Here's How Rei Ami Of "KPop Demon Hunters" Responded To A Viral Rumor That The Hit Song "Golden" Is Actually AI
The movie's already making history as the iconic single "Golden" from the movie has reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100, but not without a bit of controversy.
So, KPop Demon Hunters is voiced by a star-studded, all-Korean cast with a visual style and music that pays homage to popular Korean music, anime, and culture. It's dope because it's like one long, action-packed music video.
In the animated film, three present-day demon hunters are tasked with saving the world from an evil demon king — Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo).
The best part is that they're not just demon hunters but also the super famous K-pop girl group Huntr/x.
The singing voices of the animated characters are...
...K-pop singer-songwriter and record producer Ejae for Rumi...
...Korean-American R&B singer and rapper Audrey Nuna for Mira...
...and actor, singer-songwriter, and rapper Rei Ami for Zoey.
The movie features several songs that have become instant hits with fans, but the song "Golden" which plays important part in the movie has crossed over into world as chart-topping hit making the virtual girl group HUNTR/X one of the first girl groups to hit #1 since Destiny's Child.
It is the second track from an animated film to occupy the top of the Hot 100 this decade since "We Don't Talk About Bruno" from Disney's Encanto.
Other tracks from animated characters have charted before, including Alvin and the Chipmunks' "The Chipmunk Song" or the Archies' "Sugar, Sugar," and "Nobody Like U" from Pixar's Turning Red boy band 4*TOWN.
The difference between these past groups is that they didn't have to defend themselves against "artificial intelligence" accusations. A viral tweet with over 12 million views said, "Y'all realize this is one step toward AI completely taking over the music industry as well right?"
The tweet triggered a debate over whether or not the performance of "Golden" was AI-generated, prompting a response from one of the real-life artists behind the song.
On Aug. 12, Rei Ami shared an X post, writing, "EJAE, AUDREY NUNA AND I ARE NOT AI — ARE U BITCHES DUMB?!"
Like her character Zoey with the shin-kal knives, she responded one more time against the accusations, sarcastically writing, "Yall I just found out I've been AI for 30 years omg help I'm just a code oopsie oh noooooooooo me so sad."
Thanks to fans, Kpop Demon Hunters has become Netflix's second most-streamed movie ever and gave both Huntr/x and the fictional boyband Saja Boys chart-topping songs.
And these same loyal KPop Demon Hunters fans are hilariously ten-toes behind Rei Ami's playful clapback, and they're not pulling any punches.
No seriously. Why is Rei Ami so hilarious?
You can stream Kpop Demon Hunters on Netflix.
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Time Magazine
2 hours ago
- Time Magazine
The True Stories Behind 'Echoes of Survivors: Inside Korea's Tragedies'
At first glance, Netflix's The Echoes of Survivors: Inside Korea's Tragedies doesn't have a clear, specific framework. The eight-episode docu-series is a follow-up to 2023's In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal, expanding its focus beyond Korean cults to examine other horrific events that continue to cause trauma and pain in Korean society today. However, as the series goes on, a loosely overarching theme becomes clear: an examination of the lengths people will go for money in a society that allows for, encourages, or rewards the accumulation of wealth above all else. The eight-episode series covers four different events in Korean history—including Busan's Brothers' Home, a follow-up on the legal cases connected to JMS church, the 'Chijon family' gang murders, and the Sampoong Department Store collapse—through interviews with survivors and witnesses, as well as dramatic reenactments of the crimes and footage from news coverage of the events. At times, the series tips into what feels like unnecessarily exploitative behavior, such as dressing the survivors of the Brothers' Home facility in the same tracksuits they were forced to wear as abused children or in the episodes that recount the Chijon gang murders, also known as the Jijonpa serial murder case. In the latter case, justice has been served and it is unclear what purpose watching the sole survivor of the gang's crimes relive the most traumatic event of her life serves, other than as trauma porn. For a series that is ostensibly working to examine the dangers that come within systems that prioritize the accumulation of wealth over human life, these moments feel like a misstep. The cases examined in The Echoes of Survivors will all be familiar to Korean audiences, but perhaps not to global audiences. Most of the cases presented took place during the 80s and 90s in Korea, before the internet, streaming video, and mobile devices kept us so apprised of manmade horrors being perpetrated on the other side of the world. For those who aren't familiar with the subjects covered in Echoes of Survivors, here is a brief explanation of each event. (Content warning: This contains descriptions of child abuse and sexual violence) The history behind Brothers Home Brothers Home, or Hyungje Bokjiwon, was an internment camp operating as a 