AP US History teacher Susan King has recently been listening to “Golden” from the movie “K-pop Demon Hunters.”

“It gets stuck in my head and it’s not going away,” King said. “I am having a blast in the car singing it loud and off-key.” 

“Golden” is an empowering Korean-pop song about shining as the best version of yourself you can be. The song recounts the upbringings of HUNTR/X, the fictional K-pop girl group from “KPop Demon Hunters.”

The song was written to act as the “I want” song for the movie. “I want” songs function as an insight into what the character(s) singing the song wants to change or what they dream to be or have. 

In the case of “K-pop Demon Hunters,” the main singer, Rumi, wants to become the authentic version of herself and stop hiding who she really is. The lyrics “I’m done hidin’, now I’m shining like I’m born to be / Oh, our time, no fears, no lies” represent the desire to stop being afraid and to step out of your shell and into the light. 

HUNTR/X is composed of three girls–Rumi, Mira, and Zoey–whose vocals are provided by the singers EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, respectively. EJAE helped co-write the song using her experience as a former K-Pop trainee. The pressure and struggles she had while improving influenced the emotionally charged lyrics of “Golden.”

“It’s just got a lot of energy, and it’s peppy, and it’s fun,” King said. “I feel silly that I am, you know, a grown-up adult woman listening to a K-pop song, but by-golly I love it.”

You can listen to “Golden” as well as EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami’s other songs now on all streaming platforms.