Summer hit 2025: “Golden” from Netflix film “KPop Demon Hunters” conquers charts

Berlin. The musical fantasy film "KPop Demon Hunters" is this summer's big surprise hit on the streaming service Netflix. Now it can boast another success: The pop song "Golden" from the animated film has been named the official summer hit of 2025.

This was announced by the market research company GfK Entertainment, which monitors the Official German Charts in Baden-Baden. "Golden" by the fictional girl group Huntrix (also spelled Huntr/X) has topped the German singles charts for two weeks.

The bilingual song in English and Korean has already been streamed nearly 30 million times in Germany. The vocals are performed by Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami.

It is the first international track in four years after “Bad Habits” by Ed Sheeran (2021), which was voted a summer hit in Germany.

In 2024, rapper Shirin David's "Bauch Beine Po" was declared the official summer hit. In 2023, it was the techno song "Mädchen auf dem Pferd" (by Luca-Dante Spadafora, Niklas Dee, and Octavian), and in 2022, the Ballermann hit "Layla" by DJ Robin & Schürze.

With "Golden," a K-Pop song has now landed the official summer hit for the first time, the chart investigators announced. Furthermore, the summer hit title goes to a fictional band for the first time.

The song is about not hiding, but following one's own destiny ("I'm tired of hiding, now I shine"). The lyrics are accompanied by a driving electropop sound.

It's no wonder that "Golden" meets the most important criteria for a summer hit. According to GfK Entertainment, these include "lyrics that are easy to sing along to and a catchy melody that puts you in a good mood." The rhythm also invites you to dance, and countless fans have mimicked the film's choreography on TikTok.

What's more, the song comes from relatively unknown artists or artists who haven't yet had a major hit, at least not in Germany. This is something of a tradition for summer hits, although there have been occasional exceptions (e.g., Shirin David in 2024 or Ed Sheeran in 2021).

"KPop Demon Hunters" is the pop culture surprise of the year. Within just a few weeks, the production has become the most popular animated film in Netflix's history. Within two months, Netflix registered more than 200 million views for the film. The film is poised to become Netflix's most successful film ever.

It's about the K-pop girl group Huntrix, consisting of Mira, Rumi, and Zoey, who lead a double life as demon hunters. With all sorts of fantasy elements, the story of the three friends is told, embedded in the exciting world of superstars who fill huge stadiums.

The song “Golden” has topped the charts in several countries, including the US, Great Britain and Sweden, GfK Entertainment announced.

Six more songs from "KPop Demon Hunters" are currently ranked in the German Top 100. The film's soundtrack also topped the album charts here for a time.

The most famous summer hits of all time include songs like “Macarena” (1996), “Dragostea din tei” (2004), “Wake Me Up” by Avicii (2013) and “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi feat. Daddy Yankee (2017).

RND/dpa