- Katseye made their Coachella debut on the Sahara stage April 10, joined by EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami — the real-life voices of fictional K-pop group HUNTR/X from Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters — for a surprise performance of Oscar-winning hit “Golden.”
- The collaboration made perfect sense: both groups owe their cultural ascent to Netflix, and “Golden” is already one of the most dominant chart runs by an animated act in Billboard Hot 100 history.
- Katseye performed as a five-piece, without member Manon Bannerman, who is on a temporary hiatus — though she was spotted watching from the crowd.
If you were anywhere near the Sahara stage at Coachella on Friday night (April 10, 2026) and felt the ground shift, that was just two of the biggest stories in pop colliding in real time.
Katseye made their Coachella debut on the massive Sahara stage, opening with “Touch,” “Debut,” “Mean Girls,” and their latest single “Pinky Up.” It was already a strong set. Then Yoonchae Jeung stepped forward and started singing the opening lines of “Golden” — in Korean — and the crowd went from enthusiastic to unhinged.
Because they knew what was coming next.
Real-life superstars Katseye brought out some very special guests: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, the voices of the fictional group HUNTR/X from the Netflix animated movie sensation KPop Demon Hunters. One by one, they materialized onstage like the world’s most welcome plot twist.
As scenes from “Golden” played on the big screen, the eight women — Katseye’s five members plus the Huntr/x trio — delivered a slower, more intimate rendition of the hit, sending the crowd into full meltdown mode.
Look, Coachella has had its share of legendary surprise guest moments. But this one had layers.
The decision for HUNTR/X to perform with Katseye made a lot of sense, given both groups are heavily influenced by K-pop culture and had their breakout moments thanks to projects on Netflix. It’s the kind of crossover that feels engineered by the universe, not a publicist — even if, let’s be honest, it was probably both.
HUNTR/X (EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, and REI AMI) join members of KATSEYE on stage at #Coachella for a special performance of Golden!! pic.twitter.com/vYg1QKIorO
— REI AMI UPDATES (@ReibiesUpdates) April 11, 2026“Golden” made history at the 2026 Oscars when it became the first K-pop song to win the award for Best Original Song. The acceptance speech, naturally, became its own drama — the track’s writers made headlines on the big night when their speech was cut off immediately after EJAE first addressed the crowd. In other words, the universe has been conspiring to deny these women their flowers for a while now.
Rei Ami has been particularly candid about what the song’s success means to her and her collaborators. Speaking with Variety about the song’s impact, Ami described the feeling as “vindicating,” adding that there’s finally “validation. It’s long overdue. We worked our asses off. We’ve had the door shut in our faces. We were told we were too little, too much.”
A Coachella Sahara stage moment — on opening night — feels like a pretty definitive rebuttal.
“Golden” was written by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, IDO, 24, and Teddy Park, and became a massive hit since debuting on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 2025, scoring multiple non-consecutive weeks atop the chart and becoming the longest-leading hit on the tally by an animated act.
As for Katseye, they showed up to the desert ready to prove something. After releasing hit singles like “Debut,” “Gnarly,” “Gabriela,” and “Touch,” Katseye was nominated for the Best New Artist and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance Grammys at the 2026 awards show. They’re no longer a sleeper act. They’re the act everyone is watching.
The set did carry one notable asterisk. Katseye performed as a five-piece, with Daniela Avanzini taking over most of Manon Bannerman‘s parts in her absence. Manon is currently on a temporary hiatus, after Katseye shared in a statement: “After open and thoughtful conversations together, we are sharing that Manon will be taking a temporary hiatus from group activities to focus on her health and well-being. We fully support this decision.”
Manon was, however, spotted in the crowd enjoying the festival — an update she punctuated by announcing she’d hit 6 million Instagram followers. Totally normal behavior at Coachella. No notes.
After the HUNTR/X singers expressed gratitude and embraced each Katseye member onstage, the group kept the momentum going with “Gameboy,” “Internet Girl,” “My Way,” “M.I.A.,” “Gnarly,” and “Gabriela,” and closed the night with extended dance breaks.
Katseye is set to return for a second Coachella weekend on April 17, and will also headline the 2026 Head in the Clouds and Hinterland Music Festivals and perform at The Governors Ball. Meanwhile, Netflix has confirmed that a KPop Demon Hunters sequel is officially in development, with director Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans returning, targeting a 2029 release.
So yes, “Golden” hit different on a Friday night in the desert. It’s going to be hitting different for a very long time.