'welfare facility' in Busan, Korea's second-largest city. It operated from 1975 to 1987, and was propped up by anti-vagrancy ordinances, put in place in the 1960s and ramped up in the lead up to the 1986 Asian Games and the 1988 Summer Olympics. At the time, Korea was under a military dictatorship, which was overthrown in 1987. Brothers Home was owned and run by Park In-geun, a retired military man and a Christian social worker. During this 'social cleansing' period in Korea's history, these 'welfare' facilities were given subsidies from the government based on the number of people they took in. More residents meant more money, so facility management would kidnap people off of the streets, whether or not they fit the description of a 'vagrant,' or someone without a stable job or home. According to Korea's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, those illegally detained off the streets included 'office workers who had fallen asleep outside after drinking too much, children waiting to take trains to visit relatives, teenagers on their way home, people with disabilities, and hospital patients.' Echoes of Survivors focuses on some of the children who were forced into the facility, in many cases kidnapped off of the streets by police officers, many of whom were incentivized by Brothers Home bribes and/or performance score points. Inside the facility, violence was perpetrated daily. This included physical and sexual abuse against women and children. Infants were sold through adoption agencies. Detainees were forced to perform unpaid labor, often with very little food. An estimated 657 people were killed. In total, an estimated 40,000 people were confined at the group residence over the course of its operation, with more than 3,000 people held at once at the facility's 'peak.' The second episode that covers Brothers Home shifts to a search for greater accountability. Ultimately, Park In-geun was found guilty for only embezzlement and corruption, and served just 30 months in prison. He was never found guilty of any human rights abuses, seemingly at least in part due to his political allies in President Chun Doo-hwan's administration and the Busan mayor's office, and died in a nursing home in 2016. In running the facility, Park In-geun appointed loyal family members as directors, including his wife, Lim Sung-soon; her brother Lim Young-soon; and Lim Young-soon's brother-in-law, Joo Chong-chan. Echoes of Survivors sees producer Jo Seong-hyeon and Brothers Home survivor Choi Seung-woo travel to Australia, where some members of the Park family moved after the atrocities of the Brothers Home were made public. They confront some of the living members of the Park family about the wealth they have inherited. Jo also confronts a member of the Park family still living in Korea about his alleged role in the human rights abuses. These scenes make for some of the most powerful, productive moments in the series. Did Brothers Home inspire Squid Game? The Brothers Homes facility has been posited as inspiration for Squid Game in the past. The production perhaps intentionally plays up the aesthetic connection between the real-life atrocities of the Brothers Home and the fictional horrors of Squid Game by having survivors wear tracksuits like the ones they were forced to wear as children while giving interviews. However, Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has never directly cited Brothers Home as an inspiration for the series. The JMS cult case When In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal hit Netflix in March 2023, it shook Korean society. The docu-series, which examines abuses perpetrated by four different religious cults, leads with a focus on Christian Gospel Mission—also known as Providence and as Jesus Morning Star, or JMS. Jung Myeong-seok is the founder of JMS and a self-proclaimed messiah to his tens of thousands of followers across Korea and the world, including in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, and Australia. After being convicted of rape in 2008 and serving a decade in prison, he was indicted again in 2022 for the sexual assault of two female followers. The story of these two survivors, Maple and Amy, were told in the first season of the Netflix documentary. At the time, producer Jo noted that he wanted to tell this story because members of his family have been victims of a pseudo-religious cult. Echoes of Survivors uses two of its episodes to expand on how Jung Myeong-seok's pattern of sexual abuse was kept secret for so long, and the measures to which the organization went to try to keep In the Name of God from being released. Part of this is delving into the role Jung's second-in-command, Jung Jo-eun, played in allowing his abuse of female followers to continue. Last year, she was sentenced to seven years in prison for her role in the abuses. Jung was sentenced to another 17 years in prison in 2024. The docu-series also alleges that members of JMS who are also police officers abused their positions to try to keep Jung out of jail. It wonders just how many Korean institutions include loyal members of JMS. The episodes end with Maple, who is now married to former idol and Olympic swimmer Alex Fong. The couple is expecting their first child. The final JMS episode leaves viewers with this message from Maple: 