovered as a fraud, Ejae has message for others who discover themselves feeling the identical approach.

“Your voice issues. Your tales are price telling. Don’t surrender,” Ejae says. “If this tune (‘Golden’) can spark even somewhat hope in somebody to maintain going, then that, to me, is the best honor.”

jaaykim@heraldcorp.com