For one of the most anticipated moments of the night, the singing voices of KPop Demon Hunters‘ girl group HUNTR/X — AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI AND EJAE — made sure to deliver on the Oscars stage.

The trio performed the movie’s smash hit, “Golden,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks, and in doing so brought the film’s underlying message to the masses.

As dancers filled the stage, the voice of film character Celine echoed throughout the Dolby Theater in Hollywood: “Our music unites the soul and brings people together,” she says, as heard in her opening monologue from the film, in which she shares the purpose behind HUNTR/X.

At that, the stage was fittingly bathed in gold as NUNA, REI AMI and EJAE emerged dressed in all white — outfits surely inspired by their characters’ final performance in the film, only here done up Oscars style.

And as their voices soared, a wide shot of the audience showed that every single member — including Hollywood’s elite such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Leonardo DiCaprio and Teyana Taylor — was waving lighsticks that are central to K-pop performances.

Moments after the performance, it was announced that “Golden” made history as the first K-pop song to win the original song Oscar. While accepting the trophy, EJAE said through tears: “People made fun of me for liking K-pop, but now everyone is singing our song.”

In February, “Golden” also made history at the Grammys for becoming the first K-pop song to win an award (for best song written for visual media).

Watch the full performance below:

Ludwig Göransson won best original score for Sinners at the Academy Awards on Sunday (March 15). The Swedish composer is the first three-time winner for best original score in the 21st century. He previously won for Black Panther in 2019 and Oppenheimer in 2024.

In his acceptance speech, the composer reflected on how his path to a career in music began. “My dad bought his first blues album in Sweden 1964. It was a John Lee Hooker album. … The music was so powerful that it changed my dad’s life and he devoted his life to music,” he shared. “When I was 7, he put a guitar in my arms … it was the guitar that opened up a lot of doors for me … brought me to the States, and led me to one of the great storytellers of our time, Ryan Coogler. Ryan, thank you for your vision. Thank you for making a movie that resonated with the whole world.”

Coogler directed both Black Panther and Sinners. Göransson is the first composer to win two Oscars for best original score working in tandem with the same director since Howard Shore, who won for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in 2002 and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in 2004, both directed by Peter Jackson.

Göransson’s Sinners score had previously won at the Critics Choice Awards, the Golden Globes and the Grammys, among others.

This year’s other Oscar nominees for best original score were Jerskin Fendrix for Bugonia, Alexandre Desplat for Frankenstein, Max Richter for Hamnet and Jonny Greenwood for One Battle After Another.

A sign of Göransson’s dominance this year is that he was the only composer who was nominated for both best original score and best original song. He shared a song nod with Raphael Saadiq for “I Lied to You” from Sinners. Another sign: This marked the first time that Göransson was nominated for both best original score and best original song in the same year.

Here are five other records Göransson set:

First composer in nearly two decades to win two best original score Oscars in the space of three years
He’s the first composer to make it back to the winners podium this quickly since Gustavo Santaolalla won back-to-back Oscars in 2006 and 2007 with Brokeback Mountain and Babel.

Second-youngest composer in Oscar history to win three Oscars in scoring categories
Göransson is just 41. The only composer who was even younger upon winning his third scoring Oscar was André Previn, who was 35 in 1964 when he won his third Oscar for Irma LaDouce.

Second composer to go 3-0 in scoring categories
Göransson is the first composer to win on his first three nominations in scoring categories since Alan Menken, who won on his first four scoring nominations – The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Pocahantas.

Third living composer with three or more scoring Oscars
Göransson is the 16th composer to win three or more Oscars in scoring categories, but most of them are no longer living. The only other three-time winners who are still living are John Williams, 94, who has won five scoring Oscars, and Alan Menken, 76, who has won four.

Fourth person born in Sweden to win three Oscars (in any category)
Göransson is the fourth person who was born in Sweden to win three Oscars. The first three were actress Ingrid Bergman; sound and sound effects editor Per Hallberg; and sound editor and mixer Paul N.J. Ottosson.

Director Ingmar Bergman directed three films that won the Oscar for best foreign film, but the only Oscar he personally won was an Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1970.

“Club Song,” the new single from the Pussycat Dolls, tops this week’s fan-voted music poll.

Fans voted in a poll published Friday (March 13) on Billboard, choosing the group’s first song release in six years as their favorite new tune of the week.

“Club Song” led a week featuring several new music releases — from Kacey Musgraves, Noah Kahan and more. As the poll came to a close on Sunday, the current formation of the Pussycat Dolls — presently a trio made up of founding members Nicole Scherzinger, Kimberly Wyatt and Ashley Roberts — led the pack, with their dance-ready number bringing in 72% of the vote.

“Club Song,” produced by Mike Sabath, is a comeback effort for the Pussycat Dolls — who sweetened the reveal of their new single with a tour announcement. (While Scherzinger, Wyatt and Roberts make up the girl group right now, fellow original members Melody Thornton, Jessica Sutta and Carmit Bachar are sitting this reunion out.)

The PCD Forever Tour is set to play 53 dates across the U.K., Europe and North America, with tickets going on sale this week (presale and general sale details here). The show starts at the Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California, on June 5. The tour features Lil’ Kim and Mya join as special guests.

Among the new releases trailing behind “Club Song” are Kacey Musgraves’ new single “Dry Spell,” with 22% of the vote, and Noah Kahan’s “Porch Light,” with 2% of the vote.

See the final results of this week’s poll below.

If Conan O’Brien ever wins an Oscar, you won’t hear him saying “it’s just an honor to be nominated.” As evidenced by Sunday’s (March 15) 2026 Oscars, the night’s host would win in the least humble way possible.

After commenting on how most winners share their glory with their team and their spouse. “It’s refreshing to see all this modesty and genuine humility,” O’Brien said. “But honestly, I don’t know if I could do that. If it were me and I was up for an Oscar…”

As he trailed off, we entered a dream sequence in which O’Brien was up for the fictional Best Achievement Oscar against Academy favorites Antonio Banderas, Renee Zellweger, Denzel Washington and Glenn Close. When the former late-night host is revealed as the winner, he stands up and thrusts his hands in the air as he’s draped in a velvet robe and crown and blessed by a cardinal.

Josh Groban then hits the stage to serenade the proud winner, singing: “His Oscar win has been fated by God/ He did this himself, and he’s grateful to none/ Even the haters can’t hate number one.”

O’Brien then summons a falcon named Cicero to deliver his statuette from the sky, promising the crowd: “This is how all Oscars will be handed out tonight.”

This is the second year Conan O’Brien has hosted the Academy Awards, following his debut as Oscars host last year. He previously hosted the Emmys twice as well, in 2002 and 2006.