Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters is a huge hit, thanks in part to its music. Let’s go over all the songs from the movie, ranked from worst to best!
A few days after finally catching the hit Netflix movie KPop Demon Hunters, I decided to give the songs a listen on their own. And by the time I was done, I had a thought that I never thought would enter my head even a week prior: “I want to get the K-pop songs ranked from this animated musical about superstars who fight demons.” What sounded like the dumbest, most weab-pandering idea of all time has resulted in a clever, heartfelt, gorgeously stylized film that won me over against all odds. And, of course, part of its success is thanks to the great set of original songs showcased throughout the movie. So, why not rank them from worst to best?
For those who don’t know, KPop Demon Hunters is about a K-pop trio called Huntrix, consisting of Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo). They were secretly chosen to battle demons, who themselves are disguised as a rival boyband in a battle for fans’ literal souls. But there’s more going on under the surface, which will require me spoiling the entire film, so be warned. And while each song’s quality is obviously important, I’m also factoring in its sequence and role in the film when determining the order. So, prepare to see how out-of-touch my taste in pop music is as we rank every song in the film from worst to best!
7. Soda Pop
Yup, I know I’ve already lost some people, because this song is apparently a fan favorite. But its last place spot wasn’t even a tough choice for me. “Soda Pop” is the debut song of the demons’ fake boyband, the Saja Boys, and it instantly wins over the street crowd they play it to. It’s about a girl they really like and want to “drink up.” That’s it. It’s the kind of generic bubblegum pop song you’d hear on any radio station, which is the entire point within the story. The song 100% does its job… but so do all the other songs, all of which have actual substance beyond that.
I’d cut “Soda Pop” a bit of slack if it was super catchy or creative, but I’ve never once caught it stuck in my head like the rest of the music in the movie, and even the visuals of its film sequence aren’t very memorable. Sure, you could make the connection that drinking someone’s essence like soda has the dark undertones of the demons drinking people’s souls, but there’s a much better song later on that hits on those themes. This isn’t a bad tune; it’s perfectly listenable and well sung. But it’s the only song I’d call completely unremarkable.
6. Free
KPop Demon Hunters hits us with a big surprise early on: Rumi is part demon and wants to be rid of the tattoos that mark her as such. She forms an unexpected bond with Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop), one of the Saja Boys with his own secrets, and the two eventually sing about finding comfort together and wanting to be free from their pasts. The lyrics can be a bit on the generic side – including “Why does it feel like I can tell you anything?” or “No one sees me the way you do,” – but the heartfelt performances and animated expressions help them come across as very sincere.
“Free” is easily the most low-key song in the movie, both musically and in terms of its respective sequence. The number sees Rumi and Jinu mostly walking and staring longingly at each other before floating up in a pink void towards the song’s ending stretch. This isn’t a bad thing at all, as the simplicity and blocking are extremely effective in making the scene so tender. The sound is mainly melancholy with a tinge of hope, especially fitting when you know how their relationship ultimately ends. I feel bad putting “Free” so low, because the songs have already gotten really good. It just has a lot of competition that stands out above it.
5. How It’s Done
As a tune on its own, “How It’s Done” honestly doesn’t do much for me. The melody and beat don’t flow organically to my ears, and some lyrics like, “Makin’ fear afraid to breathe,” are among the cringiest in the film. But as the film’s first song that kicks us off, it wholly succeeds. The demon hunters’ fighting prowess is introduced through a colorful – yet, to them, standard – battle, one of the flashiest fights in the film that gives us a great sense of the action in general. The three women’s distinct but still synergized personalities are firmly cemented even just through their voices as they sing and rap along.
To give the lyrics credit, they effectively encompass pretty much every part of this weird, dual lifestyle that Huntrix leads, weaving their way between the glamor of fame and the badassery of chopping down monsters. It’s also funnily established that the songs sung in KPop Demon Hunters actually exist as the pop groups’ hits in-universe, with “How It’s Done” being sung by Huntrix fans as their idols drop into their own show from the sky. This track may not get many listens from me, but it lays down a lot of worldbuilding groundwork right away, showing us how a musical introduction is done.
