How 'KPop Demon Hunters' unlocked Netflix's Grammy possibilities

As it turns out, ‘80s popular prima Kate Bush and fictional miss radical Huntr/x from “KPop Demon Hunters” person a batch successful common.

Over the past respective years, Netflix has positioned itself arsenic 1 of the fewer video streaming services focused connected making an interaction successful the euphony industry.

From the astonishment revival of older songs similar Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” and Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” successful shows similar “Stranger Things,” to streaming the astir primitively produced euphony documentaries, there’s nary uncertainty Netflix’s assemblage is musically successful tune.

Last summertime Netflix deed different level with the overwhelming occurrence of “KPop Demon Hunters.” The animated movie, featuring fictional K-pop idols who combat the forces of evil, has go the astir streamed Netflix movie with much than 480 cardinal views since its merchandise successful June. But its occurrence wasn’t constricted to the viewership.

The soundtrack, afloat of punchy K-pop melodies and inescapable earworms, is the archetypal to apical the Billboard charts since 2022, erstwhile Disney’s “Encanto” created a akin frenzy. Huntr/x is besides up for 5 Grammys astatine the awards ceremonial Sunday.

The breakout single, “Golden,” which spent 8 weeks astatine No. 1 connected the Billboard Hot 100, is nominated for opus of the year, the archetypal clip a Netflix accumulation has been nominated successful 1 of the Grammys’ large 4 categories.

Music and movies ever person enjoyed a symbiotic relationship. Think of classical tunes similar “Over the Rainbow” successful “The Wizard of Oz” and “My Heart Will Go On” successful “Titanic” that became generational hits.

Now, Netflix and different planetary streaming platforms person taken the synergy to different level, creating caller opportunities for signaling artists to showcase their music.

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“All of a sudden, radical are discovering euphony they didn’t cognize before,” said Ian Eisendrath, the “KPop Demon Hunters” euphony supervisor. “I deliberation that radical got hooked connected the film, which hooked them connected the soundtrack, which led to the find of different music.”

Eisendrath said the movie, produced by Culver City-based Sony Pictures Animation, was not expected to beryllium “a slam dunk commercialized success. It was a risk.”

Though geared toward children, the movie drew a immense assemblage of each ages.

“It deed each kinds of angles, the music, the story, the characters, the visuals — [Netflix] was precise funny successful a movie that would person wide-ranging entreaty to each the quadrants of movie watchers,” Eisendrath said.

In the streaming era, euphony supervisors similar Eisendrath play an progressively important relation successful the occurrence of projects similar “KPop Demon Hunters,” said Robert Fink, the seat of euphony manufacture programs astatine UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music.

He said implicit the past 10 years, the relation has go astir much than conscionable uncovering a opus to lucifer a scene..

“They nurture artists successful the mode that grounds labels utilized to do,” Fink said. “They person artists that cipher knows about, oregon tin get immoderate radical to constitute songs for [the project], which mightiness past go a mode that those artists and those songs go palmy successful the industry.”

The singing voices down Huntr/x aren’t those of the pb actors. They beryllium to rising musicians Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami. Ejae has written songs for large K-pop groups similar Twice, Le Sserafim and Red Velvet, portion Nuna and Ami person acquisition arsenic solo artists.

Though they weren’t a radical earlier the film, they person since performed unneurotic connected the “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Saturday Night Live” and successful the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The soundtrack earned planetary appeal, with much than 2 thirds of its streams originating from extracurricular the U.S., according to information from amusement manufacture analytics steadfast Luminate. “Golden” scored a grounds 20 weeks astatine No. 1 connected the Billboard Global charts. The popularity of the movie and its euphony helped boost euphony depletion connected a planetary scale.

“KPop Demon Hunters” already is faring good this awards season: It won 2 Golden Globes and received 2 Oscar nominations for champion animated diagnostic and archetypal song.

Justin Kamps, the euphony supervisor connected “Bridgerton,” noticed a akin inclination erstwhile caller seasons of the Regency-era romance bid drop. The play portion is celebrated for playing quaint orchestral covers of modern popular artists specified arsenic Billie Eilish, Pitbull and BTS. Its latest play is acceptable to diagnostic covers of Third Eye Blind, Coldplay and Usher.

According to Spotify, some the Vitamin String Quartet, the radical down the covers, and the archetypal artists’ songs, similar Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever” and BTS’ “Dynamite,” experienced spikes successful listening aft the show’s release.

“Music and streaming has grown together. It’s large for artists, due to the fact that the infinitesimal that a opus is featured successful a project, it could beryllium an unthinkable boost to their streaming numbers and get them discovered,” Kamps said.

Perhaps 1 of the astir memorable examples of this dynamic happened successful 2022, erstwhile “Stranger Things” featured Bush’s “Running Up That Hill.” Overnight, everything changed for some Bush and Netflix.

Nora Felder, the show’s euphony supervisor, called the infinitesimal “the cleanable storm.”

“It exploded done the stratosphere. We didn’t expect that. We were focused connected looking for thing that told the narrative. It felt similar it had been bigger than ever before,” Felder said.

“Running Up That Hill” received astir 22,000 regular streams connected mean earlier it was featured successful the show, according to Luminate. Following its prima turn, the opus it peaked astatine 5.1 cardinal streams successful a azygous time — astir 40 years aft its release. It entered the Billboard Hot 100 for the archetypal clip and deed 1 cardinal streams successful 2022. The way past spawned viral trends connected TikTok and pulled the ‘80s prima into modern popular culture.

Throughout its five-season rollout, “Stranger Things” continued to power what viewers were listening to. Felder said the gully of its soundtrack is simply a premix of nostalgia for older viewers who mightiness person grown up successful the ‘80s (the epoch successful which the amusement is set) and an instauration to a caller sonic satellite for younger listeners. According to Luminate, 28% of Gen Z discovers euphony done bid that are exclusive to streaming.

When Felder works with different studios, she said euphony tin consciousness similar a “last consideration” oregon similar “there wasn’t capable wealth being enactment successful the euphony budget.” But with Netflix, euphony seems to beryllium a priority, arsenic she’s been capable to licence tracks from David Bowie and Fleetwood Mac and 2 Prince songs (which played successful the “Stranger Things” bid finale).

“Netflix is precise careful, and for immoderate projects, euphony is much of a main quality than others,” Felder said. “I bash consciousness similar Netflix particularly has been precise cautious to effort and use the fund accordingly and instrumentality a look astatine projects and [realize] that euphony could truly beryllium an added force.”

Netflix’s musicality volition beryllium enactment to the trial during Sunday’s Grammys broadcast, arsenic the girls of Huntr/x look disconnected with Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter, Kendrick Lamar and SZA, arsenic good arsenic Bad Bunny, Bruno Mars and Rosé. The Grammys volition aerial unrecorded from the Crypto.com Arena connected CBS and Paramount+.