LOS ANGELES — HUNTR/X, the powerhouse girl group at the heart of Netflix’s animated blockbuster “KPop Demon Hunters,” has transcended its fictional origins to become one of 2025-2026’s most talked-about musical acts. Voiced and performed by real-life artists EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, the trio has racked up billions of streams, award wins, and live performances, proving that a made-for-movie band can dominate charts and culture. Here are 10 essential things to know about HUNTR/X as the project continues to evolve in early 2026.
1. **Fictional Origins in a Hit Animated Film** HUNTR/X debuted in the Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation film “KPop Demon Hunters,” released June 20, 2025. The story follows Rumi (voiced by Arden Cho, sung by EJAE), Mira (May Hong/Audrey Nuna), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo/Rei Ami) — global K-pop superstars by day who secretly battle demons to protect humanity and maintain a magical barrier called the Honmoon. Their music powers the narrative, using songs to reinforce the barrier against supernatural threats, including rival demon boy band Saja Boys.
2. **Real-Life Voices Behind the Phenomenon** The singing voices — EJAE (lead vocalist and songwriter for Rumi), Audrey Nuna (Mira), and Rei Ami (Zoey) — are established independent artists who brought authenticity to the tracks. EJAE, known for her powerful vocals, leads many anthems; Audrey Nuna adds soulful depth; and Rei Ami infuses pop-rap energy. Their collaboration created a cohesive sound blending K-pop, R&B, and pop elements that resonated far beyond the screen.
3. **Breakout Hit “Golden” Makes History** The soundtrack single “Golden” became a cultural juggernaut, topping the Billboard Hot 100 and amassing over 1.49 billion streams on platforms like Spotify. In early 2026, it made history as the first K-pop-associated song to win a Grammy, taking Song of the Year at the 2026 ceremony. The track’s triumphant lyrics about rising above challenges mirrored the film’s themes and fueled massive fan engagement.
4. **Live Performances and Award Show Dominance** HUNTR/X crossed into reality with live appearances by EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami. They performed “Golden” at major events including the 2026 Grammys red carpet interviews, BRIT Awards, BAFTAs, and even a halftime show at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup. These high-profile slots solidified their status, with fans treating them as a legitimate group separate from the film.
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5. **Soundtrack Success and Chart Impact** The full “KPop Demon Hunters” soundtrack, featuring tracks like “How It’s Done,” “Takedown,” and group anthems, topped charts globally. Songs received heavy rotation on playlists, with monthly listeners for HUNTR/X exceeding 39 million on Spotify. The project’s music has been praised for its confident production and empowering messages, appealing to both animation fans and K-pop enthusiasts.
6. **Fandom and Cultural Reach** Officially dubbed “Hunters,” the fandom adopted purple as an unofficial color. Online communities on Reddit, X, and TikTok exploded, with discussions ranging from lore analysis to calls for HUNTR/X to become a permanent real-world act. The group’s success blurred fiction and reality, inspiring fan art, covers, and mashups that kept momentum alive months after the film’s streaming debut.
7. **Sequel in Development for 2029** Netflix confirmed talks for a “KPop Demon Hunters” sequel targeting a 2029 release. The follow-up would reunite HUNTR/X for new adventures, building on the first film’s box-office and streaming triumph. Producers have teased expanded storylines, more music, and deeper exploration of the characters’ dual lives.
8. **Merchandise, Official Channels, and Fan Engagement** An official HUNTR/X website (huntrix.ca) offers merchandise, while YouTube channels and Spotify artist pages host content like lyric videos and behind-the-scenes clips. The group maintains a strong digital presence, with fans streaming the soundtrack and engaging in viral challenges tied to songs like “Golden.”
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9. **Addressing AI Rumors and Authenticity Debates** Early speculation questioned whether vocals used AI enhancement, sparked by the polished production. Rei Ami publicly clapped back, defending the human effort behind the tracks. Discussions highlighted the project’s soulful execution versus “AI slop,” reinforcing that HUNTR/X represents genuine artistry from talented performers.
10. **A Milestone for Fictional Acts in Pop Culture** HUNTR/X exemplifies how animated projects can launch real musical careers. From Grammy wins to award show stages, the trio’s journey shows the power of cross-media storytelling in the streaming era. As fans await sequel news and potential new music, HUNTR/X stands as proof that great songs — fictional or not — can conquer the world.
