KPop Demon Hunters' Golden Girl EJAE Was Once Rejected As Girls' Generation For Being 'Too Old' Despite 10-Year Idol Training

The

story of Golden girl Kim Eun-jae aka EJAE goes way beyond KPop Demon Hunters. The 33-year-old might have broken into global stardom now, but it took her years of patience, rejections and resilience to find that moment and project that turned the tables for her. For the unversed, EJAE is the singing voice of Rumi, the female lead of the biggest film of Netflix to date. Infact, there was a time when she was preparing to debut as a K-pop idol, but things did not turn out as she expected.ALSO READ: KPop Demon Hunters: EJAE Reveals 'Ghost' Fixed Her Golden Recording Glitch, Performs With Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami On Jimmy Fallon Show

EJAE's 10-year idol training

EJAE had a flair for singing from an early age. Born in Seoul, she got enrolled as a trainee for SM Entertainment beginning in her teens. She underwent training alongside girls like members of Girls' Generation for almost 10 years, but failed to crack the final shortlist, which stopped her debut, either as a group or as a soloist. Reports claimed SM rejected EJAE's debut at 24, because she looked "too old".Heartbroken, she moved to the US in 2011, taking a break for studies, and completed her education in the music industry and psychology at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. She returned to K-pop in 2014-2015.

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Coming back to K-pop

EJAE began writing songs and eventually earned her breakthrough by co-writing Red Velvet's hit Psycho in 2019. That cemented her position as a sought-after lyricist for aespa, TWICE, LE SSERAFIM, NMIXX and more.In 2020, EJAE was roped in by Netflix to join the songwriting team for KPop Demon Hunters. In the next three years, she penned its key tracks including Golden, How It’s Done, and What It Sounds Like. When the animation's co-director Maggie Kang heard her demos, she asked EJAE to become the singing voice for the main character, Rumi.

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ALSO READ: KPop Demon Hunters Is Not Just Golden... It Is PLATINUM! What Does This HUGE New Milestone Mean

Cracking More Than Gold(en) - Platinum!

During her appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon along with fellow singers Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, EJAE revealed how she composed the track Golden enroute her dental checkup, sitting in a car.With the mammoth success of Golden on Billboard, and the soundtrack of KPop Demon Hunters officially getting certified Platinum, EJAE has found a global fandom, writing an inspiring story.