Latest news with #TheSajaBoys
Vogue Singapore
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue Singapore
Here's why K-pop Demon Hunters deserves its overnight fame
The world will know you as pop stars, but you will be much more than that. You will be Hunters. K-pop Demon Hunters wastes no time in setting its premise. In the first few seconds of the animated musical fantasy film, hoards of excitable fans stream into a stadium in anticipation of the final world tour stop of their favourite K-pop group: Huntr/x. They gush to a cameraman about their favourite members in the trio—Rumi, Mira and Zoey—with light sticks in tow, fan-made banners and an unrivalled fervour that is all-too-familiar for any K-pop fan today. Courtesy of Netflix What of the stars of the show? They're simultaneously revealed to be living the double life as demon hunters—a duty passed down from their ancestors before them. Right before making their big entrance, they're fighting off literal demons in the sky who have hijacked the private jet that's taking them to their concert venue—breaking out into song whilst they're at it. Their voices and their music, the very tools of resistance against the darkness and the Demon King, Gwi-Ma. Exactly the sort of metaphor we love to see for the global, unifying phenomenon that is K-pop. Courtesy of Netflix Over the past few weeks, the summer Netflix release has been basking in its spotlight, spawning fans from everywhere. Whether it was the electrifying animation they were drawn to, the heartbreakingly attractive bad news that is The Saja Boys, the catchy tunes on all fronts or the spot-on parallels with K-pop culture, there have been plenty of fodder to chew on for the film's audiences—no matter their age, or where they came from. Much like the sudden virality of the film, most wouldn't have expected The Saja Boys to surpass the chart rankings of their real-life sunbaes , BTS, with their final song, 'Your Idol' on the US Spotify list. Nor would it have been expected that Huntr/x's catchy 'Golden' would be entered for Academy Award consideration in the Best Original Song category. The Saja Boys (from left to right): Mystery Saja, Baby Saja, Jinu Saja, Abby Saja and Romance Saja Courtesy of Netflix Yet credit is due, especially since there's a lot more than meets the eye in K-pop Demon Hunters . Beyond the bubblegum pop and fantastically bizarre characters, here's what the animated film actually gets right about fan culture and the K-pop industry as a whole—done in cheeky nods, fictional character tropes and the underlying narrative of mystical folklore that's dying for a sequel. 1 / 5 The hilarious demon-ification of boy bands Welcome to the dark side. Knowing that its pure fantasy makes this plot point a real winner. The Saja Boys—consisting of Jinu Saja, Abby Saja, Romance Saja, Mystery Saja and Baby Saja—are ultimately demons who are using their popularity to steal human souls for Gwi-Ma. Whilst the individual tropes of the members are extremely on the nose, we're not oblivious to the extreme metaphor of a heartthrob boy group that's fully capable of controlling the moods of their fans and taking over their lives. Courtesy of Netflix 2 / 5 The plight of female K-pop idols It may not have been its initial intention, but Rumi's characterisation just might be one of the realest revelations in K-pop Demon Hunters . Bearing scars as a half-demon, she covers up her body as advised by her foster mother Celine—afraid to show them to anyone, not even her hunter sisters Mira and Zoey. Not only is she closed up, but she's not able to fully relax and fully show her real self. Whilst not direct, her insecurities mirror the harsh plight of female K-pop idols at times—who are constantly criticised for their appearance more than anything else. Courtesy of Netflix 3 / 5 The unserious naming of its K-pop groups Huntr/x. The Saja Boys. These are definitely plays on the sometimes questionable way in which the industry names their K-pop groups. Think of TXT being Tomorrow x Together, IZ*ONE or BTS's original name in Korean, The Bulletproof Boys. 4 / 5 The show of sisterhood Throughout the film, the bond between the Huntr/x girls seems impenetrable—but Rumi's big secret looms over their reality. When the friendship threatens to break, it's them coming together again and accepting each other for what each other are that helps them rise again. No longer fragmented by Gwi-Ma, their friendship and the strength of sisterhood prevails. 5 / 5 It gets fandom culture to a tee The lightsticks. The fan support. Shipping your favourite idols together (we stan Rujinu too). It's immediately familiar to any K-pop fan out there, but the film's strength also lies in its ability to show the more heartfelt side of fandom culture. When Rumi finally accepts who she is—part superhunter and part demon—it's the souls of her fans who still believe in her and Jinu's humanity—both given willingly —that propels her on to sing and defeat Gwi-Ma. Earlier in the film, it's a little fan's drawing that shows Jinu possessing a soul, which also stirs something within him. The Huntr/x girls also get riled up every time a demon threatens to eat their fans. An unserious yet impactful show of the binding power, K-pop Demon Hunters proves to be a wild joyride for anyone who's ever experienced the emotional pull of being a fan.
