- - 'Golden' Writer Mark Sonnenblick Reveals the Moment He Knew the Song Was Special: 'Goosebumps Immediately Happened' (Exclusive)

Daniela AvilaFebruary 13, 2026 at 1:45 AM

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Mark Sonnenblick

John Ward

Mark Sonnenblick, the writer behind KPop Demon Hunter's "Golden," opens up to PEOPLE about the rapid success of the song

The songwriter also detailed the moment he knew the song was something special

"I'm just very grateful and lucky to be here," Sonnenblick says

When Mark Sonnenblick set out to write the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack over two years ago, he kept his expectations low. Now, "Golden" has been recognized by the Grammys, the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice Awards — and it's up for Best Song at the 2026 Oscars.

"I think about this whole movie and the expectations for it were so low. It's the fans... the people who found the music early on and spread the word. That's why any of these awards are happening," he says. "That's why we are where we are. It's been cool to go from low expectation to, wow, this amazing surreal surprise."

Recalling the writing process, Sonnenblick says "Golden" was the last of the batch — and there were four to five other contenders for that particular scene in the film. At the time, he hopped on a call with his co-writer EJAE — and he got a feeling it would be something special.

Mark Sonnenblick and EJAE at the 2026 Grammys in Los Angeles

Leon Bennett/Getty

"She played a lot of melodies for me, including the iconic one, 'No more hidin', I'll be shinin.' And I think we both were just like, 'This is gonna be something really special.' It was still weeks and months before we had the finished version, but kind of right away, we were just really excited to feel like we were finding something that would work for the movie."

For Sonnenblick, songwriting is just as technical as it is an artistic craft — and with "Golden," he wanted to emulate Rumi (who is voiced by Arden Cho) yearning for something that was out of reach.

"Those goosebumps immediately happened with this," he said. "You're searching for this feeling and at the same time it's such an intellectual, technical craft too. The balance between the two is part of the magic of songwriting."

"This is the false victory song," he continues. "It sounds like it's gonna be the declaration of success, but if that were true, the movie would be over 20 minutes in."

When asked if there's any rhyme or reason to writing a hit song, Sonnenblick says his North Star is problem solving, writing from the heart and staying true to the collaboration.

If he could go back in time to the early days of his craft, Sonnenblick — who's a musical theatre trained songwriter — says he would tell him to keep finding ways to "believe in yourself — even when a lot things are telling you not to."

He would also push himself to go outside of his comfort zone and collaborate more — which is ultimately what led him to KPop Demon Hunters.

Mark Sonnenblick

Matt Crockett

"It's taken me time, through my 20s, to start to realize what collaboration could look like and to see, not only on this project, but other ones I've been lucky to work on the past few years, the power of what it is when a little community comes together, not only of songwriters, but of so many brilliant artists on a movie or a piece of theater," he says.

Sonnenblick adds, "I don't come from K-pop and it's been amazing to be able to collaborate with people from that world to try to bring this vision to life. I'm just very grateful and lucky to be here."

KPop Demon Hunters was released in June 2025 it was named the most-streamed movie of 2025. In an interview with BBC News earlier this month, Sonnenblick confirmed a sequel was "in process."

Up next, however, Sonnenblick looks forward to the debut of his new musical, Midnight at The Never Get, at London's Menier Chocolate Factory. Opening night is on July 20 and it will run through Sept. 12, 2026.

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”