'To every woman out there going through the same pain as me, let's stay strong.' The Chijon family murders The 'Chijon family' murders, also known as the Jijonpa serial murder case, refer to a series of crimes that took place between 1993 and 1994. The 'Chiwon family' was a gang organized by convicted rapist Kim Gi-hwan, motivated by class anger. Kim convinced six other working class men, aged 18 to 23 at the time, to join him in targeting rich people for extortion and murder. He came up with the idea for the gang after watching a news report about university entrance exam corruption. The gang planned to collect one billion won (roughly $1.25 million at the time). They killed five people, including one of their own members who tried to leave the group. The episodes are built around an interview with the sole survivor of the gang's kidnappings, Lee Jeong-su. In her 20s at the time, she was kidnapped alongside a man she was casually dating. The two were not wealthy, but were driving a Hyundai Grandeur, a car that was considered a sign of wealth at the time. Lee was held by the gang for seven days and was forced to kill several of their targets, including her boyfriend. Upon Lee's escape, facilitated by one of the members of the gang, she reported the crimes to the police. They apprehended the members, who were later sentenced to death. In the episode pair's final act, Echoes of Survivors makes a rushed, incomplete effort to place the murders in a more systemic context. Most murder is informed by broader systemic injustices and true crime media often fails to contextualize its horrors, leading to narratives that contort perpetrators into monsters rather than products of our flawed social systems. Echoes of Survivors makes an attempt to contextualize the Chijon gang's crimes, but it feels hollow after so much of the runtime presents sensationalized media coverage and dramatic reenactments of the crimes without deeper analysis, especially in a docu-series ostensibly focused on survivors' stories. The Sampoong Department Store collapse The final two episodes of The Echoes of Survivors examine Korea's worst 'peacetime' disaster in history: the Sampoong Department Store collapse. In 1995, five years after its opening, one of Seoul's most luxurious department stores collapsed, killing 502 people and injuring another 937. More than half of the victims were employees. Many of the customers in the building at the time of collapse, in the early evening, were women shopping for dinner groceries. The episodes include interviews with some of the survivors of the incident, including then 18-year-old store clerk Yoo Ji-hwan, who was pulled from the wreckage almost 12 days after the initial collapse. The docu-series also includes interviews with some of the people who lost family members in the disaster, and people who assisted in the rescue efforts. The collapse came about as a result of shoddy construction that knowingly broke safety requirements in place at the time. The company originally contracted to build the massive, flat-slab structure left the project after Lee Joon, chairman of the Sampoong Group's construction division, demanded changes to the design that would allow for a more spacious floor plan. Subsequent investigations determined the building was not structurally sound, and was bound to collapse. As much as two months prior to the collapse, employees had noticed a large crack on the roof of the top floor, where the building had begun to crumble. On the day of the collapse, the structural damage became more obvious. As the docu-series recounts, department store management held an emergency meeting at 3pm, roughly three hours before the collapse, to determine if they should close down and evacuate the building. Led by Lee, they voted only to close the fifth floor, wanting to wait until after work hours to inspect the building. Lee didn't want to lose business. Emergency alarms were sounded at 5:50pm, and employees started evacuating shoppers. Two minutes later, the roof and fifth floor of the south wing collapsed, triggering a catastrophic collapse all the way to the basement floors. Lee was later found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and served seven years, six months in prison. His son, Lee Han-sang, who was also president of the store, was convicted of corruption and accidental homicide. Two city planners were convicted of taking bribes. Two months after the collapse, Lee Joon and Lee Han-sang offered the entirety of the Sampoong Group's wealth to help compensate the victims and their families. The former site of the department store houses a luxury high-rise apartment building, despite requests from the victims' families that a memorial be built. Impeached president Yoon Suk-yeol lived in the building before and after his truncated term as president. Echoes of Survivors' builds some connective tissue between incidents like the Sampoong Department Store collapse and more recent Korean disasters, including the Sewol ferry disaster, as preventable manmade tragedies driven by greed. Like other moments in the eight installments, it is left to the viewer to decide how effectively the docu-series walks the line between civic-minded investigative journalism designed to hold power to account and the sensationalization of tragedy for entertainment value.
