Image: Netflix Tudum / X (Twitter)

For the second time in history, after a 13-year gap following PSY’s viral success with ‘Gangnam Style’, a K-pop single has climbed to the Number 1 spot on the UK charts. The difference this time, however, is that the group behind the chart-topping track does not exist.

Huntr/x, the animated girl group at the heart of Netflix’s original film KPop Demon Hunters, have taken the UK by storm. Their breakout single ‘Golden’ has now spent five consecutive weeks at Number 1, marking a historic achievement not only for K-pop but also for fictional, animated acts in the music industry.

Huntr/x’s chart run comes at a time when K-pop has been steadily rising in global influence over the past decade. Groups like BTS, BLACKPINK, and Twice have headlined stadium tours, topped Billboard charts, and brought the genre firmly into the Western mainstream. Acts such as Stray Kids and NewJeans are also helping expand K-pop’s reach, drawing in new audiences with each release.

Released in June, KPop Demon Hunters quickly became Netflix’s most-watched animated film of all time, ranking as the platform’s fourth most-streamed film across all genres. The movie follows Rumi, played by Arden Cho of Teen Wolf, Mira (Kim Hong), and Zoey (Yoo Ji-yeon) as they balance life as international pop stars with a secret identity as demon hunters battling supernatural forces. Within the narrative, Huntr/x share the stage with their fictional rivals, boy band Saja Boys, whose track ‘Your Idol’ currently sits at Number 3 in the UK charts.

Much of this success reflects the changing landscape of music consumption. Where chart dominance once relied heavily on radio play, today’s trends are shaped by streaming platforms and the viral momentum of TikTok. ‘Golden’ currently boasts over 575m streams, and a remix by David Guetta has added further fuel to its global reach.

Behind the fictional facade of Huntr/x are some of the biggest real-world names in pop production. Teddy Park of THEBLACKLABEL — known for his work with BLACKPINK — and Grammy Award-winning producer Lindgren, who has collaborated with John Legend, Dua Lipa and BTS, crafted the tracks. Vocals are provided by Korean singer-songwriter Ejae, whose credits include Red Velvet and EXO, alongside American-Korean artists Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, both known for genre-bending projects and collaborations with the likes of Jack Harlow and Aminé.

This is not the first time a virtual band has made waves in the charts. Gorillaz pioneered the concept of a fictional band with real-world impact in the early 2000s, while the novelty hit ‘Axel F’ by Crazy Frog reached Number 1 in the UK in 2005. Yet Huntr/x’s success feels distinct, arriving at a moment when digital culture, streaming platforms and global fandoms are more powerful than ever.

K-pop has always emphasised carefully crafted idols, and Huntr/x take that idea a step further. As animated characters, they cannot age or stray from the image fans expect, which only adds to their appeal. In today’s streaming-driven music world, where digital culture and fandom shape the charts, their success shows how fictional acts can now compete with — and even surpass — real artists.

KPop Demon Hunters is more than a film soundtrack. It represents a full-fledged transmedia phenomenon, blurring the line between reality and fiction while reshaping the possibilities of what it means to be a global pop act.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by kpop demon hunter fan (@kpopdemontok)

]]> https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/animated-k-pop-group-huntrx-tops-uk-chart-for-fifth-week/feed/ 0 https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/nick-cave-and-bryce-dessner-collaborate-on-new-song-for-netflix-film-train-dreams/ https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/nick-cave-and-bryce-dessner-collaborate-on-new-song-for-netflix-film-train-dreams/#comments Fri, 15 Aug 2025 10:04:35 +0000 http://www.mxdwn.co.uk/?p=112186 Nick Cave has teamed up with The National’s Bryce Dessner to write a new song for the upcoming Netflix adaptation of ‘Train Dreams’. The track, which shares its title with the film, will play over the end credits and features alongside Dessner’s original score. Both musicians also serve as co-producers on the project, working alongside Luis Almau.

The ‘Train Dreams’ soundtrack is set for release on November 7, ahead of the film’s Netflix premiere on November 21. Adapted from Denis Johnson’s acclaimed novella, the film stars Joel Edgerton as Robert Grainier, a logger and railroad worker navigating a life of quiet profundity in the rapidly changing America of the early 20th century.

