Some artists chase the spotlight, but EJAE was built for it. In 2026, the K-Pop Demon Hunters songwriter-turned-star — the singing voice of Rumi — is everywhere all at once: fresh off a Golden Globes win, gearing up for the Grammys, and now, soundtracking a reimagined Phil Collins classic just in time for the Super Bowl. If it feels like EJAE has the future on lock, that’s because she does — right down to HUNTR/X’s hypothetical Super Bowl halftime set list. “I think it would start with ‘How It’s Done,’ and probably close with ‘Golden,’” she tells Her Campus in an exclusive interview.
That order isn’t random. It’s storytelling. “How It’s Done,” she explains, is pure adrenaline. “That song took a long time to write. It’s such a great introduction to the girls, and just a great amping up song and hyping you up and making you feel confident and badass.” And “Golden” — a song that’s already become synonymous with yearning and hope — was written during a period when EJAE desperately needed it herself. “I was going through a really hard time,” she admits. “Writing it was incredibly cathartic. I was grateful that the story and the songwriting kind of aligned with what I was going through.” Recording it was just as intense. “While recording the song, I did tear up. It was a therapeutic moment for me,” she says.
In K-Pop Demon Hunters, the song represents Rumi’s desire that’s so big it almost hurts. “It scales upward on purpose,” EJAE explains, “to kind of physically, sonically show that metaphor of reaching for a dream and also straining for it.” Still, “Golden” isn’t the only Demon Hunters track EJAE thinks deserves love. If she could put one more song into the spotlight, it would be “What It Sounds Like.” She says, “It has an incredible message behind it. It’s really about the feeling of never wanting to give up.”
HUNTR/X may not really be headlining the Super Bowl halftime show, but EJAE is stepping into the Big Game spotlight as part of Liquid I.V.’s first-ever Super Bowl campaign. For the brand’s Super Bowl debut, EJAE re-recorded Phil Collins’s “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)” delivering a stripped-back, intimate version as part of a Big Game teaser called Tiny Vanity Concert. The teaser was filmed not on a massive stage, but at a bathroom vanity. (You can follow Liquid I.V. on Instagram and on TikTok for more info how to watch EJAE’s extended version, and catch every reveal leading up to the Big Game.)
To EJAE, the assignment was terrifying yet thrilling. “I felt nervous because it’s such an iconic, timeless song, but [I was] also really excited,” EJAE says. “It’s a song that my dad sings a lot in karaoke and my mom knows this song. Everyone knows this song in Korea as well, so it was such an honor.”
EJAE herself is being honored with multiple awards this season — she won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song, is nominated for five awards at the 2026 Grammys including Song of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, and earned her first Oscar nom in the 2026 category of Best Song. Her biggest red carpet takeaway so far? Energy management. “My biggest lesson is being hydrated and having energy to get through the day,” she says. Grammys day, for EJAE, will be about staying grounded and ready to show up as her best self. “A great way to stay hydrated for a long period of time is Liquid I.V.,” she says. “As a singer, that’s key.”
With awards season in full swing, EJAE is still looking forward to her next chapter — especially with new music on the way. With her upcoming project (her new single, “Time After Time,” will drop on Feb. 3), EJAE says she’s “just discovering different sides of me.” In other words, EJAE isn’t boxing herself into one sound or storyline. Instead of spelling everything out, she’s leaving space for fans to connect the dots and find their own meaning in the music. She says, “It’s up to the listeners. I’m excited — so stay tuned.”