EJAE (Kim Eun-jae) is a prominent Korean-American composer, lyricist, and vocalist who has spent years bridging the gap between the US music industry and K-Pop. Renowned for her work with top-tier acts like TWICE, Red Velvet, aespa, and NMIXX, she has firmly established herself as a hitmaker in South Korea's fiercely competitive music landscape. In 2025, EJAE achieved global viral fame as the singing voice of Rumi, the lead character in the smash-hit Netflix animated film K-Pop Demon Hunters — a role that brought her story to millions of viewers worldwide and cemented her place as one of the most versatile figures in contemporary pop music.
Born in Seoul and raised in the United States, EJAE's journey began in 2003 when she joined SM Entertainment as a trainee at a remarkably young age. For nearly a decade, she commuted between the US and Korea, attending an international school while rigorously preparing for a debut that ultimately fell through. The experience of investing years into a dream only to have it dissolve left a mark — but it also built the resilience and industry fluency that would later define her career. Following her departure from SM at age 25, she pivoted to academia, earning degrees in Music Industry and Psychology from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, with an original intention to pursue music therapy. It was a pragmatic detour that gave her an unexpected edge: a deep understanding of both the emotional mechanics of music and the business structures that surround it.
Her return to the music industry was sparked by a mentorship with composer Andrew Choi, who introduced her to the SM Song Camp — an intensive collaborative writing environment where outside talent pitches directly to the label. This opportunity led to her breakout moment: co-writing the topline for Red Velvet's "Psycho." Released at the end of 2019, the track became a global phenomenon, achieving Gold certification in the US and topping charts across Asia. More than just a commercial milestone, "Psycho" signaled a creative arrival — proof that EJAE could deliver the blend of polished production, emotional resonance, and hook-driven writing that K-Pop's biggest acts demand. It solidified her reputation as a top-tier K-Pop songwriter almost overnight.
Since her breakthrough, EJAE has built an impressive and steadily expanding discography across multiple Korean labels and artists. In 2019, she was featured on the OST for KBS 2TV's Woman of 9.9 Billion, adding a foothold in the Korean drama market to her portfolio. In 2022, she continued her collaboration with Red Velvet, deepening a creative partnership that had proven fruitful for both sides. In 2023, she co-produced aespa's "Drama," the title track for the group's fourth mini-album — a high-profile assignment that demonstrated her ability to work within the experimental sonic world SM has carefully constructed around the quartet. Alongside her work in K-Pop, she also co-produced the vocal sample pack Girl Crush K-Pop Vocals, a resource that gave producers worldwide access to the stylistic textures she had spent years mastering. It was a forward-thinking move that extended her influence beyond individual tracks.
In 2025, EJAE signed with American indie publisher Prescription Songs, a significant step in her transition toward the broader global market. That same year, she took on the most visible role of her career: starring in the Netflix animated film K-Pop Demon Hunters. Recruited by composer Daniel Rojas, EJAE provided both the composition and the singing voice for Rumi, the leader of the fictional girl group HUNTR/X — a K-Pop star by day and demon hunter by night. The role resonated deeply because it mirrored her own biography in striking ways. In interviews, EJAE has said that Rumi's story is her story, drawing on her years as a trainee to empathize with a character navigating the pressures of performance, identity, and expectation. The film became a cultural moment, and EJAE's voice was at the center of it.
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Samie | contact@kdramaforhealing.com