The songwriting team behind ‘Golden’ used the backstage press room to wrap up an Oscar acceptance speech that viewers had never heard before on live television. Moments after the song won Best Original Song at the 98th Academy Awards, the group was struck mid-speech, cutting off what should have been a big moment for the group behind one of the biggest songs on ‘KPop Demon Hunters’.The win also marked a historic first, as ‘Golden’ became the first K-pop song to win the Oscar for Best Original Song.
What happened after the speech was interrupted
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, the interruption happened when Yu Han Lee started speaking on stage. The sudden interruption, followed by a commercial break, prompted gasps from reporters backstage. That reaction carried over into the press room, where the band returned to finish the thank-you they couldn’t give during the show.EJAE told reporters: “We feel very grateful and very honored. We have all worked very hard and this is a collaborative effort, we have to thank our directors. They have created a beautiful film. Everyone has participated and we are very happy that the hard work has paid off.”He also made it clear that he still has a lot more people to thank. “Also, I was supposed to thank Rei Ami and Audrey Nuna on stage, but I didn’t make it because they cut us off. They killed it with their singing and they’re awesome people and I love them so much.”
What the ‘Golden’ group said backstage
Lee also finished the statements he couldn’t finish on stage. “I would like to thank all of our families, my Idol members and Teddy Park. This is an incredible honor,” she said.Mark Sonnenblick, who also didn’t get a chance to speak during the telecast, used the stage moment to emphasize the larger message of the film and the scale of the collaboration behind it. “[I’d like to thank] my family, some of them here tonight, my husband, Isaac, who is here tonight. But also to say that everyone who worked on this movie, all the animators, it was a real collaboration,” he said.He added: “Part of the film is a film where you look at someone you’ve been taught to hate and fear, and start to trust, maybe start to love. And that’s part of what the film is about.”Sonnenblick ended the song with a line that connected the night to a bigger feeling. “[The song lyrics are not] “I’m going up, up, up.” It’s ‘up, up, up’. ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ also won Best Animated Feature, giving the film an even bigger Oscar night.
