“Kpop Demon Hunters”' EJAE Goes Platinum for World's Most Beautiful After Her 'Golden' Year

Daniela AvilaWed, April 22, 2026 at 12:00 PM UTC

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“Kpop Demon Hunters”' EJAE Goes Platinum for World's Most Beautiful After Her 'Golden' Year

Two days after the 2026 Academy Awards — where KPop Demon Hunters' EJAE ended a history-making awards season after her megahit "Golden" went multiplatinum and became the first K-pop song to win an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a Grammy — the singer-songwriter, 34, went on a late-night run in Los Angeles.

"I finally let out a cry, and that was the first time I really soaked it in," the Korean American star, born Kim Eun-jae, tells PEOPLE for the World's Most Beautiful issue. "The first thing I said out loud was 'thank you' — to the universe, God and everybody who was involved in my life helping me."

More than two decades into her career, EJAE nearly missed her big break singing as Rumi in the animated movie that is now the No. 1 Netflix film of all time. In the movie, Rumi is part of a fictional group called HUNTR/X, which also features vocals from Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami.

EJAE wearing a OUDE WAAG dress, Blumarine earrings, Alexis Bittar arm cuff and Melinda Maria Jewelry bracelets.Credit: Lenne Chai

"I wanted to give up. It was just not for me," she says of the nonstop hustle. "But my mom always said what you say out loud turns into a story. She says, 'Stop saying that you can't do it, always say that you can.' She always believed in me."

Now it's full speed ahead for EJAE. She's set to return for the KPop Demon Hunters sequel — and is working on a solo album. When asked if anyone she's excited about has reached out to collaborate, she responds with a knowing smile: "Yes — a good amount of people."

“There's a glass ceiling in America, and K-pop just kept throwing a ball, and it kept cracking and cracking," says EJAE. "Finally it broke."

EJAE wearing a Celia Kritharioti Haute Couture jacket, and Melinda Maria Jewelry earrings.Credit: Lenne ChaiREJECTION IS JUST REDIRECTION

EJAE trained for nearly 12 years to be a K-pop idol at SM Entertainment before she was dropped by the agency in 2015.

"I realized my personality doesn't fit being a K-pop idol," she says, adding that she didn't want to be in a position to be scrutinized by the world. "I'm already so hard on myself that even hearing one little comment that can be misconstrued, I would take that to heart."

This is when she decided to pivot.

“I found a new love of a different side of music, which was the underground scene of L.A. and New York. That's when I started writing and producing."

Spending over a decade of her youth training to be a K-pop idol, EJAE says there was pressure to look a certain way.

"I was so obsessed with makeup growing up. I wanted to hide behind makeup because I wanted to look a certain way. Korea is all about trends," she says.

Looking back, she finds the experience beneficial for teaching her fitness and healthy eating habits — but there was an element of comparison.

"One thing that wasn't good was constantly comparing yourself, feeling insecure, not pretty enough. It's hard, especially as a young girl," she says. "Now I'm more accepting of my bare face. I feel the most beautiful after I take a shower, and I put skin care on."

EJAE wearing a AMIRI dress and Swarovski jewelry.Credit: Lenne Chai

Related: Anne Hathaway Is PEOPLE's World’s Most Beautiful Cover Star — That's All!

Born in Korea but raised primarily in Fort Lee, N.J., EJAE says she would get mocked in school for her interest in K-pop.

"It was so uncool. I was actually embarrassed to be Korean," she says.

This is why her performance at the Oscars with her Demon Hunters costars Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami — with Korean culture center stage — made them emotional.

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"At rehearsals, we saw these Korean pansoris and traditional Korean music and instruments, and seeing that made all of us cry," she says. "[Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami] were raised in the States so it just means a lot because that's the side that we try to hide away for so long. To see that come out and be performed in the Oscars, we felt very, very proud."

Throughout her whirlwind year and campaign run, EJAE had her fiancé, Sam Kim, by her side the entire time.

"I was telling him the other day, crying, I don't think I could have gone through this without him," she says of Kim. "I'm so grateful to him because this is not easy and he made me feel grounded."

EJAE met Kim — who's a music producer-turned-coder — in 2017 during a songwriting session. They began dating shortly after and he has inspired her songs like "Psycho" and "In Another World." They got engaged in fall 2023 and she's now set to marry him in the fall.

EJAE wearing a AMIRI dress and Swarovski jewelry.Credit: Lenne Chai

"I'm so freaking excited. I mean, I already said, 'I do.' I have said, 'I do.' We're essentially married, but I just really want that right now," she says of Kim, who was present at her World's Most Beautiful shoot. "I'll just be like, 'Where's my husband?'"

"It's crazy because my life changed. He's literally my home," she says.

As someone who's spent over 20 years pursuing her musical dreams, EJAE has some wisdom for young girls hoping to do the same.

"If you have a dream, take care of it," she says. "But don't lose yourself taking care of it."

Up next, EJAE is taking some time for herself before getting back to work. "I'll be relaxing," she says of the next few weeks.

Then: "I'll be doing a lot of writing and a lot of finding myself as an artist. Finding my sound," she says. "I'm just excited to write with people and collaborate with different people because one of the biggest, most fun things about writing is learning from other writers. I love hearing other people's melodies and lyrical ideas, so I'm very excited about that."

For more World’s Most Beautiful content, including cover star Anne Hathaway, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday.

Credits

Photographer: Lenne Chai

Hair: Mark Alan Esparza / Kramer + Kramer

Makeup: Kevin Cheah / Opus Beauty

Nails: Merrick Fisher / Celestine Agency

Stylists: Jeffrey Jin & Theo Song

Prop Stylist: Gabriela Cobar

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”