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  • 2 months ago
EJAE and Mark take us through a very intimate journey inside of their creative minds as they unveil how they created the groundbreaking original song, "Golden" for the movie KPop Demon Hunters. From every intricate production element to EJAE's delicate yet powerful delivery, the duo dissects every step behind bringing the beautiful song to life.

Director: Adam Lance Garcia
Director of Photography: Alex Sablow
Editor: Steven Heo
Talent: EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick
Producer: Madison Coffey
Line Producer: Natasha Soto-Albors
Associate Producer: Lyla Neely
Production Manager: Andressa Pelachi
Associate Production Manager: Elizabeth Hymes
Talent Booker: Meredith Judkins
Camera Operator: Carlos Araujo
Gaffer: Niklas Moller
Audio Engineer: Mariya Chulichkova
Production Assistant: Ashley Vidal, Isabella Ramos
Set Designer: Elaine Winter, Luke Walter
Post Production Supervisor: Christian Olguin
Post Production Coordinator: Stella Shortino
Supervising Editor: Eduardo Araujo
Additional Editor: Sam DiVito
Assistant Editor: Fynn Lithgow
Transcript
00:00You know, sometimes I just open a track and feel it out, but this track, so beautiful.
00:07Instantly, I felt inspiration.
00:18Hi, I'm EJ, singing voice of Rumi and also one of the songwriters in K-pop Demon Hunters.
00:22I'm Mark Sonnenblick and I'm also one of the songwriters for K-pop Demon Hunters.
00:26And today we are breaking down the song Golden in K-pop Demon Hunters.
00:31The way that a lot of the songwriting would happen is so you have Maggie and Chris, who are the co-directors, they're telling their story.
00:38When you're working on a movie, that's where so much of the songwriting for a musical movie starts.
00:43And so they knew that they wanted this song in this slot.
00:46I mean, there were some great songs written, but like both in terms of the songwriting and in terms of what they wanted from that moment, they hadn't quite figured out.
00:53And as that came together, that's kind of where it was like, okay, great.
00:57We think we have an idea and let's have, we'd already done how it's done and your idol, the two of us and Black Label.
01:05And the mantra.
01:06And the mantra, yeah, yeah.
01:08Golden was the last one.
01:09The last one that we did.
01:10They also kind of gave us a guideline of what they wanted.
01:14For example, like it's about the word gold should be in it somewhere.
01:19You know, it's about her wanting to seal the whole moon to be gold.
01:22Therefore, the melody and the lyrics had to express that, meaning high notes.
01:28Yeah.
01:34Rumi's voice is this magic voice.
01:37And in this moment in the story, like only her voice, she's told herself, she's put all this pressure on herself that my voice is the voice that's ultimately going to help make the gold the whole moon.
01:48But by the end of the song in the movie, the patterns have, we're going to do spoilers.
01:53We're going to do spoilers.
01:53You've seen the movie.
01:54You better have.
01:55You better have if you're watching this.
01:57But the patterns have started to take over her voice and she loses her voice, her ability to sing that high note.
02:02And that's when she's like, how am I supposed to seal the whole moon if I don't even have my voice?
02:06So it was like intentional.
02:08I'm having it so high.
02:18It had to show off Rumi's like vocal abilities.
02:21Hope I did it well.
02:23And they also.
02:24I think so.
02:24Safe to say.
02:25I think so.
02:26But and also just like, you know, lyrically speaking, we needed to give like vulnerability to the characters.
02:32It was an introduction to the characters, like what they're going through.
02:35Yeah.
02:36And I love how to describe it.
02:38It was an anti-
02:38False victory song.
02:39False victory song.
02:40Yeah.
02:41Exactly.
02:41Because in the bridge, you know, it sounds like a song that's like really hopeful and you're reaching for that dream.
02:47But in the bridge, it kind of breaks down to Rumi's vulnerability.
02:50Waited so long to break these walls down.
02:54To wake up and feel like me.
02:58Put these patterns all in the past now.
03:02And finally live like the girl they all see.
03:06And then it's ironic because in the scene, no more hiding, I'll be shining while she's hiding.
03:10Literally.
03:11Her patterns.
03:12Yeah.
03:12So that irony is there.
03:14It's quite bittersweet.
