‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Singer Ejae ‘Made Mistakes’ During BAFTAs Performance After Seeing Leonardo DiCaprio: ‘He Was Not Smiling’ and ‘That’s What Put Me Off’

The world of "KPop Demon Hunters" has produced a genuine chart-topping phenomenon in EJAE, yet even she isn't immune to the paralyzing effect of A-list star power. In a candid interview with the U.K.'s Times newspaper, the vocalist revealed that her BAFTA Awards performance earlier this year was nearly derailed by an unexpected encounter with none other than Leonardo DiCaprio. His presence in the front row proved far more intimidating than any demon the show's writers could conjure up, a testament to the enduring power of Hollywood's most recognizable faces.

"I cracked a little bit on the high notes," EJAE confessed, recalling the pressure of the moment. "Leonardo DiCaprio was right in front of me and he was not smiling." The actor, whose career-defining turn in the 1997 epic "Titanic" made him a household name across generations, had attended the London ceremony as a nominee for his performance in "One Battle After Another," ultimately losing to Robert Aramayo of "I Swear." For EJAE, who delivered "Golden" alongside her fellow Huntr/x members Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, the stakes were considerable—this marked the fictional trio's international debut after a successful first U.S. appearance. Interestingly, the BAFTAs don't actually include a best original song category, yet that omission proved irrelevant when "Golden" later secured the Oscar, with EJAE claiming the statuette as one of its co-writers. Music industry analysts have noted that the track's crossover appeal, blending K-pop sensibilities with Western pop structures, was a key factor in its historic awards sweep. The song's success has been compared to the global breakthrough of Psy's "Gangnam Style," though industry experts argue that "Golden" represents a more sustainable shift in how international audiences consume non-English-language music.

The unsettling eye contact happened at a particularly vulnerable moment in the performance. "That's what put me off," she explained, describing how she spotted DiCaprio just as she was about to launch into the song's climactic "born to be" phrase. "He made me so nervous. It was already so nerve-racking to be in front of all these celebrities, and then I look up and lock eyes with Leonardo DiCaprio? Come on." It's a strikingly human reaction from an artist whose career has been on a meteoric rise—a reminder that even international fame doesn't inoculate you against the sheer force of encountering your own cinematic idols in the flesh. For context, DiCaprio's filmography spans over three decades and includes collaborations with directors like Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino, making him one of the most recognizable figures in entertainment history. His environmental activism through the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation has also positioned him as a cultural figure whose influence extends far beyond the silver screen.

Happily, awards season also gifted EJAE a far more uplifting memory: a face-to-face meeting with her lifelong idol, Beyoncé, and her husband Jay-Z. "I was at their afterparty and Jay-Z came up to me and said, 'Hi, my name's Shawn,'" she recalled, noting how the rapper introduced himself using his birth name, a detail that added to the surreal quality of the exchange. "I was beyond starstruck. Beyoncé is my idol and she said, 'You have an incredible voice.'" The singer admitted she couldn't resist asking the icon directly if she was familiar with "Golden," to which Beyoncé responded, "Yeah, my girls sing it." That moment of validation carried profound weight for EJAE, whose trajectory has been nothing short of extraordinary since "Golden" achieved the unprecedented feat of winning both a Grammy and an Oscar—the first K-pop song in history to accomplish that double, a milestone that industry observers say has fundamentally shifted how Western award bodies view non-English-language music. Beyoncé's own history of breaking barriers, from Destiny's Child to her solo career and visual albums, makes her endorsement particularly meaningful for an artist navigating similar terrain in a different cultural context.

With the awards circuit now behind them, EJAE, Nuna, and Rei Ami are turning their attention to the future. A sequel to "KPop Demon Hunters" is reportedly in development, which means the trio will need to find fresh ways to elevate their craft—and perhaps strategically position themselves away from any celebrity gazes that might prove distracting. For now, though, EJAE can take solace in the knowledge that not even a figure of DiCaprio's stature could permanently dim her spotlight, and that the nerves she felt on that London stage ultimately gave way to the kind of historic recognition most artists only dream of. The experience has also sparked broader conversations within the K-pop community about the psychological pressures of performing in front of Western audiences, with some industry veterans suggesting that such moments of vulnerability humanize artists in ways that polished performances never could.