KPop Demon Hunters is set to return with a sequel following the smash success of the animated musical on Netflix, but the second chapter is still years away. Luckily, Huntrix is still finding new ways to stay in the headlines, though the latest is a news bite that many might not have seen coming. Recently, at the Billboard Women in Music event, the stars of KPop Demon Hunters, Audrey Nuna, Ejae, and Rei Am, were in attendance to be honored for the night. During their speeches as a part of the festivities, the trio didn’t hold anything back when it came to the difficulties they experienced in the music industry.
To start, Rei Ami, the voice of KPop Demon Hunters’ Zoey, didn’t pull any punches when discussing her history as a part of show business, “Being a woman in this male-dominated industry is honestly a**. Sometimes we have to work twice as hard with a smile on our faces as the world nitpicks every part of our being. First, we’re too skinny, and then we’re too fat. It goes from, ‘Oh, she’s giving nothing’ to ‘Why is she being so extra?’ It seems utterly impossible to exist. Oh, and God forbid you’re confident, they’ll crucify you for that. But I think that’s why they’re so obsessed, because, well, there’s nothing more intimidating than a confident woman who knows what she wants. Our ability to persevere and show up is an absolute superpower. So thank you to all the women in this room for using their superpowers to inspire, lead, and protect. We are not too much; we are not too loud. We are exactly who the f*** we think we are.”
Huntrix Holds Nothing Back
Netflix
Joining her fellow band member, Ejae, the singing voice of Rumi, shared her past experiences, “I rarely saw other artists who looked like me on western stages,” so she aspired toward “becoming a K-pop idol. When that didn’t work out, I thought I was done. But when I found songwriting, I realized that music itself never questioned me, because music doesn’t see race or gender. It only asks for the truth. And when I brought my full truth into it, my voice, my Koreanness, my womanness, everything began to shift. I realized that as a woman, our power has never been in fitting in, but is in our resilience to speak our truth. So I just want to say to every woman who may feel unseen, your voice is something to honor. Your story is not something to dilute. It’s something to amplify. And your identity is not a barrier; it’s your power. Because when we create without apology, take up space, and lift each other up, we don’t just make music. We can change what it sounds like.”
The upcoming sequel for KPop Demon Hunters remains a mystery, though the creative team for the original has hinted at where they want the second entry to go. Director and screenwriter Maggie Chang hinted at the world expanding in part 2, and considering we’ve only seen a brief window into the demon-filled universe, the sky might be the limit for the franchise.
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Via Variety