AUDREY NUNA “FEELS IN AWE OF LIFE” AFTER K-POP DEMON HUNTERS SUCCESS

The star discusses her musical growth, how Beyoncé inspires her and “KPOP Demon Hunters”

There are very few music artists who can say that they have smashed the U.S. and UK singles charts through a pink-haired, demon-slaying animated character, but very few artists are Audrey Nuna.

New Jersey-born and Los Angeles-based Audrey Nuna, real name Audrey Chu, debuted in 2018. She had been enrolled in Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music but dropped out after one year. She was discovered by producer Anwar Sawyer and subsequently signed to Arista Records in 2019.

Now, with seven years under her belt in the music industry, as well as two studio albums, “a Liquid Breakfast” and “TRENCH”, the 26-year-old has carved a lane for herself as an alternative, R&B, EDM genre-bending artist. She is also known for her songs “Comic Sans” featuring Jack Harlow, “Mine”, and “Starving” featuring Teezo Touchdown.

On 23rd August 2025, Audrey’s star took a meteoric rise as one of the singing voices in Netflix animation “KPOP Demon Hunters”. It tells the story of a K-pop girl group HUNTR/X, who moonlight as demon hunters in order to save humanity. Audrey is the singing voice of “Mira”, while singer EJAE is the vocalist behind Rumi, and Rei Ami sings as Zoey.

The film has gone on to be the most Netflix’s most watched film with 5.4 billion minutes watched on the streaming platform. The song “Golden” from the movie’s soundtrack spent eight weeks at no.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and nine weeks at no. 1 in Britain.

Audrey may have an unconventional route to prominence, but she is a perfect example of what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

Audrey Nuna opened up to Rolling Stone Korea about breaking Destiny’s Child record on the Billboard Hot 100, creating her new album, and the success of “KPOP Demon Hunters”.

Who was your inspiration growing up?

Audrey Nuna: “Honestly, Beyoncé was a huge inspiration for me. I started out in theatre, and then when I saw her SuperBowl halftime performance, when I was 12 years old. It actually changed my life. So, I would say in terms of music, Beyoncé, and just a lot of strong women in my life, you know.Shout out to my mom, to my sister.”

I’m also one of those people who watches her 2013 Super Bowl performance when I’m in need of inspiration.

Audrey Nuna: “What I loved about her as a kid was watching her documentaries and seeing her struggle through certain things. I remember she made the documentary about her first project independent from her dad as a manager, and I think that very real dire work ethic is really what inspires me even more than the beauty, the perfectionism. All of that is very inspiring.”

What were the challenges around making your second album, “TRENCH”? I was listening to it on Spotify, and I got to the song “Mine”, I wanted to take off my shoe and throw it at the wall because of the Brandy & Monica sample. It’s really good!

Audrey Nuna: “Thank you so much. That's really, nice to hear. I love it when people have nice things to say about that album. It feels really good because it really felt like such a growing pain. “a liquid breakfast”, was received so organically, so I think the second process was like, okay, I want to evolve. What I've realized is that there's nothing as pure, as your first project. And I think every project after thatis a pilgrimage back to that headspace of just absolute freedom. So, I think “TRENCH” was very much a sonic exploration of struggling to get to that place.”

How were you able to navigate working on your third album when you’re used to a system of creating while bored, especially in the midst of the whirlwind of success of “KPOP Demon Hunters”? Do you even have time to be bored right now?

Audrey Nuna: “I think that's the tricky thing. You know, with your first project, being bored is your only option because you don't have anything going for you. I love making music. This is my favourite way to pass time, so let's do that. Obviously, we'll get to the “KPOP Demon Hunters” thing because this is by far been the craziest year of my life. But I will say with your question specifically, I think the difference is now, time is the most valuable asset.

I have not been sleeping as much lately because of just how things have transpired with this project [“KPOP Demon Hunters”]. And I'm so grateful for that. At the same time, I think you really do have to remember that your craft comes first, just drawing boundaries and making choices and being like, ‘Yeah, from this time to this time I'm just not available because I'm going to be sitting in the woods somewhere making music.”

Photographs by Netflix

How are you handling the fire that has come with playing the singing voice of Mira from “KPOP Demon Hunters”?

Audrey Nuna: “I also feel like I've been preparing, quite literally, since I was seven years old for this.  I think all the pain and struggles of the last few years have really trained me well for this moment. So, I just feel more grounded than ever. I feel in awe of life. I feel like the universe is hilarious.

You know, I've been doing my artist project for almost ten years now. And for this kind of thing I considered to be a side animation project just because I love animation and I wanted to get into it. And for that project to be the one that just rocket ships through the stratosphere, that we didn't even know existed is like, Oh, I don't know sh*t, I don't know anything.”