4. Takedown
“Takedown” is Huntrix’s diss track against the Saja Boys. But what’s interesting is that the writing process for the song has more prominence than any actual performance of it. It’s filled with not-so-subtle double meanings like, “A demon with no feelings don’t deserve to live” that sound hilariously harsh out of context. But as Rumi starts getting to know Jinu, she develops second thoughts on singing about framing all demons as inhuman, which in turn grows the already-forming doubts the other women have about her intentions.
The best use of the song comes when two demons disguise themselves as Rumi’s bandmates and spew her very own lyrics right back at her, reminding her that she is hiding her own patterns that make her “ugly as sin” in her eyes. But much like Jinu, there’s more to her than that. Plus, this internal conflict somewhat satirizes the nature of diss tracks and how they can oversimplify or over-villainize their targets. And as a standalone track, “Takedown” is just plain fun for its pulsing, aggressive beat and hummable chorus, making it one of the film’s breakout tracks for good reason.
3. Your Idol
On the opposite side of the battlefield, The Saja Boys begin our climax with this sinister number about getting someone addicted to them as idols, which they use to sap away the souls of their audience. It’s essentially the film’s villain song, complete with demonic chanting, eerie strings, and high-pitched belting that comes close to sounding like a wild wolf’s howl. The performance is filled with fiery reds and vampiric Saja Boys in black robes, putting on a dance that exudes creeping power and visibly forces their listeners under the spell. “Your Idol” is the ultimate representation of the demons’ entire M.O., and the lyrics about how “your obsession feeds our connection,” go perfectly with the darkly seductive visuals.
Plus, in keeping with the almost satirical touches in KPop Demon Hunters, the song doubles as a jab at real-life fans who grow addicted to their favorite boybands or any other musical acts, basically viewing them as their whole world while the artist in turn preys on that mentality. “Your Idol” is dark, creepy, infectiously catchy, and a perfect way to show the film’s world at its lowest point before salvation arrives.
2. What It Sounds Like
Having the world be saved through song is ridiculous on paper. But dammit, KPop Demon Hunters makes it work with “What It Sounds Like.” When all hope is lost, Rumi has finally accepted who she is and walks onstage with a song straight from the heart. Mira and Zoey’s trance is broken and they join in despite having never heard it, because magical music reaches out and bridges souls in this world, and by now you’ve likely just accepted that. Joking aside, this is a touching number about seeing beauty in damage and no longer hiding your scars. I love way it builds in tempo and intensity as it goes, starting with Rumi singing solo and having the other two join in after in perfect literal harmony.
The “mechanics” of how all this works don’t need to be fully explained. You see the visuals unfolding, you hear the words being sung, and you have all you need. “What It Sounds Like” also features some of the film’s best animation, as the demons and Huntrix face off in one final, emotional showdown to go with the triumphant track. And to tie everything together musically, everyone’s souls are restored while a callback to the earlier “Golden” washes over them. Oh yeah, speaking of which…
1. Golden
“Golden” doesn’t contain the most dazzling animation, nor is it even the most lyrically clever song in the lineup. But for me, it boasts the most impactful use of any song in the movie and is the heart of the story. The track is about Huntrix proudly declaring their self-assured, shining success as stars and people. The lyrics give us a small taste of Mira and Zoey’s backstories, the beat is booming and propulsive, the melody is rousing and warm (not to mention a massive earworm), and the vocals from Ejae – who does Rumi’s singing voice – are unbelievably powerful.
But at the halfway point, Rumi sings her part in her room and shows us her demon tattoos for the first time. The song – and the whole film – had previously been so upbeat, so it’s a huge jolt to have this reveal come so casually, without warning, in the middle of the big empowerment song. And when you realize that Rumi is not shining as her real self, “Golden” transforms into an “I Want” song in disguise. Nowhere is that clearer than when she’s on a rooftop, singing a cappella by herself, only to lose her voice because she’s not living true to the song’s message.
That was the moment when I knew this movie was going to work. It says so much about Rumi’s sense of identity, her isolation, and the contrast between a song and its songwriter, and it makes you hear the whole track in a completely different light. Even Rumi’s rousing chanting of, “We’re going up, up up!” starts sounding like a desperate plea, like she wants to reach those heights instead of already being there. But then, during the finale, the song creeps in again, and this time it finally matches how she feels at her core. “Golden” is not only my favorite song to listen to, but it encapsulates nearly everything that makes KPop Demon Hunters such a deceptively good movie.
KPop Demon Hunters is now available to stream globally on Netflix. Read our review below!