03:15That's kind of how the inspiration, how the direction started.
03:18And it can be really, like for this, it's pretty specific.
03:21Like we're building it out.
03:23It starts with them going, we need to hear about Mira's backstory, Zoe's backstory, Rumi's backstory.
03:30And we're getting, you know, they'll send like a monologue that Zoe might say or like a description of what it is.
03:36And so then part of what we're doing is going, okay, what is the song structure that can get this information?
03:41So in the song, the first eight lines, the first four lines are Rumi's backstory.
03:47I was a ghost, I was alone.
03:48And she's given the throne, I didn't know how to be the queen I was meant to be.
03:52She's inheriting it from her mother, who was also in one of these hunter trios.
03:57So she feels pressure that way.
03:59We know Zoe's story, she grew up in Burbank, but she's Korean American and torn to these two places.
04:20Her identity crisis.
04:22I lived two lives, tried to pick both sides, but I couldn't find my own place.
04:29So that two lines for her, two lines for Mira.
04:32Caught a public child, cause I got too wild, but now that's how I'm getting paid.
04:39Cause that she'll stay.
04:41That with the animation, you can actually get this, this deep backstory.
04:45Then we know that there's going to be in this pre-chorus, this rising thing that
04:48can kind of represent all of them and this hope that they have to realize who they are
04:53by being a part of Huntrix and ultimately sending the whole moon.
04:56The bridge that we know is going to happen in order to set up the final chorus where she
05:08can't sing the note.
05:08The concept is, is built out with, you know, from the directors that we built out, but then,
05:14you know, we actually, we have to write the song.
05:16Sonically, I think they were wanting something that's kind of bittersweet, I would say.
05:20I think part of it was them being able to kind of in the way we just did realize,
05:24oh, this is the story of the girls.
05:26Oh, here's how we can map it onto this realization in the bridge.
05:31For a moment, um, we were thinking maybe Rumi's kind of like,
05:35I want an emotional thing is going to be.
05:37They're more vulnerable, I think.
05:38Yeah.
05:39Yeah.
05:39With all of our songs, how it starts is like, you know,
05:42they have to approve the instrument of the track first.
05:46So in this case for us with Golden, you know, uh, it was black label, you know,
05:50Teddy 24 and Ito who created the track and with us.
05:54It was a collaboration with us.
05:56Yeah.
05:56Black label basically produces the music and the instrumental.
06:00The instrumental that Maggie and Chris is looking for.
06:03Yeah.
06:04Yeah.
06:04Well, and actually with this, it even started with the BPM.
06:08It was like, okay, great.
06:09This is the energy.
06:12Like this is before they even have the instrumentals on the top of it.
06:15Just to kind of make sure the, like, as you kind of learn what the directors want and need,
06:24like that's where they start.
06:25The directors are like, okay, great.
06:26That seems like the right energy Ian, you know, helping facilitate this.
06:30Exactly.
06:31It was this one.
06:32It's the very first one.
06:37Not that different.
06:38Yeah.
06:45I got this track in the car on my way to the dentist.
07:01Um, and you know, sometimes I just open a track, um, and you know, feel it out, but this track
07:08It's so beautiful.
07:11Instantly I felt inspiration and that doesn't happen that often.
07:15Um, but this one, I definitely felt it.
07:18And the melody came very quickly.
07:21Once I got, I got a melody in my head, had to put it down a famous, uh, tool for songwriters,
07:27voice memo.
07:28Yeah.
07:28Um, and I have the voice memo I recorded immediately when I had heard it.
07:32And so this is, should I show you the voice memo?
07:35Yeah.
07:36Yeah.
07:36Maybe that voice memo.
07:37Cause you're, you're listening to the track.
07:39You're kind of like vocalizing over it.
07:41And then you really, you know, you.
07:42Exactly.
07:43I mean, EJ's melodies are insane.
07:59That's the first melody I heard.
08:01And then the second one is this one.
08:06You know, that was in Korea daytime.
08:17He's sleeping.
08:18Um, and I was excited and we had a session that night, I think.
08:21Yeah.
08:22Yeah, we did have a session that night.
08:23And what I would do is I, you know, after I got my gold filling, I came back home and,
08:29um, literally just freestyle a bunch of melodies.
08:32But in this case, I had the hook melody.
