“Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters is now only the third K-pop track to spend 52 weeks — a full year — on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart. NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 08: (L-R) Rei Ami, EJAE and Audrey Nuna attend the KPop Demon Hunters NY Music Focused Tastemaker on December 08, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Netflix)
Getty Images for Netflix
Last summer, Netflix released what would go on to become its most-watched movie of all time, KPop Demon Hunters. The animated musical reached that milestone after a relatively short span of time, and the streamer, which may or may not have been expecting to campaign the project for awards, found itself with an unexpected hit with both critics and fans.
Every original tune featured on the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack became a massive commercial win all around the world, but none compared to the popularity of lead single “Golden.” The catchy cut is credited to the girl group Huntr/x – which was created for the movie – as well as the actual human singers Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami. “Golden” was a sensation and an earworm, and it helped take K-pop to places it had never been before.
“Golden” became the first song from the K-pop genre to win a Grammy, and a short time after that historic showing, it also claimed the Best Original Song prize at the Academy Awards, another first for the South Korean style. There are no more awards to be won for the film, the soundtrack or any of its songs, but Americans are still loving “Golden.” As they continue to press play on the cut, millions of fans help it make history on the Billboard charts this week.
“Golden” Reaches 52 Weeks as a Streaming Smash
As of this period, “Golden” has now spent 52 weeks – an entire year – on Billboard‘s Streaming Songs chart, one of the tougher rankings to crack for any piece of music. The Streaming Songs tally looks only at how many plays a cut racks up each week on sites like Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music and other, similar platforms. This time around, “Golden” improves from No. 38 to No. 33 as it celebrates its first birthday on the tally.
“Golden” Joins Two K-Pop Hits in a Chart Feat
“Golden” is one of only three K-pop-leaning compositions to spend a year on the Streaming Songs chart. Psy’s “Gangnam Style,” the first major K-pop win in America, racked up an incredible 122 turns on the roster beginning in January 2013. “Baby Shark,” credited to the musical act/brand Pinkfong – which some would technically count as K-pop, due to its origins, while other listeners wouldn’t place it in that category – is not far ahead of “Golden,” with 59 frames somewhere on the 50-space roster.
“Golden” Is the Longest-Running K-Pop Ruler
“Golden” is also one of only three tracks that can be classified as K-pop that have reached No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart. The other two are by Psy, as both “Gangnam Style” and “Gentleman” danced all the way to the summit as well.
“Golden” stands out as the longest-running ruler among the trio, with a lucky 13 periods spent in the top spot. That’s just over twice as many as the half-dozen that “Gangnam Style” managed, and six times as many frames as “Gentleman,” which ruled for two weeks more than a decade ago.
“Golden” Nearly Rules at Adult Contemporary Radio
Amazingly, “Golden” also appears in its highest placement yet on one of Billboard‘s radio charts. The only airplay roster on which it currently still finds space, the Adult Contemporary list, shows “Golden” steady at No. 2. It’s been stuck in that position for quite some time behind Alex Warren’s historic smash “Ordinary,” which now stands out as one of the longest-running leaders of all time, with an incredible 36 stints in the penthouse. If “Ordinary” will ever step back, “Golden” may become a rare K-pop radio No. 1 in America – but Warren’s breakout single is proving to be a very tough one to beat.
“Golden” Sets an Adult Contemporary K-Pop Record
“Golden” might not have dominated the Adult Contemporary chart (at least not yet), but it does reach a milestone no other K-pop release has seen before on the tally. The Grammy and Oscar winner has now spent a milestone 40 frames on the Adult Contemporary ranking, one of three pop radio tallies published by Billboard each week. No other smash from an artist typically associated with K-pop has held on for even 30 frames.
“Golden” Lives on Four Billboard Charts
This week, “Golden” lives on four Billboard charts, half of which are based entirely on American consumption. The other two, the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S., look at what the entire world is listening to. This time around, “Golden” – which recently reached a year on those lists – dips slightly to No. 13 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. and to No. 19 on the chart that focuses on what music lovers in every nation are buying and streaming.