Golden Girl: How EJAE went from a rejected idol trainee to a Golden Globe winning songwriter

EJAE’s Golden Globe win in 2026 came after eleven years inside a system that ultimately let her go. Her award for “Golden,” performed by Rumi in K-Pop Demon Hunters, spotlighted a songwriter whose foundation was built long before film soundtracks or awards entered the picture.

For more than a decade, EJAE trained within the K-pop trainee system, where discipline, repetition, and endurance shape young artists long before any promise of debut exists. She entered SM Entertainment during the era leading up to Girls’ Generation, spending her youth moving between rehearsal rooms, vocal lessons, choreography drills, and evaluations. Like many trainees, her life was structured entirely around preparation, with no certainty of outcome. 

When she was eventually released, the reasons reflected the industry’s narrow expectations. She was told she looked too old and that her voice was not feminine enough. These judgments weren’t about ability, but about market fit. In K-pop, age and vocal tone are treated as fixed limits, regardless of growth or experience.

EJAE stayed in music but shifted behind the scenes. She became a songwriter and demo vocalist, contributing English lyrics, melodies, and guide vocals for K-pop releases. The training she had accumulated became practical knowledge—an understanding of structure, emotional pacing, and how performances are engineered to feel intimate while remaining precise.

Her career developed quietly. Credits accumulated. Opportunities expanded beyond the idol system into animation and film. “Golden” reflected that long path—cinematic, disciplined, and rooted in K-pop’s emotional language. The Golden Globe recognised the song’s impact, but not the years that preceded it.

EJAE never debuted as an idol. Her career highlights what the K-pop trainee system often discards: highly trained creative youth judged narrowly and released without support. Her success does not validate the system. It shows how much of its talent survives outside it.