08:33So I put that down, kind of fleshed it out.
08:36And then, you know, what I always do with Mark is I prepare like different melodic ideas for
08:42the verse and the pre.
08:44And I gave him like four options, I think.
08:47And he would pick, we would kind of Frankenstein together what melodies we'd like.
08:51And yeah.
08:52And in this case, uh, what was great about this, it was like, you know, I had the
08:56He had this idea of saying, wait, EJ, I have this idea lyric.
09:04Because he puts a bunch of lyrical ideas.
09:05Yeah.
09:05While EJ's like listening to the track and melody-ing, melody-ing, what's the?
09:10Top lining.
09:10Top lining.
09:11Right, right.
09:12Uh, I'm like trying to just, knowing that none of these are probably, none of the lines
09:17are literally going to make it in.
09:19But like, I'm sort of just like brainstorming.
09:22And again, kind of knowing, all right, we got to do Rumi, we got to do, uh, Mira and Zoey.
09:27But like.
09:32Like, this is just.
09:34This is terrible.
09:37Like, but it's just kind of to feel like, here's a pitch of some lyric ideas.
09:52So like, there's some ideas that ultimately make it into the songs.
10:05It was, again, literally just the universe.
10:07It's just everything happened for a reason.
10:08Because like, I had the,
10:11Gonna be, gonna be golden.
10:13It was just a perfect fit.
10:14And in my melody, you can hear me say,
10:16It's not like that.
10:20I guess the first idea I gave him was this one.
10:50What is it?
11:02It's like,
11:02Like, shift it.
11:03It's kind of.
11:20Oh, I did it!
11:31Why did I do that?
11:38You did it to yourself
11:39I did
11:40I think before creating the lyrics
11:44I mean, again, I did read the guidelines
11:46so I knew it had to be something about being golden
11:48trying to steal the whole moon
11:50and her having this vulnerability
11:52and that yearning to get her dream
11:56which I definitely related to
11:59especially at that time
12:00and I think things were just not happening for me
12:05and just not going the way I wanted it to go
12:08and so I think when I heard the track
12:11why it really struck a chord
12:13it just kind of felt bittersweet
12:16and that's kind of how I felt
12:17and I think I kind of did the emotion
12:22not lyrically, but melodically
12:24as you can hear
12:26It's probably when I think it's resonated
12:27around the world
12:29because you hear the story in the melody
12:35For me, when I write songs
12:36I actually first go with melody
12:38Melody is always my thing
12:40and whatever I'm feeling
12:42I kind of try to translate my emotion through melody
12:45I mean, I was desperate to want my dreams to come true
12:49and I put that in the melody
12:51which is why
12:52Manifested
12:56Surely you might not pop
12:57That melody is just
12:59and obviously I think like
13:01an iconic melody
13:02You hear it
13:03You hear it
13:03He was like
13:04EJ, this is amazing
13:05Like immediately
13:07And we've worked long hours
13:09and I've never had that reaction
13:11I kind of heard it with your idol
13:13but this one he was like
13:14EJ, that's amazing
13:15Like
13:15Oh my god
13:16The melody's incredible
13:18Yeah, I try to be supportive usually
13:20Like no matter what
13:20I'm going to be like
13:21Oh, this is pretty good
13:22Yeah
13:22No, it was
13:24I mean
13:24And also because we'd heard these other songs
13:27that are amazing
13:28and it's not to say that
13:29one of them also
13:30couldn't have been a huge hit
13:32but having
13:33you know
13:34we're trying to find this last song for the movie
13:37and knowing that it has to check all these boxes
13:39and hearing
13:41again, the story in the music
13:43and in what you toplined
13:46was
13:46it's just like
13:47the dream
13:48a little dream coming true
13:50Well yeah, it's fun
13:51because like
13:52you know, again
13:52I like to be prepared
13:54and give my options
13:55and when we frankensterned together
13:57which I also learned
13:58was like
13:59you know, you pointed out
13:59like having the pre
