UK Chart Domination: A New Global Milestone for K-pop

“”For the many music fans who have been to their enormous concerts, bought their merch and streamed their iconic songs, this will forever be the summer of Oasis – but K-pop’s superstars are certainly giving the Gallaghers a run for their money.”” — Carl Smith, Official Charts Editor

Kpop Demon Hunters, the Netflix animated fantasy film, is at the center of a historic moment as its lead track “Golden” by fictional girl group HUNTR/X becomes the first K-pop song in 13 years to top the UK Official Singles Chart—a feat last achieved by PSY’s “Gangnam Style.”

Debuting at No. 93, Golden steadily climbed each week to finally dethrone Justin Bieber’s “Daisies.” It also becomes the first animated OST to hit No. 1 in the UK since Disney’s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” in 2022.

The track, voiced by Korean-American artists Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and RAYE AMI, was produced by Teddy and 24—renowned for hits with BIGBANG and BLACKPINK. In an interview, Ejae described the success as “surreal,” stating, “This song gave people the hope they needed—it’s what resonated.”

teddy blackpink
Teddy and BlackPink

Martin Talbot, CEO of the Official Charts Company, called the success “another landmark for global K-pop,” while editor Karl Smith said, “Golden” could be remembered as this summer’s anthem.

Netflix’s K-pop Demon Hunters tells the story of three K-pop idols fighting evil spirits with music. It’s produced by Sony Pictures and currently leads the UK Compilation Albums Chart for six weeks straight.

Historic PAK Achievement in Korea: “Golden” Claims 477 All-Kills

Back home, Golden continues its historic run with a staggering 477 Perfect All-Kills (PAKs) as of August 4 KST, according to iChart. This places the song third of all time in PAK rankings, just behind NewJeans’ “Ditto” (655 hours) and BTS’ “Dynamite” (610 hours), surpassing IU’s “Celebrity.”

Newjeans, BTS And HUNTR/X

A PAK is achieved when a song ranks No. 1 on all real-time, daily, and weekly charts across Melon, Genie, FLO, Bugs, VIBE, and YouTube Music simultaneously—a rare feat in the digital era.

In addition, other tracks from the soundtrack—“Your Idol” and “Soda Pop”—have climbed to No. 10 and No. 11 respectively. K-pop’s presence on the UK chart is reinforced by TWICE’s “Takedown” and “Strategy”, BLACKPINK’s “Ddeo”, and Rosé’s “APT.”, all of which charted as well.

On the Billboard Hot 100, Golden is holding strong at No. 2, while also topping Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music global charts. In Korea, it’s leading both the Circle Chart Digital Chart and Melon Monthly Chart.

Ejae, now in the global spotlight, shared: “I used to prefer working behind the scenes, but I’m getting used to the attention. I’ve gained 100,000 Instagram followers in a month.”

With chart-topping records and critical acclaim, Golden is more than a soundtrack—it’s a cultural moment.

Sources: daum