My first time on the Billboard charts, period - let alone breaking records that Destiny's Child record that was set decades ago - for it to be through a demon hunting, animated, pink haired character - who could've come up with that?That's the funniest and most magical thing I have ever heard. So, I'm just I'm just in awe.”

Photographs by Netflix

How did you get the role?

Audrey Nuna: “I was recommended by both EJAE and this guy, Danny Chung [voice of Baby Saja in “KPOP Demon Hunters”] and a few other people for this role. Danny is my first manager's friend's brother's friend. They used to game together in Fort Lee, New Jersey, so that's kind of how that happened.

I met him when I was 20, and we had a cordial relationship.And then EJAE, I met when I was15 because I went to the SM [Entertainment] building for a mentorship career day. So, they both kind of had been following my career and recommended me for the project. I did an audition. I literally just hopped on a call with Ian [Eisendrath], the executive music producer, and he told me, this is a movie about not having to choose parts of yourself and being able to basically not have to think so binary about who you are as a person. And when he said that,I was like, Oh, well, that's my life story. So, yeah, I'm down.”

How does the process of recording for an animated film compared to recording your own music?

Audrey Nuna: “For my music, I'm really involved in everything. I'm very detail-oriented, so I write my own songs, I don't really work with a lot of co-writers. I am involved in production choices, mixing choices. I approve the masters, you know. I think the huge difference between that and recording for this film was I literally had one job, and the job was to show up and not write, and not be involved in the production.

It was just show up and be this character and deliver these lines that have been written for you. And honestly, I went into the experience thinking, oh, this is not really what I do, but I'm going to give it a try. I had very low expectations, but every session I realise, holy crap, I am learning so much through this process of just doing one thing and being so present in one thing.

It was incredible to work with Ian because he really challenged me and I think it was kind of a long time since I had felt challenged in the booth, because I write my own stuff, you know. I kind write within what I think I can do. And I think having to aspire to something that I didn't know I could do was so liberating.”

Is that a place where race and art intersect for you? Because I think it is impossible to talk about K-Pop demon hunters without having a conversation about representation.

Audrey Nuna: “Absolutely. I think the success of this movie speaks to a lot of just what we're craving as a society about representation. I literally grew up in a very non-diverse town in New Jersey. I was one of very few Asian kids in my school.Honestly, I felt very ostracized for it, as I know a lot of my peers who I meet now, who grew up in similar situations. That was a real dynamic, and the fact that now this movie, with literally the word K-Pop in the title is dominating - this is validating and redeeming in so many ways beyond just being able to see the success of the music and as a musician who's a part of it. It's so beyond that. I think it's about my seven-year-old self feeling seen along with millions of other seven-year-old past versions of ourselves who really didn't feel accepted because of our race. I'm getting chills thinking about it.

What we need is just more representation. Understanding that even though this movie is yes, has animated kimbap, there's the Namsan Tower and it's in Korea, and these girls are Korean, and there's it's told through a Korean cultural lens, the fact that everybody can relate to this movie, to me is just  a glaring sign that we just need more films that continue to show us how alike we actually are as human beings.

I think that's a huge reason why this movie is doing so well, because it really shows that transcending culture, transcending genre, transcending all of these things that are created to separate us, ultimately, we're all humans and we want to connect.”

We have to talk about your fashion style because between the Mira inspired sleeping bag that you wore to the MTVVMAs, I just want to know your fashion inspirations are?

Audrey Nuna: “Oh, thank you. That's so sweet. Honestly, my grandpa's a huge fashion icon. Rest in peace. But he just made everything swaggy. Also, my family has made a living off clothing manufacturing here in the States when they immigrated. So, I’ve always been around fashion. I was super shy as a kid, so I've always seen it as my way of  saying, screw everybody.

The one thing I kind of have dominion over is what I want to wear. But yeah, I think of my grandpa, a lot of Asian elders, I think of industrial things and very functional, almost like construction workers and people in New York and the working class. I think all these things really inspire me. And I also just love anything cute and pink.”

I think it's fair to say that the songs on “KPOP Demon Hunters” are going to be part of the soundtrack of this generation’s lives in the same way “The Lion King” was part of the soundtrack of my life. So, I would like to know the three songs that are part of the soundtrack of your life?

Audrey Nuna: “Free by Deniece Williams.  I love “Party” by Beyoncé featuring Andre 3000. That song has like an infinite effect on me forever and always.  I'm also going to go with “Nude” by Radiohead. Radiohead is one of my favourite bands, and that song makes me feel infinite always.”

Photographs by Netflix(KPOP Demon Hunters)