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Kim Eun Jae Biography

Kim Eun-jae, professionally known as EJAE, is a Korean-American singer-songwriter and record producer who gained global recognition for providing the singing voice of Rumi in the 2025 Netflix animated film KPop Demon Hunters. Born December 6, 1991, she is known for her work with top K-pop groups including Red Velvet, aespa, LE SSERAFIM, NMIXX, and TWICE. Her song Golden from the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks and won both an Oscar for Best Original Song and a Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media, making her one of the most successful Korean-American music producers in Hollywood.

Childhood

Kim Eun-jae was born in Seoul, South Korea, and is the granddaughter of renowned South Korean actor Shin Young-kyun. She began her music journey at a young age, dream of becoming a K-pop idol. Her grandfather's acting career likely influenced her artistic path, and she started training professionally while still young. Growing up in Seoul with this family connection to the entertainment industry provided her with early exposure to show business.

Education

EJAE was a trainee at SM Entertainment for 10 years starting in 2003, during which she frequently traveled to the United States to focus on her education. In 2011, she left SM Entertainment to study at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where she majored in music production and psychology. She studied at an international school in South Korea before moving to the US full-time after being deemed too old to debut as a K-pop idol. Her formal music education at NYU equipped her with the technical skills needed for her successful songwriting and production career.

Career

After failing to debut both as a group member and solo artist with SM Entertainment due to age restrictions, EJAE transitioned to songwriting and producing. Her first major breakthrough came when she co-wrote the topline for Psycho by Red Velvet, which became certified gold in the US and led to more opportunities with SM Entertainment. She has since written songs for major K-pop acts including aespa's Drama, Red Velvet's Birthday, and tracks for TWICE, LE SSERAFIM, and NMIXX. In 2019, she was featured on the K-drama Woman of 9.9 Billion soundtrack. In 2025, she signed with Prescription Songs and provided the singing voice for Rumi in KPop Demon Hunters, also writing several soundtrack songs. Her demos were so impressive that directors asked her to be the official singing voice, and the film became Netflix's most-viewed animated film ever.

Family Life

Kim Eun-jae's grandfather is celebrated South Korean actor Shin Young-kyun, which connects her to Korea's entertainment legacy. In 2024, she became engaged to music producer Sam K. She is based in Brooklyn, United States, and has garnered over 1.7 million Instagram followers. While she maintains a relatively private personal life, her engagement to Sam K represents her current relationship status as she continues her successful music career.

Achievements

EJAE won an Oscar for Best Original Song and a Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media for her work on Golden from KPop Demon Hunters. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks from mid-August to mid-October 2025 and was nominated for Song of the Year at the 2026 Grammy Awards. She was nominated for the Hollywood Music In Media Awards Best Original Song Video Game award in 2022 for Rebirth. Her song Psycho by Red Velvet achieved gold certification in the US. The KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack charted on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200, and she has collaborated with artists including Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami on songs like How It's Done and Golden.

Controversies

There are no known public controversies surrounding Kim Eun-jae. Her public narrative focuses on her inspiring journey from rejected K-pop trainee to Oscar and Grammy-winning songwriter. The main challenge she faced was being rejected after 10 years of training at SM Entertainment and being deemed too old to debut, but she transformed this rejection into redirection by becoming one of K-pop's most successful producers. Her story is widely celebrated as an example of perseverance in the entertainment industry.

Kim Eun Jae Summary

Kim Eun-jae, known professionally as EJAE, is a 34-year-old Korean-American singer-songwriter and record producer born in Seoul, South Korea. After 10 years as an SM Entertainment trainee without debuting, she moved to the US, studied music production at NYU, and became one of K-pop's most successful behind-the-scenes talents. Her breakthrough came with Red Velvet's Psycho, and she has since written for aespa, TWICE, LE SSERAFIM, and NMIXX. In 2025, she achieved global fame providing the singing voice of Rumi in Netflix's KPop Demon Hunters, winning both an Oscar and Grammy for Golden, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks. She is the granddaughter of actor Shin Young-kyun, engaged to producer Sam K, based in Brooklyn, and represents successful Korean-American representation in Hollywood music.