Hype Malaysia
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hype Malaysia
(Video) Soloist WONHO Covers The Saja Boys' 'Soda Pop' & 'Your Idol' As Abby Saja
Since the premiere of 'K-Pop Demon Hunters' on Netflix, the demon idol group, The Saja Boys, has taken the world by storm. With their good looks and devilish charm, fans of K-pop idols have begun to imagine their biases as the Saja members, and this idol literally took the fan service to life. Former MONSTA X member, WONHO (원호), posted a cover of 'Soda Pop' and 'Your Idol' by The Saja Boys from the hit Netflix film, 'K-Pop Demon Hunters', on YouTube yesterday (9th July 2025). In a true act of proper fan service, the 32-year-old idol also sports pink hair and a black Hanbok, covering the songs as Abby Saja. The video showcased WONHO in two different outfits, one sporting a Hawaiian shirt, yellow beanie and jeans and the other in a black Hanbok, seemingly creating an accurate depiction of Abby Saja from the film. The main highlights of the cover featured WONHO's sweet vocals in the backdrop of his energetic choreography as well as his recreation of Abby's famous shirt button pop scene. Netizens were in a frenzy over the cover, with many labelling WONHO as the real reference for Abby Saja. Twitter user @/moonlightjkooki comments, 'I can't believe I'm saying this, but I prefer the real live deal. He looks so sexy omg'. Other netizens also comment on how WONHO never skips out on giving fans what they want, despite being busy preparing for his tour. Twitter user @/Bunniebebe_ comments, 'He's busy preparing for a tour, yet he still manages to hear the fans and did what we asked'. Recently, the director of 'K-pop Demon Hunters', Maggie Kang, reposted his cover to her Instagram with googly eyes. What do you think about WONHO's cover of The Saja Boys? Watch the full cover here: Sources: Twitter, Youtube Alyssa Gabrielle contributed to this article
Forbes
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘KPop Demon Hunters' Songwriter Reveals Music And Song Inspirations
KPOP DEMON HUNTERS - When they aren't selling out stadiums, Kpop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey use ... More their secret identities as badass demon hunters to protect their fans from an ever-present supernatural threat. Together, they must face their biggest enemy yet – an irresistible rival boy band of demons in disguise. ©2025 Netflix Netflix's KPop Demon Hunters is the talk of the town, hitting No. 1 in 26 countries and Top 10 in 93 countries in its debut week. The soundtrack itself has also seen its fair share of No. 1 in iTunes Top Albums Chart, Apple Music Pop Charts, and on Spotify's Charts. The film centers on a girl K-pop group, Huntrix, who are secretly demon hunters sworn to protect the world from supernatural threats. When a rival boy band group, The Saja Boys, are revealed to be demons, the trio must do whatever it takes to defeat them – in battle and with their music. With the massive popularity of K-pop, KPop Demon Hunters has sparked many debates and discussions on their inspirations. From their looks to the culture to the music, fans have been dissecting the film and its characters for any signs of real-life K-pop inspirations. Director Maggie Kang shared that the art team found inspiration for Huntrix and The Saja Boys from several groups. She later clarified that there were too many people in and out of K-pop, from which they drew from. The writing team, who are K-pop fans themselves, conducted extensive research on incorporating K-pop fan culture, including the use of lightsticks, variety shows, music awards, and fan signs. As for the music, the film collaborated with THEBLACKLABEL to create the instrumental music styles and enlisted several pop songwriters and lyricists to craft lyrics that matched the story. One of the songwriters (and the singing voice of Rumi), EJAE, who has worked with TWICE, aespa, and many other K-pop groups, revealed the process she went through to develop the songs sung by Huntrix and The Saja Boys. She wrote and arranged 'The Huntrix Mantra,' 'How It's Done,' 'Golden,' and "Your Idol." '[It was] a lot,' EJAE says. 'There were so many versions of [all the songs]. We had different songs that they scrapped or they'll hold. I think for one of the songs, I'm not even kidding. I did [around] 57 demos.' She would be sent the scene descriptions along with the director's notes on the desired track type, song references, and the intended vibe. THEBLACKLABEL would create the instrumental track and send it to EJAE and the other songwriters to write the lyrics, create the concept and melodies, and then record the demo to send back to the music team for notes. She says, 'It was a lot of back and forth.' KPOP DEMON HUNTERS - When they aren't selling out stadiums, Kpop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey use ... More their secret identities as badass demon hunters to protect their fans from an ever-present supernatural threat. Together, they must face their biggest enemy yet – an irresistible rival boy band of demons in disguise. ©2025 Netflix For Huntrix, EJAE reveals the music was inspired by several K-pop artists, particularly BLACKPINK and ('a little bit of') aespa. It made sense as BLACKPINK has worked closely with the team at THEBLACKLABEL since their debut. EJAE herself has written several songs for aespa, creating this cinematic sound for their music. She applied all of that to the songs for Huntrix. 