Netflix's 'Golden' Breaks Chart Records: K-Pop Animation Soundtrack Dominates Global Music Charts
HUNTR/X's "Golden" from Netflix's animated film K-Pop Demon Hunters continues making history across international music charts, achieving milestones no animated soundtrack has reached in decades.
UK Singles Chart Achievement
The track reached a historic eighth non-consecutive week at number one on the UK Official Singles Chart as of late September 2025, matching The Archies' 1969 classic "Sugar, Sugar" for the longest reign by an animated act in UK chart history. The song spent 13 total weeks on the chart.
"Golden" became only the second K-pop song to top the UK chart when it first reached number one in August 2025-13 years after PSY's "Gangnam Style" spent just one week at the summit in 2012.
Billboard Hot 100 Milestone
On the US Billboard Hot 100, "Golden" achieved seven total weeks at number one (six consecutive) as of early October 2025. The track debuted on the chart at number 81 before climbing to the top position, marking 14 consecutive weeks on the chart.
This makes "Golden" the longest-leading soundtrack song of the 2020s decade, surpassing "We Don't Talk About Bruno" from Disney's Encanto, which led for five weeks in 2022. No soundtrack has ruled longer since "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth held the top spot for 12 weeks in 2015.
The song also became the first K-pop track by female lead vocalists to reach number one on the Hot 100. Of the nine K-pop songs that have topped the chart, the other eight were by BTS or its members. Among K-pop acts, only BTS's "Butter" (10 weeks) has spent more time at number one.
Streaming and Radio Performance
For the week ending September 25, "Golden" recorded:
- 33.8 million US streams (up 5%)
- 33.9 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 11%)
- 8,000 sales (up 2%)
The track dominated the Streaming Songs chart for 10 consecutive weeks and climbed from number 16 to number 9 on Radio Songs, becoming the first animated character act to reach the Radio Songs top 10.
Global Chart Dominance
"Golden" ruled both the Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. US charts for 11 weeks, with 132 million weekly streams worldwide by late September. The song topped charts in over 20 countries and reached the top 10 in more than 30 additional territories.
K-Pop Production Excellence
The K-Pop Demon Hunters soundtrack features production from industry leaders including BLACKPINK producer Teddy Park, The Black Label co-founder KUSH, and Grammy-nominated music supervisor Ian Eisendrath. Songwriters include Jenna Andrews and Stephen Kirk, who created BTS hits "Butter" and "Permission to Dance."
HUNTR/X consists of vocalists EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami performing as the film's characters Rumi, Mira, and Zoey.
Film Success
K-Pop Demon Hunters became Netflix's most popular English-language film with over 236 million views. The soundtrack was the first to place four songs simultaneously in the Billboard Hot 100 top 10, and it held the number two position on the Billboard 200 album chart.