Director Clint Bentley spoke about the collaboration with Bad Seeds singer Nick Cave in a press release: “When we started thinking about making a song for the film, Nick felt like the perfect artist to do it. It turns out that Train Dreams is one of his all-time favourite books, but he initially feared there wouldn’t be time to do something because he was getting ready to go on tour. Then he watched the film and was inspired to write something and the whole thing came together really quickly.

He continued “There’s a deep poeticism alongside rock and roll. And that just felt like the perfect fit for a film like this that’s telling the story of this person who lived a beautiful resonant life, even if it did include heartache and pain”.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Netflix Film (@netflixfilm)

On hearing the song for the first time, Bentley said: “I was blown away. It surpassed anything I felt like it might be. It took all the feelings that I was trying to communicate at the end of the movie and expanded them into another place. I was so struck by how the song builds to the end when other voices start to drift in, as if on the wind. His lyrics are so evocative and there’s a deep mystery to the song, especially when thinking about Grainier’s story. Every time I listen to it, I’m more moved by it”.

‘Train Dream’s marks another addition to Cave’s growing list of film and television collaborations. Earlier this month, it was confirmed that he and long-time creative partner Warren Ellis will score the new TV adaptation of his 2009 novel ‘The Death of Bunny Munroe’. In case you missed it, MXDWN’s earlier coverage of this can be read here.

The former One Direction star had signed on to take part in the first season of the new show, where a group of singers search for their perfect bandmates and try to form a compatible group – without seeing each other.

Sharing the show’s trailer via Instagram on Tuesday (June 24), Gibbins wrote: “I didn’t know whether to share this, but it felt weird when I’ve raved about Liam’s work and achievements for the last 15 years.”

“I’m heartbroken he never got to see how great he is in this show. He knew he had done a good job, we all told him this when we were at filming, but watching it back, wow!

“You’re a star Liam, you always were and always will be. There are a range of emotions I felt watching this, but one of the main ones is immeasurable pride, always. Miss you more every day.”

In a press release, Netflix revealed that Payne’s family had “reviewed the series” and supported it going ahead as planned. Payne features as a judge alongside Nicole Sherzinger and Kelly Rowland. AJ McClean of Backstreet Boys will also host.

Last year, the world was shocked to hear of Payne’s passing. The popstar died on October 16 last year after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was later revealed the cause of death was due to multiple dramas and internal and external bleeding.

Earlier this year in April, Gibbins shared her sorrow with a heartfelt message to him on social media: “6 months, half a year without you?! My head is still screaming for you. Each morning on waking, I feel like I am plunged underwater, gasping for air that never comes to relieve me.

“Living without you is impossible, so for now, I exist. I’m learning to laugh or smile in the right places, but mate, it’s exhausting when all I want to do is speak to you. In the few moments I allow myself to feel love and not just loss, I can really smile at memories of us, like last year when we were doubled over laughing at us tring to make something we’d seen on YouTube, but memories are always tinged with sadness at how unfair it is we can’t make new ones.”

Building The Band is coming soon to Netflix – the first four episodes of the show will be released on July 9, with episodes five to seven and eight to 10 coming out on July 16 and 23. For our previous coverage on the show, click here.

Robbie, being the youngest and most rebellious member, joined the band at the tender age of 16, while Gary, who was positioned as the group’s leader, was a few years older at 19. In the docu-series, Robbie reflects on his time in the band and reveals a sense of rivalry between himself and Gary.

During interviews for the show, Robbie candidly expressed his dislike for Gary, primarily because he believed Gary had everything and the successful career that he himself desired. Robbie admitted to feeling vengeful and wanting to make Gary pay for his perceived advantages.

Robbie said, “I disliked Gary the most because he was the one that was supposed to have the everything, and the career. I wanted to make him pay. I was vengeful.”