'It was a mixture of the two,' she says. 'I wanted BLACKPINK but [add that] cinematic [element]. They all wanted Rumi to have power vocals, so I cranked up my attitude, screaming [the vocals] in this little corner [of my apartment].' One of the tracks written by EJAE and her writing partner, Mark Sonnenblick, has been getting a lot of attention for its sound and meaning behind the music. The song 'Your Idol,' sung by The Saja Boys in their demon form, highlights the fandom's obsession with them. She reveals the track was inspired by EXO's songs 'MAMA' and 'Obsession.' EJAE recalls receiving the instrumental track from THEBLACKLABEL with the EXO references and began working on the lyrics. 'It's about the obsession of fans [because the Saja Boys] want them to be obsessed [to control them],' she explains. 'That sounds like what an Idol is. I was raised Christian and remembered it's a sin to idolize something. So, it was like a twist of 'I'll be your Idol.' It was kinda creepy.' KPOP DEMON HUNTERS - When they aren't selling out stadiums, Kpop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey use ... More their secret identities as badass demon hunters to protect their fans from an ever-present supernatural threat. Together, they must face their biggest enemy yet – an irresistible rival boy band of demons in disguise. ©2025 Netflix If a real K-pop group sang 'I'll be your Idol,' it would be considered cute. That's why she wanted to incorporate some demonic elements to make it creepy. She recalls some horror stories of fan obsession as a former K-pop trainee and used that as inspiration for the lyrics and arrangements. 'When the obsession gets too much, it's really creepy,' she says. 'So I thought being an Idol and being obsessive wasn't the best thing, so I wrote that into the lyrics.' EJAE was inspired by the choir portion of EXO's 'MAMA' and added her version into the song. She created the harmonies and sounds to evoke a cathedral – a place of worship for the Idols. She reveals the chorus intro to 'Your Idol' was 'The Huntrix Mantra' in reverse. 'I reversed [the audio] and harmonized that,' she shares. 'I was like, 'Whoa, this sounds like a cathedral. [It was] weird. So, I did that and added harmonies to make it sound even creepier and have a kind of old Latin vibe.' She enjoyed experimenting with the music, adding more layers and putting her K-pop twist to it. Having only worked with girl groups, she had fun creating a boy band song, making the demos in a girl's key, then pitching it down to sound like a guy. She laughs, 'It was interesting.' KPop Demon Hunters is available to stream on Netflix.
India Today
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
How KPop Demon Hunters exposes our fear of imperfection
Have you ever watched an animated film that tells you more than it originally intended to? Or hide the real message behind metaphors and cliches? If yes, then 'KPop Demon Hunters' is another movie on that list, as it disguises itself well with neon lights, razor-sharp choreography, and the blinding veneer of pop perfection on the surface. The film is about a K-pop girl band called Huntrix featuring Rumi, Mira, and Zoey. However, they are not just your everyday pop girl band - they are also supernatural hunters who hunt who are these demons? If you think they are some disgusting-looking creatures with four eyes, crooked teeth and patterns all over their bodies, then you're somewhat right, but there are also some very good-looking 'idol-type' demons too. Think about 'The Vampire Diaries'. Who would've thought Ian Somerhalder would look so handsome as a vampire? If that's your vibe, then you'd love the demon boy band The Saja Boys in the film. The film idolises K-pop culture, which is meticulously crafted to sell the film doesn't just idolise the spectacle - it dismantles it, peeling back the facade to reveal an uncomfortable, familiar undercurrent: in a world obsessed with flawlessness, authenticity is often the first casualty. At its core is Rumi, a pop idol, a monster hunter, and most damningly in her world, part demon. It's the ultimate enemies-to-lovers conflict, except the "enemy" is her own bloodline, her own nature, the thing society demands she erases. It's a subtle take, suggesting that our insecurities, flaws, and faults are what make us demons. And isn't that familiar? Being told to conquer the parts of yourself that don't fit the script - to hide your true self and meet the standards the world has set for you. Many moments in the film will make you pause and introspect. Moments where you will also hide with the characters, believe in the lies they tell themselves, and once again believe that we are not good AlertThe film's defining moment arrives in a show-stopping