A historic surge in K-pop‘s popularity has transformed the UK music landscape as “Golden,” performed by fictional animated group HUNTR/X, secured the number one position on the UK Singles Chart on August 1, 2025, becoming only the second K-pop song to achieve this milestone since Psy’s “Gangnam Style” in 2012. The track, which features vocals from singers Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, has maintained an impressive chart presence, achieving a record-breaking third non-consecutive week at number one by August 22, marking the longest-running K-pop chart-topper in UK history.
The song’s journey hasn’t been without competition, briefly surrendering the top spot before reclaiming it on August 15. This achievement coincides with an unprecedented moment for the genre in the UK, as three K-pop songs simultaneously occupied positions in the Official Top 10 on August 14. Alongside “Golden” at number two, tracks “Soda Pop” and “Your Idol” by fictional boy group Saja Boys held positions six and eight respectively. The chart success of these K-pop tracks follows the trend of streaming platforms significantly influencing rankings since the UK Singles Chart began counting video streams from services like YouTube Music in 2018.
All three chart-topping songs feature on the soundtrack for Netflix’s animated film “KPop Demon Hunters,” which has dominated the UK Official Compilations Chart for nine consecutive weeks. The soundtrack has shattered previous records with 27 million streams in a single week, surpassing the benchmark previously established by “Barbie The Album.” This extraordinary achievement has also propelled Saja Boys’ track “Soda Pop” to reach Number 3, showing the soundtrack’s continued momentum. Music industry experts attribute this phenomenon partly to strategic pre-save campaigns that built anticipation before the soundtrack’s release.
The success extends beyond fictional groups, with real-life K-pop sensation TWICE also making chart appearances with their songs “Takedown” and “Strategy” reaching positions 31 and 35 respectively. Independent artists looking to replicate this success can now leverage playlist pitching tools across various streaming platforms to increase visibility and reach new audiences. This crossover between animated characters and actual performers has created a unique cultural phenomenon in British music consumption.
Industry analysts note that the sustained popularity of “Golden” represents more than just a passing trend, indicating a significant shift in UK listeners’ acceptance of non-English language music. The soundtrack’s record-breaking streaming figures demonstrate K-pop’s remarkable evolution from niche interest to mainstream cultural force, as animated characters voiced by Korean-American talents dominate charts previously reserved primarily for Western artists.