Despite Robbie’s departure from Take That after just five years, which left fans devastated, the band split the following year. Robbie embarked on his solo career in 1996, initially achieving moderate success with a few singles entering the charts. However, it was his collaboration with songwriter and producer Guy Chambers, along with the release of the hit song “Angels,” that truly propelled his music career to new heights.

In the documentary featuring one of Robbie’s earlier solo performances, archive footage captures him taunting the audience and directing his hostility towards Gary. He said,“I’m sorry that I treated Gary like that. You can understand why a younger me and a younger you would bump heads,  I’d be like, ‘It’s my game’, and you’d be like, ‘No, it’s my game… it’s my ball’.”

Williams revealed that he did not seek Barlow’s input during any phase of the documentary’s creation. Williams clarified that he was not obligated to do so by law. Although the two had previously discussed the concept of a biopic, Williams admitted that their conversations on the topic were awkward. Robbie said, “Legally I didn’t have to. I’ve had to have chats there, yeah, and they are uncomfortable.”

Take That appeared to have a clear leader in Gary Barlow, with all attention and management focused on him. As a youth, I couldn’t help but feel envious and resentful towards him. Robbie said “And it seemed like there was one person being managed in Take That, and it was Gary Barlow. It was all geared around him and as a young person, I would’ve been jealous of that. I suppose a lot of me resented him.”

In 2006, Take That produced a documentary about their band, during which Robbie offered a brief and apology to Gary. However, Gary appeared to have little to add, stating that he had already expressed his thoughts on the matter in previous interviews. Gary said, “I think I’ve said it all in my interviews, yeah.”

The documentary will go globally live on Netflix on the 5th April, 2023. Named “Lewis Capaldi; How I’m Feeling Now“, the film is in partnership with Netflix, BMG and Pulse Films and executive produced by Independent Entertainment, BMG and Quickfire Films.

The fact that the creation of the documentary started around four years ago, it picks up insights of the singers most crucial moments facing towards his career. It captures Capaldi’s struggle as a young pop artist, holding an absurd weight of fame on his shoulders he had to balance a life within his household. It shows a battle for normality, the making of a new album and the representation of the latter in his own words. It is essentially about the popstar going back to his roots and reconnecting with the life he had before.

Ever since the scottish singer released his debut album Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent back in 2019 he’s kicked off on a ceaseless streak. Becoming a worldwide best seller, it will be interesting to delve into unseen footage and stories. It is a chance for Capaldi to showcase where the interesting character he is, comes from.

Not long after the documentary release, we will also be granted with a follow up release from his debut album. The scotsman will be releasing a studio album Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent only fourteen days later on the 19th May, 2023. The emotional rollercoaster has taken a hold on him, bearing in mind the circumstances, and sits clearly in his upcoming sound to be released. He mentions “I don’t want to create a new sound for myself, or reinvent myself. The songs I want to write are emotional songs, about love or loss.”

To fully air tighten the bag, he started his Worldwide tour earlier this year. Following up with his two big project releases, he set off this January on his journey. Starting in Leeds at the Direct Arena on the 14th January he has not stopped since. On the 30th March he will be crossing the pond to tour through the US, to then come back over to Italy, Switzerland, Australia, following onto the UK and finally finishing off in Athens, Greece on the 16th September. A journey and a half, that’s for sure.

Click here to pre order his album.
Click here for tickets.

UK Tour Dates:

01/07/2023 – Chepstow Racecourse – Chepstow
25/08 – Wythenshawe Park – Manchester
26/08 – Reading Festival – Reading
27/08 – Leeds Festival – Leeds
30/08 – Royal Highland Centre – Edinburgh
01/09 – Royal Highland Centre – Edinburgh
03/09 – Vital – Belfast

The email sent by Bush read, “Dear Brisbane Pub Choir. I’ve been so busy that I’ve only just had the chance to watch you all singing ‘RUTH’. It’s utterly, utterly wonderful! I love it so much! Thank you everyone. You sing it really beautifully. I’m incredibly touched by your warmth and all your smiling faces. Thank you!” The iconic singer concluded the message with a warm ending, “With lots of love, Kate.”