performance of the song 'Golden'. It unfolds, devastatingly, when Rumi's secret is exposed - her demon patterns, her supposed imperfections, paraded for all to see. Her bandmates falter. The world that once celebrated her falls silent. It makes you think - what would you do if your deepest, darkest secrets were exposed?CELINE'S FLAWED LOVE AND WHY IT MADE US ANGRYFor Rumi, she was crushed beneath the weight of rejection. She returns to Celine, her adoptive mother, the one person who should have seen her beyond the flaw, beyond the scandal. What follows is both layered and infuriating. Celine, trying to shield Rumi, covers her demon patterns with her shrug, a gesture drenched in maternal protection, but also suffocating compliance. She tells Rumi they'll 'fix' this - they'll spin a narrative, blame the demons, and convince the world this isn't "really" her. This is the most relatable scene in the film. How often are we told that we need to be "fixed" when we confide in someone? How often have our closest ones told us that we are not perfect?It's not like we don't know that they mean well, but that doesn't mean they are right. Right? Celine's instinct, just like our loved ones, mirrors society's deepest flaw, the desperate urge to hide imperfection rather than accept it - to polish over the cracks. Her reaction, likely born from fear and love, feels like betrayal. It's the familiar sting of being rejected by those who were never supposed to judge you, the ones meant to accept your unfiltered, unvarnished why Rumi's rage is so raw, so relatable. Her hopelessness, her resignation - feel real because we've all been there. Twisting ourselves into something more acceptable. Her outburst is not melodramatic; it's the sound of a human breaking under impossible standards. Her words slice through the illusion like a blade: 'If this is the world I was meant to protect, then I'm glad to see it get destroyed.'It's defiance, yes. But more than that, it reflects a buried, uncomfortable truth many of us carry - the quiet satisfaction of watching hypocritical systems crumble - the institutions that forced us to hide, that demanded conformity while pretending to champion individuality. The film becomes more than a fantasy flick. It becomes a manifesto - a rebellious whisper urging us to dismantle these fragile societal norms and rebuild something better. A world that doesn't flinch at flaws, that doesn't fear difference.'KPop Demon Hunters' dresses itself in sequins and spectacles, but beneath the surface, it's something raw. It's uncomfortable, it's imperfect, and that's precisely the point. It doesn't just tell us to fight monsters, it dares us to face the ones we've become by silencing our voice.- Ends
Pink Villa
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
TXT joins KPop Demon Hunters craze with Saja Boys-style Eternally dance practice video, fans hail them as 'genius'
KPop Demon Hunters is currently one of the most buzzed-about OTT movies. It is ranking among the top 5 most-watched films on Netflix in multiple countries, and its soundtracks are dominating global charts. Capitalizing on this, fourth-generation K-pop group TXT strategically released their 2022 dance practice video for Eternally with a rebranded title, cleverly timing the launch to ride the wave of popularity. TXT released their previously-shelved Eternally dance practice video The special dual-mood dance practice video of TOMORROW X TOGETHER 's song Eternally was supposed to be released in 2022. However, later, the uploading plan was cancelled to showcase their respect for the victims of the Itaewon Halloween tragedy. Recently, on June 26, the boy band grabbed the opportunity of finally releasing it, and wittily rebranded the title from Halloween version to KPop Demon Hunters version. Fans praised TXT's team's smart move to release the previously-shelved video at an opportune moment. It showed their marketing prowess and knowledge of trends. Fans hailed the timely and savvy move as "genius". Check out Eternally (KPop Demon Hunters ver.) dance practice video video here: TXT's Eternally's parallels to KPop Demon Hunters In the video, the members of TXT are seen donning hats and hanboks, seamlessly transitioning between portraying good and evil personas, a dynamic that bears a striking resemblance to The Saja Boys from the animated Netflix film K-pop Demon Hunters. For those who may not be familiar with the film, The Saja Boys are a pivotal part of the storyline, comprising a fictional five-member boy band that captivates audiences with their music. TXT's recent release draws notable parallels with the dark-themed Your Idol performance of the film. It highlights the central theme of the movie, which revolves around the quintet's complex dual lives as K-pop idols and soul-devouring demons. Besides this, another interesting connection between TXT and the Saja Boys is that the former was "one of the main groups used as reference for saja boys and yeonjun was the reference and inspiration for the member, romance." Romance's pink hair particularly reminds up of Yeonjun's Blue Hour era.