The project’s ongoing impact underscores a shift where virtual idols and animated stars compete with traditional acts. With awards hardware, chart records, and a dedicated global following, HUNTR/X continues to hunt success well into 2026.
The delay in the decision is preventing major expansion on the site
Trevor Bevins, Local Democracy Reporter
07:43, 15 Apr 2026
A map of how Dorset Innovation Park might look(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service)
A significant increase in employment at Dorset’s Innovation Park could materialise next year – once the Ministry of Defence finalises its future spending plans. Councillors have been informed that a delay in spending decisions by the MoD is already preventing one major expansion on the site, which already has planning approval, with other potential developments likely to proceed as soon as funding is confirmed.
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Several of the companies on the site are defence-related including those working on the development of autonomous and semi-autonomous machines for land, sea and air.
The Dorset Council-owned enterprise zone site has recently completed the acquisition of additional land next to the site with discussions also taking place about attracting a hotel after a consultant’s report indicated it should be commercially viable.
Other discussions under way include plans for a new gatehouse, which is currently regarded as a drawback for the Winfrith site, and a proposal to establish a catering outlet, possibly located at the Battlelab.
Councillors on the shareholders committee have also been informed that approaches are being made for a permanent education satellite facility on the park – with discussions having taken place with Bournemouth University, Yeovil College and Plymouth University.
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The shareholders committee was told that Fareham Borough Council, which owns a similar business park, ‘took off’ after securing a permanent higher education facility on its site.
Businesses already operating at the Dorset site are understood to be supportive of securing an education partner, which would assist with their own workplace training programmes, with many indicating it is crucial to future job creation and staff retention.
Outstanding issues include public transport links to the site from the surrounding area, with priority being given to connections from Wool railway station to the Innovation Park – proposals under consideration include establishing a bus route and exploring alternative options such as hire electric bikes and scooters.
Dorset Council’s portfolio holder for finance, Cllr Simon Clifford, told the shareholders meeting he was ‘heartened’ by the progress being made by the company which will eventually assume day-to-day management of the site – a responsibility currently being shared with Dorset Council officers.
Small deep value individual investor, with a modest private investment portfolio, split approx. 50%-50% between shares and call options. I have a B.Sc. in aeronautical engineering and over 6 years of experience as an engineering consultant in the aerospace sector. The latter statement is not relevant in any way whatsoever to my investment style, but I thought to add it for self-indulgent purposes. I have a contrarian investment style, highly risky, and often dealing with illiquid options. How illiquid? Well, you can land a Jumbo on the spread and still have clearance for take-off. From time to time, I buy shares, mostly to not be categorized as a degen by my fellow investor friends, therefore the 50%-50% allocation. My timeframe tends to be between 3-24 months.I like stocks that have experienced a recent sell-off due to non-recurrent events, particularly when insiders are buying shares at the new lower price. This is how I often screen through thousands of stocks, mainly in the US, although I may own shares in banana republics. I use fundamental analysis to check the health of companies that pass through my screening process, their leverage, and then compare their financial ratios with the sector, and industry median and average. I also do professional background checks of each insider who purchased shares after the recent sell-off. I use technical analysis to optimize the entry and exit points of my positions. I mainly use multicolor lines for support and resistance levels on weekly charts. From time to time I draw trend lines, taken for granted, in multicolor patterns. Note: I tried to keep my introduction as real, and authentic as possible. I dislike empty suits, high-level BS, deep-level BS, unnecessary jargon, and self-indulgent, third-person written introductions with an air of superiority.Thanks for reading my introduction!
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The shares of IT companies surged up to 5% on Wednesday, amid overall optimism on Dalal Street and Wall Street following hopes for fresh Iran-US talks, along with easing concerns about AI-led disruption.
After taking a significant beating earlier this year due to AI worries and war-led inflationary concerns, the stocks have partially recovered so far in April. Nifty IT jumped more than 2% to emerge as one of the top sectoral gainers on the markets today.