Astrid Jorgensen, the founder and director of Pub Choir spoke with The Guardian concerning the email, “My manager called me and said, you’ve got to get home, Kate Bush has emailed. I ran straight back – I was literally running up that hill.” Jorgensen continued to discuss the email, “It is so wild, She is the biggest artist in the world right now, so to have her say she was moved by our performance, yeah, that is a peak.”

Jorgensen also spoke with The Guardian concerning the process taken to request the licence to cover the song, “the response we got back was pretty much, ‘Good luck – we’ll ask, but maybe plan for a different song.” The permission to use the song was sent ten days before the performance, regarding Bush’s initial approval Jorgensen stated, “Even that was a massive deal, the idea that she approved.”

Bush has recently discussed the relationship she holds with her back catalogue, the singer revealed that before its newfound fame she had not listened to “Running Up That Hill” for some time. The “Wuthering Heights” singer also disclosed that she does not revisit her previous releases unless she is required to make edits and revisions to configure the music with different formats.

Whilst appearing on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, Bush spoke with Emma Barnett concerning her historic discography, “I never listen to my old stuff. But then you know, when things like this come along, I’m normally involved in something like you know, maybe doing an edit or revisiting the track for some kind of other reason, I’m working on it. So yeah, I hadn’t heard it for a really long time.“

The 1985 synth-pop heart wrencher was part of Bush’s Hounds Of Love album and has seen a viral resurgence in its consumption in recent years. In no small part in fact, to its use previously on Stranger Things. Which saw the song; “become her most popular title on the service after it experienced a 153 per cent surge in streams on Spotify.” Which was described by the streaming platform as; “the biggest gainer on the Global Spotify chart” at the time. If you need reminding, you can listen to “Running Up That Hill” in the video below:

The shows music supervisor Nora Felder explained the process of selection; “Consequently, each of the prospective song placements in the initial scripts was tagged with the placeholder, ‘TBD Max song.’ From there, I made an effort to internally align myself with what the Duffers felt were the most important elements needed, and my own intuitive grasp of Max’s complex feelings.”

When she finally found the song in question; “It immediately struck me with its deep chords of the possible connection to Max’s emotional struggles and took on more significance as Bush’s song marinated in my conscious awareness.”

After a lengthy process which saw Wende Crowley (SVP of Sony Publishing’s creative marketing, film and TV) get the request and take steps to ensure that all parties were happy with the outcome. Crowley explained; “Kate Bush is selective when it comes to licensing her music and because of that, we made sure to get script pages and footage for her to review so she could see exactly how the song would be used.”

Felder felt the music was key to the scenes following the character’s journey; “Kate Bush’s lyrics can mean very different things to different people. In the face of Max’s painful isolation and alienation from others, a ‘deal with god’ could heart-wrenchingly reflect Max’s implicit belief that only a miracle of unlikely understanding and show of support could help her climb the hills of life before her.”

Fans of the show will now be familiar with the song and a new generation is being introduced to these timeless tracks. With the show’s end sadly coming into view, the Duffer Brothers (directors) stated; “It’s just one of those things that you come up with and you go, ‘That’s it, that’s right, that’s inevitable – that’s what it has to be.’”

Netflix and J.J. Abrams’ company are making a TV series about U2. https://t.co/nfTHDiIKXI

— ScreenCrush (@screencrushnews) March 18, 2022

The news comes a few months after Bono and co. announced that their next album was underway, and in addition, the release of a new song entitled “Your Song Saved My Life”, a tune that marked the band’s first material in two years, and features on the soundtrack to SING 2. The film also saw lead singer Bono make his animated screen debut as Clay Calloway, a rockstar lion. Prior to this, the singer’s only appearance in films had been as himself in documentaries, although he did appear in the beloved Sacha Baron Cohen film Brüno.

In years prior, the band have been the subject of numerous films and documentaries, such as the 2011 documentary From The Sky Down, the 2008 live performance film U2 3D, and 1988’s Rattle and Hum, which is a hybrid live/studio album by the band.

