They鈥檙e going up, up, up; it鈥檚 . EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seon and Teddy Park 鈥� the team behind the global smash 鈥淕olden鈥� from took home the original song award on Sunday.
It is a first-time win and nomination for all seven members behind the hit. It is also the first K-pop song to win in the category.
is an animated, musical film about a fictional K-pop girl group tasked with saving the world by defeating demons. Netflix has said it is the platform鈥檚 most watched film of all time and has amassed hundreds of millions of hours viewed worldwide. It also produced the highest charting soundtrack of 2025 with eight of its songs landing on the Billboard Hot 100.
鈥淭hank you so much to the Academy,鈥� EJAE started her speech, holding back tears. 鈥淭his award is not about success, it’s about resilience.鈥�
鈥淕olden鈥� beat Diane Warren for 鈥淒ear Me鈥� from 鈥淒iane Warren: Relentless,鈥� Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig 骋枚谤补苍蝉蝉辞苍 for 鈥淚 Lied to You鈥� from 鈥淪inners,鈥� Nicholas Pike for 鈥淪weet Dreams of Joy鈥� from 鈥淰iva Verdi!鈥� and Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner for 鈥淭rain Dreams鈥� from 鈥淭rain Dreams.鈥�
When nominations were announced in January, EJAE that she was totally shocked by the recognition. 鈥淚t just doesn鈥檛 feel real even right now. I鈥檓 just still trying to digest the situation. It鈥檚 just definitely a dream come true. And that鈥檚 why, you know, we write 鈥� to have a song that everyone can sing, and not just sing, but make them feel good, because the lyrics (are) very uplifting, and challenge them to sing those high notes,鈥� she said. 鈥淔or me, also, it鈥檚 the fact that there are Korean lyrics in it. It is just kind of really crazy to see everyone from all different countries and races singing it. So, I鈥檓 just forever grateful to be a part of this incredible film that I wish I grew up watching, too.鈥�
鈥楽inners鈥� wins best score
Three-time Academy Award winner won the Oscar for original score for 鈥淪inners,鈥� winning his third Academy Award.
骋枚谤补苍蝉蝉辞苍 beat Jerskin Fendrix (鈥淏ugonia鈥�), Max Richter (鈥淗amnet鈥�), Jonny Greenwood (鈥淥ne Battle After Another鈥�) and Alexandre Desplat (鈥淔rankenstein鈥�).
骋枚谤补苍蝉蝉辞苍 previously won original score Oscars for 2018鈥檚 鈥淏lack Panther鈥� and 2023鈥檚 鈥淥ppenheimer.鈥�
鈥淢y dad bought his first blues album in Sweden, 1964,鈥� 骋枚谤补苍蝉蝉辞苍 said, crediting his dad鈥檚 love of music for his own. He 鈥渄evoted his whole life to music,鈥� the composer said. Eventually his father gave him a guitar and opened up his world.
鈥淚 love the guitar,鈥� he continued. 鈥淚t was the guitar that eventually led me to one of the greatest storytellers of our time, Ryan Coogler.鈥�
鈥淪inners鈥� is filmmaker Coogler鈥檚 bluesy, vampire, gangster musical about the tenuousness of life in the Jim Crow South. But it鈥檚 also a story of two brothers coming home to Mississippi in 1932 to launch a juke joint after spending time on the German front in World War I and then learning from Al Capone in gangland Chicago, as The Associated Press鈥� It鈥檚 a also story about love, and one about music, especially the transporting power of the blues. 鈥淪inners鈥� entered the night with a record-setting 16 nominations.
When the nominations were announced in January, that he was grateful for the recognition for this project in particular.
鈥淲e woke up to a bunch of amazing, beautiful texts and calls. And it鈥檚 very much like a family affair, this film. Everyone on 鈥淪inners,鈥� we鈥檝e been working together for a long time and we鈥檙e kind of like a family,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 cool about this film, and what鈥檚 incredible about this movie, is that it鈥檚 about blues music. It鈥檚 about a guitar player. … Anything we鈥檙e hearing today on the radio and from Western culture, you know, wouldn鈥檛 exist if it wasn鈥檛 for blues. Ryan (Coogler) was able to show that in the movie and through the movie.鈥�
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