Fresh hopes for Iran-US peace talks
Pakistani officials cited by the Associated Press indicated on Tuesday that Islamabad has proposed a second round of talks to the United States and Iran, while US Vice President JD Vance earlier said negotiations with Iran “did make some progress” and US President Donald Trump said earlier “we’ve been called by the other side” and “they want to work a deal.”Trump hinted at the second round of talks, saying Iran talks ‘could be happening over the next two days’ in Pakistan, as quoted by Reuters, citing the NY Post. He said that Washington was more ‘inclined’ to go to Pakistan for the peace talks that could possibly bring an end to the nearly seven-week-long war in the Middle East. The renewed hopes for fresh peace talks, after the previous round collapsed over the weekend, boosted investor sentiment.
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Earlier, the raging war in the oil-rich Middle East and the subsequent rally in energy prices had led to inflationary worries in the US. IT companies derive a major portion of their revenue from the US economy, inflationary worries and concerns around subsequent lower demand impacted IT stocks back home on Dalal Street. However, the renewed optimism has boosted investor sentiment.
AI worries
Before the Middle East war, it was artificial intelligence that dampened sentiment for the IT stocks earlier this year. The tech stocks saw a massive decline in February with the launch of new and innovative artificial intelligence tools by AI startup Anthropic, which triggered worries around disruption in the software services. Back on Dalal Street, shares of Infosys, Wipro, TCS, HCLTech and other IT companies, saw a sharp selloff.However, while some doomsday prophets painted a grim picture for IT shareholders, some analysts were quick to point out that an overall replacement of software engineers by AI is unlikely. The new technology would instead increase efficiency across the companies, boosting margins, according to them.
Goldman Sachs released its Q1 earnings on Monday. During an analyst’s call, David Solomon, Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs, said he is hugely forward-leaning on the power of artificial intelligence to accelerate growth at the bank. “Whenever you have accelerations in new technology, there are going to be bumps, there will be risk issues, and recalibrations. But the power of this technology to use it in an enterprise to increase efficiency is incredibly constructive,” he added. Entrepreneur and financial expert Gurmeet Chaddha highlighted that Solomon claimed that AI taking over enterprise software is not easy.
IT shares rally
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) shares, which recently fell after its Q4 results, gained more than 3% today to trade at Rs 2,551 apiece.
Wall Street ended higher yesterday, with the S&P 500 jumping more than 1% to close near the record high level it had hit in January. Tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained nearly 2% while Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.7%. Microsoft shares gained more than 2%, while Amazon rallied nearly 4%.
Calm before the storm?
Despite the optimism, some caution is warranted. After previous Claude models rattled investor confidence in the sector, Anthropic’s latest release, a preview of a model called Mythos is spooking investors. “Mythos’ significant improvement in software engineering-related tasks is a departure from the trend of incremental improvements between consecutive frontier models,” Kotak Institutional Equities said in a note. “These developments could have implications for IT services firms.”
Additionally, Trump is notorious for his decision flip flops and the peace talks have already once failed, keeping investors on the edge and sentiment fragile.
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(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)
Papilo, the Swinton-based waste management group, has completed its third acquisition in the last 12 months(Image: Papilo)
A Greater Manchester waste management group backed by private equity firm Palatine has made its third acquisition in a year. Papilo has acquired REKK Recycling, which is based in Uddingston near Glasgow, in a move that also expands its reach across the UK.
Michael Gibson, who joined Swinton-based Papilo as CEO earlier this month, said: “REKK is an excellent strategic addition for Papilo and enhances our geographical presence into Scotland.
“Like ourselves, the company’s ethos is built on best-in-class customer service and on supporting better environmental outcomes through recycling. Founders Steven and John have done a fine job in building the business and I am pleased that along with their team they are remaining with the group for the next phase of growth.”
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Greg Holmes, senior investment director at Palatine Impact Fund said: “REKK is an excellent fit for Papilo – not just geographically, but in its shared commitment to diverting waste from landfill and supporting clients to take a more responsible approach to resource management.
“This is Papilo’s third acquisition in under a year as we build a business of true scale in the circular economy in partnership with the ambitious management team and we are well-positioned to continue that growth through further strategic M&A.”
The transaction, whose value was not disclosed, was funded by Kartesia and Virgin Money. Papilo was advised by Gateley (legal), Fellwood Advisory (debt advisory), MHA Smalley (financial and tax due diligence) and Luminii Consulting (commercial due diligence). Advisers to REKK included KBS (corporate finance) and Mackrell (legal).
The Federal Government publishes the spending and revenue numbers on a monthly basis. The charts and tables below give an in-depth review of the Federal Budget, showing where the money is coming from, where it
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