When ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Speech Was Cut Short, Oscars Missed a ‘Golden’ Opportunity

We’ve all seen an Oscar recipient played off by the orchestra before, so why did it feel especially brutal when the songwriting team behind best original song winner “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters was cut off on Sunday night?

On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are discussing the moment, which has been nine months in the making, ever since the animated hit premiered on Netflix in June. The breakout smash song from the project, “Golden,” ended up spending eight weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won a Golden Globe and a Grammy on its way to Oscar glory. Many viewers — especially younger fans and K-pop listeners — were likely tuning in for this award, in addition to the dynamic performance of the HUNTR/X song minutes earlier. So when EJAE gave her heartfelt speech and then began to pass to her fellow songwriters only for them to be cut off by music and a commercial break, it felt like a missed opportunity not to be able to hear from Yu-Han Lee and Mark Sonnenblick about the historic win — though the two songwriters were able to share their speeches backstage after the show, if not to the millions of viewers at home.

Listen to Katie & Keith’s full conversation about the moment below:

Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how Harry Styles goes 4-for-4 on the Billboard 200, scoring his fourth No. 1 debut, which is the entirety of his charting releases. Has anyone else seen their first four chart entries debut at No. 1?

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)