14:01being also the hook
14:02and all that stuff
14:03It can be good in the pre
14:19Yeah, exactly
14:20And you're like
14:21let's just leave it like that
14:22Let's just keep it that way
14:23That's kind of what it was
14:24Because that melody
14:25that like
14:25is so good
14:28and exactly like
14:29EJ played it
14:30in the pre
14:31and then
14:33where it is in the chorus
14:34in the second half of it
14:35but yeah, you were kind of like
14:36well, we can't put it in both places
14:37Yeah, exactly
14:37because my K-pop DNA
14:38is like
14:38you can't use the same melody
14:40So if I'm going to put it in the pre
14:41I'm going to do
14:42like do that
14:44If I'm going to put it in the post
14:45I'm going to do
14:45It was like
14:46for me it was like
14:47either of the two
14:48Yeah
14:48Pick one
14:49and you're just like
14:50Nah
14:50Yeah, because we also know
15:08we only have
15:08especially the first time
15:09it's in the movie
15:10you don't get through
15:12the whole song
15:13it's like
15:13you get through most of it
15:14but in two minutes
15:15you've got to hook
15:16an audience
15:17and to be able to
15:19put it in the pre
15:20second half of the chorus
15:22and it's in the bridge too
15:24Yeah
15:24You literally hear it
15:25I think
15:26four or five times
15:27in this
15:28to make it
15:29this memorable thing
15:30that then
15:30Marcos puts it in the score
15:32it like shows up
15:33these amazing emotional moments
15:34and when it comes back
15:35at the end
15:35you feel like
15:36oh, I know that song
15:37Yeah
15:37and so when we did that
15:39we're like
15:39okay
15:39then we need
15:40like a
15:40second verse
15:41love it around
15:43love it around
15:44out of my way
15:46out of my way
15:48holding me tight
15:51and making the right
15:52get you in the main
15:54could you make it
15:56what a moment
15:56when we side
15:58head
15:58when my body
15:59said
16:00so that was like
16:13a different version
16:14and when I was like
16:15and then you're like
16:16that's great
16:17yeah
16:17partly because I thought
16:18it was really catchy
16:18but also
16:19it's the selfish thing
16:20of like
16:21we only have
16:22eight lines
16:23to tell these girls' story
16:24exactly
16:25and like
16:25yeah
16:26musical theater
16:26I'm always like
16:27let's put
16:28five hundred words
16:29and you're like
16:30it's the plot
16:31we gotta like
16:32yeah
16:33and also
16:34we had a pop approach
16:35to this
16:36a pop
16:36hit formula approach
16:38that I learned
16:39from Max Martin
16:39sorry
16:40sorry in his interviews
16:41I love him so much
16:42you know like
16:43always like
16:43coming in the melody
16:45differently
16:45like
16:46I was like
16:48I was like
16:49what do you call that
16:50I was like
16:51it's like the second beat
16:52yeah second beat
16:52yeah and then this one
16:53goes like
16:53da da da
16:54has a pick-up line
16:55and then the chorus
16:57has a different kind
16:57of pick-up line
16:58it comes in differently
16:59and rhythmically
16:59it's different
17:00so you always have
17:01to have
17:02the verse
17:03and like the second verse
17:04pre kind of
17:05bringing in different
17:06elements to have
17:07an earworm kind of effect
17:08and that was also
17:10it checked that box too
17:12yeah
17:12so it's perfect
17:13yeah
17:13but yeah
17:24I also really appreciate
17:30that they wanted
17:31the hook
17:31the chorus
17:32that repeats itself
17:33to have Korean in it
17:34I mean
17:35I don't speak Korean
17:37so I mean
17:37to be honest
17:38like that choice
17:39was the directors
17:40it was directors
17:41and the studio
17:44you know
17:44Sony Animation
17:45and Netflix
17:47they wanted
17:48to have Korean in it
17:49it was important
17:50yeah
17:50like you know
17:51huge shout out
17:52to Spring
17:53who's the head
17:54of music
17:55Sony Music Pictures
17:56they really want
17:57that you know
17:58authenticity
17:58was really important
17:59and you know
18:00Korean
18:01the language
18:02is so beautiful
18:02and it has like
