IVE's An Yujin

An Yujin, a member of the girl group IVE, has released a cover of the song “Golden”, the OST for the animated film KPop Demon Hunters. The performance video was uploaded recently on IVE’s official YouTube channel under the title “GOLDEN Covered by IVE ANYUJIN”.

In the video, An Yujin showcases her vocal strength and impressive English pronunciation, singing the high-pitched song with stability and a refreshing clarity. Her smooth and sweet tone earned praise, and the video quickly rose to #1 on YouTube’s trending videos in Korea, surpassing 2.59 million views. The song “Golden” has sparked a wave of dance challenges and covers by many artists, including Apink’s Jung Eunji, NMIXX’s Lily, ONF’s Min Kyun, and Urban Zakapa’s Kwon Soon-il and Kwon Ji-ah, each putting their own spin on it.

Notably, MAMAMOO’s Solar previously admitted that the song was difficult to sing, which makes An Yujin’s stable and polished rendition even more impressive to many listeners. However, as the video gained popularity, debate arose online regarding whether vocal post-processing was used. Some netizens expressed disappointment, suspecting that vocal correction may have been applied.

Comments included:

  • She’s already a good singer; I’d love to hear an unedited live version.
  • It sounds like a manufactured voice.
  • How much editing went into this?
  • Is this really her singing those high notes live?
  • She’s beautiful and sings well — that’s already a perfect score.
  • No wonder it’s #1 on trending.

While many fans praised her performance and visuals, others remained skeptical about the level of vocal editing in the cover video.

Meanwhile, the Netflix original animation KPop Demon Hunters tells the story of K-pop superstars HUNTR/X — Rumi, Mira, and Zoey — who secretly protect the world behind the scenes of their glamorous performances. The action-fantasy anime, which focuses on Korean K-pop idols, is the first overseas-produced animation centered around K-pop, drawing massive attention even before its release.

Since its debut last month, the film has created a global sensation. Its OST features TWICE members Jeongyeon, Jihyo, and Chaeyoung, with production by Teddy and The Black Label team, contributing to its high-quality sound. The movie has been hugely successful in North America, topping the U.S. iTunes album chart and placing several songs in the Top 100 of the iTunes song chart — a testament to its powerful impact.

Nate