The KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack utilises some of the best and brightest in the genre. That included a partnership with K-pop company The Black Label, co-founded by super producer Teddy Park, known for his work with Blackpink and 2NE1 – empowered girl groups used as references for the film’s protagonists, the trio Huntrix.
It’s one of the many reasons the musical film’s soundtrack stands on its own. Filmmakers “really did their homework,” says Jeff Benjamin, a music journalist who specialises in K-pop.
Indeed, they did a lot of research. One of the film’s directors, Maggie Kang, said that her team prioritised “representing the fandom and the idols in a very specific way” to not disappoint K-pop fans.
They pulled from a treasure trove of influences heard at every corner: The fictional, rival boy band Saja Boys’ hit song Soda Pop, for example, references the ’90s K-pop group H.O.T.
And it has worked. KPop Demon Hunters is the highest charting soundtrack of 2025, with eight of its songs landing on the Billboard Hot 100. It peaked at number two on the all-genre Billboard 200. To put that in perspective: Lorde’s Virgin and Justin Bieber’s Swag did the same.
In some ways, it recalls Disney’s Encanto, which topped the Billboard 200 and produced the number one hit “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” in 2022. Similarly, KPop Demon Hunters embraces “the original soundtrack, which is a lost art form,” adds Benjamin.
Tamar Herman, a music journalist and author of the Notes On K-pop newsletter, says the movie succeeds because it embraces animated musical tradition and authentic K-pop music production styles in equal measure. She considers KPop Demon Hunters to be “a musical with songs inspired by K-pop”, not unlike a jukebox musical, where the songs of ABBA are reimagined for Mamma Mia.