The ”Where The Streets Have No Name” quartet announced some details of their forthcoming new album, with guitarist The Edge stating in a November interview with NME: “We are firmly locked in the tower of song and working away on a bunch of new things,” he said. “I’m just having so much fun writing and not necessarily having to think about where it’s going to go. It’s more more about enjoying the experience of writing and having no expectations or limitations on the process.” He added, regarding prospective producers: “I so enjoyed working with [Dutch DJ] Martin Garrix [on the UEFA Euro 2020 song ‘We Are The People’] and I hope to work with him in the future. But we haven’t made any firm decisions on what the next thing will be in terms of personnel. I just don’t know.”

Presently, only a small amount of information regarding this forthcoming television series is known, with information initially being divulged primarily by The Hollywood Reporter.

Wrote a song about their relationship and i guess it ended up on album 3 pic.twitter.com/uWp2axTsBw

— HBG (@HBARONGRACIE) November 12, 2021

Sex Education is one of Netflix’s most popular original shows. Following the lives of a group of students, parents and teachers at Moordale Secondary School, it sees the characters trying to get by amid all the sexual mishaps and awkwardness that often comes with people their age. Starring famous names such as Asa Butterfield (The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas) and Gillian Anderson (The X-Files), series 3 was released last September and (SPOILERS) showed characters Otis and Maeve confessing their feelings for one another, despite the latter being about to leave for America. The show has been renewed for a fourth series.

Barron-Gracie’s news comes about as hype for the band’s next album seems to be growing. Their last effort, Who Am I?, reached number 3 on the UK Albums Chart and number one in the UK Independent Albums Chart. NME said of it that ‘There have been plenty of albums borne out of the pandemic … but few bridge the gap between the old and new world quite like ‘Who Am I?’ The band capture their optimism of a new life worth living, but never shy away laying bare the challenges of doing so in times like these.’ Apart from their studio work, the band are also due to be doing some touring soon around the UK and Ireland. The dates can be seen below and are set for February and March next year, seeing them performing in venues such as Belfast’s The Limelight, Dublin’s The Academy and London’s Roundhouse. The band is well-versed with touring, having accompanied bands such as The 1975 back in 2017, as well as being involved in a traffic accident when their tour bus rolled off the road on the way to support singer-songwriter Halsey in Berlin. Hopefully, this time around will be a better experience for them, as the band show themselves getting to grips with pandemic life and getting back to what they love most, making music.

We’re finally getting back on the road in February and we can’t wait. We’ve missed u all so much! Tickets on sale now, let us know which show you’re coming to https://t.co/T0V9qKZTra pic.twitter.com/q0ikmHkHNc — PALE WAVES (@palewaves) October 29, 2021

11/02/2022 – Academy – Bristol
12/02 – Great Hall – Cardiff
13/02 – Rock City – Nottingham
14/02 – Academy – Birmingham
16/02 – Academy – Bournemouth
17/02 – Academy – Leeds
19/02 – Limelight – Belfast
20/02 – Academy – Dublin
21/02 – Academy – Glasgow
23/02 – Academy – Sheffield
25/02 – Academy – Leicester
26/02 – Academy – Oxford
28/02 – Roundhouse – London
01/03 – Victoria Warehouse – Manchester

The documentary is being made by Elton John’s guitarist Davey Johnstone, who has delayed the film for six years to avoid clashing with the Rocketman biopic and Elton’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. He feared the public would be bombarded with Elton John content and it would slip through the cracks.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Elton John (@eltonjohn)

Davey Johnstone spoke on the Greatest Music Of All Time podcast about getting the seal of approval from Elton John and his husband David Furnish; “I had a lovely conversation with David the other day in which they were really happy that I was going ahead and doing it again. Quite honestly I would never do anything, especially of a documentary nature, about anything we did without them being OK with it. So with this documentary we are in the throes right now of putting together all the last things we need.”

Regarding a potential release date for the new film, he added: “There are two more interviews we are looking to get and we will probably be finished with all the recording by late January and then we will go into editing and we will be ready about Easter.” He also gave a sneak peek saying; “The show will ­feature John Lennon on the night he came on stage and played Madison Square ­Garden with us for Thanksgiving in New York in 1974.”