“KPop Demon Hunters” Star’s Unexpected New Song Triggers Heated Reactions

EJAE, known for providing the singing voice of the main character Rumi in KPop Demon Hunters, has found herself at the center of heated debate after the release of her new solo song.

| Netflix

The backlash comes not long after her previous remarks about K-Pop, particularly her “warning” about English lyrics in K-Pop songs.

| @ejae_k/Instagram

Earlier this year, EJAE had expressed her thoughts on the global direction of K-Pop, saying that while the influence of English is understandable, the beauty of the Korean language should remain central to the music.

I feel that K-Pop is leaning more and more toward pop. I understand why there are so many English lyrics, but Korean is such a beautiful language. If it’s K-Pop, it should include Korean. At the same time, K-Pop and English should blend together well. Since I understand both English and the nuances of Korean, the two languages should come together naturally so listeners can really enjoy it.

— EJAE

However, her new track “In Another World,” released on October 24, has drawn attention for being entirely in English, a choice that many netizens saw as contradicting her previous statements.

Many accused the singer of hypocrisy, pointing out the apparent inconsistency between her earlier comments and her creative choices. Others questioned why she would make such strong statements about the importance of Korean lyrics if her own work doesn’t follow that principle.

the hypocrisy of this woman after she got that one hit wonder english song. she literally said korean artists should sing in korean more yet her whole song in english again… https://t.co/lVX1ObGLns

— RED (@_bitchgtfo) October 24, 2025

didn’t she say korean artists should sing in korean more? and yet her whole song in english…

— @benzodiazepinie (@benzodiazepinie) October 24, 2025

her voice annoying as fuck omg https://t.co/kWCnWCVdYP

— zay (@zayyzzzzz) October 24, 2025

On the other hand, some international netizens have come to EJAE’s defense. Others emphasized that she isn’t a K-Pop idol and that her new release isn’t part of the K-Pop industry. They also noted that EJAE is an American artist currently based in Brooklyn and works under a U.S. label — meaning her English-language release aligns naturally with her background and audience.

She’s not a kpop idol, this isn’t a kpop song, this wasn’t released under a kpop banner/record label. It really is as simple as that but y’all like to make fools of yourselves online cuz y’all can’t make basic observation or even research. 😩

— I’m So Random (@randomlyrj_) October 24, 2025

she said kpop songs specifically… clearly yall cannot read

— hana (@hellevatear) October 24, 2025

She’s an American citizen and lives in Brooklyn. This isn’t a K-pop song, she’s not a K-pop idol and works under an American label.

— Me (@underalocomotiv) October 24, 2025