K-pop takes over Britpop: KPop Demon Hunters tops UK Official Charts

KPop Demon Hunters, Netflix's most-watched original animated film of all time, continues its record-breaking streak. Its fictional girl group Huntrix claimed No. 1 on the UK’s Official Singles Chart with their breakout hit Golden this week.

It became the first K-pop song to top the chart since PSY's Gangnam Style in October 2012, which was the first-ever Korean single to reach No. 1 in the UK.

The KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack also extends its historic run, holding the top spot on the UK Official Compilations Chart for a sixth consecutive week.

“This week represents another landmark moment for the globally dominating South Korean genre,” Martin Talbot, chief executive officer of the Official Charts, said in a news release on Aug. 1.

“K-pop’s superstars are certainly giving the Gallaghers a run for their money,” Talbot said, referring to Liam Gallagher, the lead vocalist of the English rock band Oasis, and his brother Noel Gallagher – among the UK's best-selling music artists.

Formed around the Gallagher brothers in the 1990s, Oasis spearheaded the Britpop boom, scoring eight No. 1 singles on the UK Official Singles Chart over a decade before reuniting this year.

On the Billboard charts, Golden returned to No. 1 last week on both the Billboard Global 200 and the Billboard Global Excl. US rankings.

Huntrix's Golden also became the first track from an anime to claim No. 1 on the UK’s Official Singles Chart in three years.

In 2022, We Don’t Talk About Bruno, a track from Disney’s Encanto, became the first-ever original song from a Disney animated film to become a UK No. 1 single.

Write to Yeonhee Kim at yhkim@hankyung.com

Jennifer Nicholson-Breen edited this article.