18:03a different nuance
18:04and message to it
18:04in Korean
18:05and just sonically
18:06it's nice
18:07and it's K-pop
18:09so it just
18:10it was beautiful
18:10and it was their
18:11decision of where
18:12to do it
18:13I feel like
18:14they'd typically
18:14be like
18:15because we'd
18:16have for the most part
18:17a draft
18:18in English
18:19so that everybody
18:19knew what
18:20the song
18:20men
18:21who didn't
18:21necessarily speak Korean
18:22but then
18:23you know
18:24Maggie would be like
18:25can there be
18:26some Korean
18:27in the chorus
18:27or somewhere
18:28in that
18:29you know
18:29in the first verse
18:30can we
18:31make sure
18:31to have some Korean line
18:32so that was important
18:46and I
18:46think being bilingual
18:47is a really important
18:48part
18:49an asset
18:49in this project
18:51because
18:51you know
18:52Korean has
18:53like its own
18:53nuances
18:54of like
18:54just sonically
18:55and like
18:56you know
18:56there's certain
18:56words in English
18:57when you sing
18:58it could be a little
18:58awkward
18:59like
19:00I always use
19:00comfortable
19:01like
19:01you can't
19:01you can't do that
19:03it's odd
19:04so
19:05and also
19:05I noticed
19:06in a lot
19:06of some K-pop
19:07like
19:08the Korean lyrics
19:09and the English lyrics
19:09don't rhyme
19:10when it should
19:11and that's also part of the earworm
19:13and for me
19:14it was important
19:15for it to rhyme
19:16so
19:16like I wanted that rhyme
19:21and it also
19:22has that meaning
19:23of
19:24we'll never break
19:25so
19:33yeah
19:33that was kind of
19:34the Korean lyrics
19:35coming
19:36it was always amazing
19:37getting
19:37I mean with Golden
19:38in particular
19:39I think
19:39but like getting those
19:40translations back
19:41or just like hearing
19:42what you did
19:42because you do have to
19:44find the sound
19:44that is right
19:45and
19:46as someone who doesn't
19:47speak Korean
19:48to hear
19:49it just fits
19:51so obviously fit naturally
19:52on the music
19:52but also mean
19:53the same thing
19:54that we had been working on
19:55and rhyme
19:57yeah
19:57it's like
19:58that's why it was important
19:59four things at once
20:00being bilingual
20:00was so helpful
20:01and also because
20:03I was a singer
20:04and I'm Korean American
20:06and I'm gonna be singing
20:07these songs
20:08it had to be comfortable
20:08for me
20:09I think part of the reason
20:10it broke through
20:11in the way it did
20:12certainly is because
20:12the movie is what it is
20:13but also because
20:14the message in the music
20:15is
20:16optimism
20:18and hope
20:19and this idea
20:20of coming into yourself
20:22and even though
20:22I mean
20:23talking to EJ
20:24about her experience
20:26as we were writing
20:27and with so much overlap
20:28with Rumi
20:29was so integral
20:30to like writing the songs
20:32but
20:32it was also universal
20:34to me too
20:35and
20:35in different ways
20:37you know
20:37the things I've hidden
20:39and
20:39the things that I've
20:41dreamed of
20:42that haven't happened
20:42and
20:43just knowing that
20:45that way in
20:46is something that you're
20:47always looking for
20:48when you're songwriting
20:48and
20:49that's part of
20:51just
20:52you know
20:52it comes from Maggie
20:53and Chris
20:54in the beginning too
20:54and the story
20:55that they want to tell
20:56for me
20:57it's
20:59whew
20:59ugh
21:01okay
21:01K-pop idol training
21:04was a whole thing
21:05my dream was always
21:06to become a singer
21:07and I had to kind of
21:08you know
21:09I did intentionally choose
21:10not to be an artist
21:11I kind of
21:12let that go
21:13and
21:14cause songwriting
21:15kinda fit my personality more
21:16and songwriting
21:17really truly did save me
21:18during a dark time
21:19it was like therapy for me
21:21so
21:21this song
21:23when I wrote
21:24it
21:24the melody and all
21:26was kind of
21:27very therapeutic
21:28for me
21:28like seriously
21:30like ugh
21:31songwriting
21:31this industry
21:32is really hard
21:32like things
