EJAE says one of the most intimidating moments of her whirlwind KPop Demon Hunters year came when she looked into the audience during the BAFTAs and found Leonardo DiCaprio staring back at her.
The singer and songwriter, who provides Rumi’s singing voice in the Netflix animated film, performed “Golden” alongside Audrey Nuna and REI AMI at the EE BAFTA Film Awards in February. Months later, she admitted that she still thinks about mistakes she made during the live performance.
In a new interview covered by Entertainment Weekly, EJAE recalled noticing DiCaprio directly in front of her as she approached one of the song’s highest notes. His serious expression only added to nerves she was already feeling while performing in a room packed with major film stars.
“The BAFTAs haunt me,” EJAE said. She acknowledged cracking slightly on the high notes and recalled that DiCaprio “was not smiling,” explaining that making eye contact with him during the performance left her even more nervous.
The High Note Came as DiCaprio Was Looking On
EJAE said the distracting moment arrived as she reached the words “born to be,” which come during one of the highest sections of “Golden.” She looked into the audience and locked eyes with DiCaprio. “That’s what put me off,” EJAE told The Times. “He made me so nervous.”
The setting was already overwhelming before the unexpected eye contact. “It was already so nerve-racking to be in front of all these celebrities,” she said. “And then I look up and lock eyes with Leonardo DiCaprio? Come on.”
BAFTA had announced the appearance as EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI’s first live performance together outside the United States. The three singers provide the voices of fictional K-pop group HUNTR/X’s Rumi, Mira and Zoey in KPop Demon Hunters.
Looking back months later, EJAE remained unusually hard on herself about the performance. “The BAFTAs haunt me,” she told The Times. “I made mistakes. I cracked a little bit on the high notes.”
The BRIT Awards Felt Very Different
EJAE had another major British performance less than a week later, but she said the atmosphere at the BRIT Awards made her considerably less nervous. HUNTR/X performed “Golden” for an invited audience of fans outside Manchester’s Co-op Live in a performance filmed in advance and shown during the Feb. 28 BRIT Awards broadcast.
“Because it was performing to fans, kids being like ‘Rumi, you got this!'” EJAE told The Times when explaining why the BRITs felt easier. “I never knew that sentence would be so heartwarming and helpful.” The BRIT Awards described the appearance as the ceremony’s first-ever performance by a K-pop act.
HUNTR/X entered the awards with two nominations. “Golden” was nominated for International Song of the Year, while EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI were nominated as HUNTR/X for International Group of the Year. They did not win either category. ROSÉ and Bruno Mars’ “APT.” won International Song of the Year, while Geese won International Group of the Year.
EJAE Has Been Open About Pressure
The BAFTAs story fits with EJAE’s broader openness about the pressure that came with suddenly performing “Golden” on some of the world’s biggest stages after years spent largely behind the scenes as a songwriter.
EJAE spent years training in the K-pop industry and later established herself as a songwriter before KPop Demon Hunters dramatically raised her public profile as both a writer and performer.
Beyoncé Left EJAE Starstruck for a Very Different Reason
In the same Times interview, EJAE recalled meeting Jay-Z and Beyoncé at an afterparty. “I was at their afterparty and Jay-Z came up to me and said, ‘Hi, my name’s Shawn,'” she recalled. “I was beyond starstruck.”
Meeting Beyoncé had even more significance for EJAE, who called her an idol. “Beyoncé is my idol and she said, ‘You have an incredible voice,'” EJAE said.
She was surprised that Beyoncé was familiar with “Golden” and asked her directly about it. According to EJAE, Beyoncé responded, “Yeah, my girls sing it.” Also, Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s younger daughter is named Rumi, the same name as EJAE’s character in KPop Demon Hunters.
‘Golden’ Ultimately Took EJAE to the Oscars
At the 98th Academy Awards on March 15, the song won the Oscar for Best Original Song. EJAE shared the award with fellow songwriters Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo and Teddy Park.
The Academy also brought EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI onto the Oscars stage to perform “Golden” during a KPop Demon Hunters musical sequence.