Business Insider
5 hours ago
- Business Insider
Alex Warren's 'Ordinary' actually is the song of the summer — but nobody wants to admit it
Where is this year's song of the summer? It's the question that's haunted road trippers and pool partiers for months now. But like so many low-stakes mysteries, the answer has been hiding in plain sight (or, in this case, earshot) all along. If we're going with cold, hard facts — Billboard chart data — there's one song that's dominated the airwaves as the weather has warmed. It's just that a soaring love ballad a 24-year-old TikToker wrote about his wife is not exactly the ideal soundtrack for your day at the beach. Released in February, Alex Warren's "Ordinary" took a few months to take off, becoming a bona fide commercial juggernaut by June, when it ascended to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It's remained atop the all-genre chart for nine weeks so far, and continues to dominate Billboard's Songs of the Summer chart, where it hasn't budged from its No. 1 position since Memorial Day. Though it makes every attempt to sound momentous, "Ordinary" is a love song that's true to its name. Dedicated to Warren's wife, Kouvr Annon, the song uses vaguely spiritual lyrics to describe their connection. His vocals backed by hymnal echoes and a pounding drum line, Warren insists "the angels up in the clouds are jealous" of his marital bliss and compares his wife to a sanctuary, a vineyard, and a sculptor. If the song's theme of divine love wasn't clear enough, the couple also costars in the music video, and Warren later released a "wedding version" of the song paired with footage from their real-life nuptials. That the song is generically gooey has worked to its advantage in the airplay department. "Ordinary" owes much of its longevity to companies like iHeartMedia, America's biggest radio network, which allocates tens of thousands of spins to the song each week. In its most recent week atop the Hot 100, "Ordinary" tallied over 73 million radio airplay audience impressions, according to Billboard, compared to only 12.4 million streams and 6,000 copies sold. The song's lack of specificity also makes it a broadly appealing soundtrack for lovey-dovey moments on TikTok, where both versions of "Ordinary" have been used in millions of videos with billions of cumulative views. Annon's own uses of the song, usually featuring sweet moments with Warren, frequently collect over 1 million likes. Please help BI improve our Business, Tech, and Innovation coverage by sharing a bit about your role — it will help us tailor content that matters most to people like you. Continue By providing this information, you agree that Business Insider may use this data to improve your site experience and for targeted advertising. By continuing you agree that you accept the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Call it the home court advantage: As a former YouTuber who joined Hype House, a flashy collective for big-name TikTokers, in 2020, Warren learned and then perfected the art of getting engagement. He and Annon briefly lived in the Los Angeles mansion together, constantly creating content, orchestrating David Dobrik-style pranks, and sharing glimpses of their lives together; Warren described the experience as "college, but for social media." "It helped me learn how to create content that resonates with an audience and can captivate people," he told Variety. Warren's self-conscious positioning as America's top new "wife guy" offers the media a tidy narrative to push while reporting on the song's success — and helps cement "Ordinary" as a favorite song choice for romantic montages and relationship content across the internet. But the differential between the song's commercial utility and its artistic value has perplexed critics and fans alike. "Genuinely WHO is listening to this," reads a recent tweet with over 27,000 likes. Even r/popheads, a Reddit community for recreational pop scholars whose self-appointed mission is to take the merits of the genre seriously, is full of cold contempt for the song's dominance. "I don't think you can deeply hate the song by itself," one commenter wrote, "because it's so fucking boring." Rolling Stone's Larisha Paul coined the phrase "'The Voice' Audition Core" to characterize the musical formula that "Ordinary" follows: ideal for soundtracking a throwaway emotional moment on reality TV, but devoid of any real personality. Indeed, Warren performed the song on the "Love Is Blind" season eight reunion special, slotting easily into a generic vision of happily ever after literally accompanied by a montage of couples. genuinely WHO is listening to this — kaitlyn⋆. 𐙚 ˚ (@kateawaycar) August 4, 2025 Still, there's no denying that "Ordinary" is the summer's defining hit. 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Care for something a little less personal, a little more irreverent? Tinashe and Disco Lines have you covered with the freshly remixed "No Broke Boys." And forget song of the summer, Haim's "Relationships" may be the song of the year. Danielle Haim and her sisters manage to spin the agony of indecision into flippant, funky magic. As the season winds down, a new Taylor Swift album draws closer, and the charts begin to change shape, may "Ordinary" serve as a reminder that summer trends may disappoint or underwhelm — but they never last forever.