21:33sometimes just never happen
21:35it takes sometimes
21:36a long time
21:36and I've been
21:37rejected so many times
21:39so like
21:39it's just
21:40you know
21:41like
21:42I just
21:42one thing I've always
21:44like
21:44oof
21:44gosh
21:45mmm
21:46oh god
21:50sorry
21:52oh that's okay
21:53mmm
21:53regretted
21:56when I
21:57you know
21:58came out of SM
21:59was I couldn't
21:59let
22:00you know
22:01little EJ's dream
22:02come true
22:02and I felt so bad
22:03cause she worked so hard
22:05and
22:06I did feel
22:07like
22:08a disappointment
22:09um
22:10but like
22:11when Golden
22:12happened
22:13my mom would always
22:14tell me
22:15in Korean
22:16it's called
22:16말이시가 된다
22:17meaning
22:17whatever you say
22:19out loud
22:19the words you choose
22:21will become a story
22:22so
22:24all the songs
22:26I've written for K-pop
22:26have been very
22:27um
22:27not the best
22:28positive words
22:29I have a song called
22:30Drama
22:30Armageddon
22:31Psycho
22:33so it was a nice
22:35opportunity
22:35to write
22:37a song called
22:37Golden
22:38and it's just about
22:40you know
22:41it's not
22:41I feel like there's
22:42different types
22:43of hope
22:43you know
22:45there's a hope
22:45where like
22:45I can do it
22:46and you're being
22:47badass
22:47but this one
22:48I think
22:48for me
22:49at least
22:49in the instrumentals
22:50it was
22:51a bittersweet
22:52kind of hope
22:53like
22:53you feel like
22:54giving up
22:55every day
22:55but there's like
22:56this little part
22:57in you
22:57that like
22:58keeps saying
22:59you can do it
22:59just keep
23:00holding on
23:01and I think
23:01like
23:02oh god
23:03so yeah
23:05this song
23:05really did
23:06help me go
23:07through a hard time
23:08which is why
23:09when I sing it
23:10it was like
23:11I did
23:11cry
23:12and the fact
23:14that this
23:15is helping
23:15everyone else
23:17too
23:17and not just
23:19like
23:19you know
23:21having fun
23:22this helped
23:23so many people
23:23go through
23:24a hard time
23:25and I would
23:26have messages
23:26from fans
23:27saying like
23:29you know
23:30a loved one
23:31passed away
23:32and nothing
23:33felt good
23:33and then
23:34I heard
23:34Golden
23:35and it
23:36saved me
23:37that just
23:39I broke
23:41down
23:41I just felt
23:42so honoured
23:43and I think
23:43the biggest
23:44thing for me
23:44was
23:45the Instagram
23:46post
23:47someone sent
23:49me a post
23:50of a person
23:51in their
23:52last
23:53moment
23:54they chose
23:56to have
23:56Golden
23:57be sung
23:57to them
23:58a nurse
23:59and the nurse
24:00changed the lyrics
24:01and to that
24:03to be the last
24:03song they hear
24:04before they pass
24:05it's the greatest
24:08honour
24:09yeah
24:10I'm thinking
24:11just watching you
24:13record like
24:14in your bedroom
24:15it's hard not to
24:16cry
24:16two years ago
24:16I mean
24:17I
24:17yeah I mean
24:18you know
24:18what happened
24:19I'm just so
24:23overwhelmed
24:23and proud
24:25and grateful
24:26to everybody
24:27I'm so grateful
24:28to you as well
24:29because we worked
24:29really hard
24:30yeah
24:32in a nutshell
24:34I'm just like
24:35how lucky
24:36how lucky
24:37you just never
24:38you get so many
24:38phone calls
24:39to work on
24:40different things
24:41and you're just
24:41like I don't
24:42and
24:43from the first
24:45couple times
24:46that we were
24:46yeah we were
24:47locked in
24:48it's amazing
24:49and I'm so
24:50moved and proud
24:51of you
24:51I mean I just
24:52like
24:53and there's
24:53yeah
24:54and your friendship
24:54too
24:55I know
24:55it means a lot
24:56thank you so
24:57very much
24:58I appreciate
24:59you
24:59I'm just overwhelming
25:00oh sorry
25:01yeah this is
25:02it cannot not
25:03be emotional
25:04guys
25:05oh
25:07stop there
25:08yeah
25:08what's your tail
25:09say
25:10oh my god
25:11this is crazy
25:12this is amazing
25:13this is amazing
25:14this is amazing
25:15thank you
25:15just like
25:16just changing the world
25:17that's all
25:18you
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