Gizmodo
5 hours ago
- Gizmodo
Feast Your Eyes on the Lavish Backdrops of ‘Ne Zha 2'
Ne Zha 2 has already carved out its place in animation history—this year alone, it shattered records to become the highest-grossing animated film as well as the eighth-highest-grossing film, full stop, of all time. Its reputation now precedes it as a global phenomenon, and with that momentum, A24 is set to debut the film's English-language release—featuring Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh and anime favorite Aleks Le—in theaters and IMAX on August 22. But before the premiere, we're unveiling exclusive background art that offers a glimpse into the film's mythic, meticulously crafted world. The first Ne Zha film, released in 2020, is a story that blends elements of Chinese mythology with Buddhist, Confucian, and Daoist influences. It follows Ne Zha (voiced by Crystal Lee), who is the reincarnation of an evil demon orb born to two human parents, Lady Yin (played by Michelle Yeoh) and Li Jing (portrayed by Vincent Rodriguez III). In the first film, available to watch on Peacock, Ne Zha manages to overcome a prophecy that foretold his destruction of the world. His journey is aided by his nurturing parents, spiritual guidance from Master Taiyi (Rick Zieff), and his growing friendship with Ao Bing (voiced by Le), another child of prophecy tied to his own, who shares a dragon heritage that was once fated to be the cause of eternal enmity. Ne Zha 2 sees the boys contend with the wrath of Ao Bing's dragon father, Ao Guang (Christopher Swindle), his aunts and uncles, and his former teacher Shen Gongbao (Daniel Riordan). Meanwhile, Ne Zha is tasked with defending his hometown, Chentang Pass, while facing a series of heavenly trials full of mystical kung fu action and dazzling animation. Keep an eye out for io9's forthcoming review of the film. In the meantime, sit back, relax, and have a gander at some of the background art for Ne Zha 2. And before you ask, this isn't concept art; these are screenshots from the film. For those who want to enter the movie without spoilers, you may want to bookmark this page for later. Otherwise, check out how Beijing Enlight Media took to heart the concept of 'every frame a painting' with a preview of some of the film's lavish backdrops. Main Hall of Yu Xu Palace © A24/Beijing Enlight Media Void Rift Encircling Chentang Pass. © A24/Beijing Enlight Media Star-Gazing Platform © A24/Beijing Enlight Media Chaotic Battle at the Flying Heaven Waterfall © A24/Beijing Enlight Media Furious Assault on Skull Mountain © A24/Beijing Enlight Media Void Rift Encircling Chentang Pass © A24/Beijing Enlight Media Farewell at the Chentang Pass Pier © A24/Beijing Enlight Media Daoist Temples Along the Mid-Slopes of Kunlun Mountain © A24/Beijing Enlight Media Tianyuan Cauldron Divides the Sea © A24/Beijing Enlight Media Ne Zha 2 is set to release nationwide on August 22. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
