Key Takeaways
- KPop Demon Hunters: The film’s success posed challenges in adapting its animated musical world for live performances.
- Kevin Woo: The former U-KISS member saw a dramatic increase in Spotify listeners after the film’s release.
- New Record Deal: Woo secured a new record deal, marking a significant milestone in his career.
- Global Tour Plans: He aims to embark on a world tour following the release of new music.
Despite the resounding success of its film and soundtrack, KPop Demon Hunters faced a tricky challenge since its breakout: translating a fantastical, animated musical world into the human reality of a concert stage.
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A longtime K-pop veteran as a member of boy band U-KISS and one of the voices for the Saja Boys, Kevin Woo found the answer was — and has always been — to keep showing up.
After recording as Mystery Saja in KPop Demon Hunters‘ supervillain singing sensation Saja Boys, the star experienced unprecedented chart feats (“Soda Pop” and “Your Idol” peaked within the top 5 during the same week on the Billboard Hot 100) and earned exponential spikes in streaming (his Spotify page currently boasts 21 million monthly listeners with 1 billion streams in 2025 alone).
To close out 2025, the California native transformed his role in the viral film and soundtrack into accelerated career momentum, culminating in a new record deal and his most visible stateside moments yet.
“After KPop Demon Hunters, I think my Spotify monthly listeners went from 10,000 to 2 million overnight,” he recalls backstage at the New York stop of iHeartRadio’s 2025 Jingle Ball tour. The attention turned into offers, but Woo says he was intentional about his next step. Drawing on a small but solid number of solo releases like 2021’s “Got It” (produced by Ariana Grande and XG collaborator Shintaro Yasuda) and “Deja Vu” from this year (crafted with go-to K-pop crossover creatives Aiden Lewis and Vanessa Jefferson), Kevin built a team with new manager Gary Marella of Mono Group Music, whose clientele includes Timbaland, Ron Fair and ATL Jacob.
They met with prospective partners over several months and ultimately felt seen in a Los Angeles meeting with Atlantic Music Group’s 10K Projects.
“The chemistry was there,” he said of meeting Elliot Grange, the label’s CEO, who brought his independent label under the Atlantic umbrella last year. “He already knew about me, which was so flattering. He was like, ‘Huge congratulations, you are killing it, and we want more voices and faces like you in our label.’ And he really understood diversity with music — he just gets it. And then in that moment, I just felt like it was the right move.”
With nearly two decades of working in global entertainment, the connection “felt like a reward at the end of a lot of hard work that I put into my artistry and my craft.”
After being discovered at age 15 and moving to South Korea for K-pop training, Woo debuted in the mid-2000s and ultimately stayed with boy band U-KISS for nine years, until 2017, when the band’s music releases slowed, and he began gaining traction in hosting and television roles.
Beyond K-pop, he performed in musical theater across the globe, joining different musicals in Korea and making his Broadway debut in 2022’s KPOP, all while pursuing music in the States.
KPop Demon Hunters isn’t even the only movie project the 34-year-old has lined up after his short film Seoul Switch (which was released worldwide on YouTube earlier this year after securing Margaret Cho as an executive producer for a full project), the Tubi movie Death Name (which comes to the service on Jan. 9, 2026) and the upcoming Anderson .Paak–directed K-Pops! (hitting theaters early next year).
The 10K deal has accelerated Woo’s creative pipeline. He has an abundance of material ready to go (“15, 16 songs that I already have written”) along with studio time with Dem Jointz (the hitmaker on board for the K-Pops! soundtrack and crafted multiple cuts on recent albums for Eminem, NCT 127 and JENNIE of BLACKPINK). Woo says he’ll pick a lead single early next year and align that release with his accompanying promotional cycle for K-Pops! “After new music, I’m definitely planning a tour — and not just a U.S. tour, I want to do a world tour.”
But before embarking on his own global trek, Kevin warmed up in arenas across the States by leading Jingle Balls’ “sing-a-long moment” for KPop Demon Hunters across coasts from New York City’s Madison Square Garden to the Intuit Dome in the Los Angeles area.
Ahead of hitting MSG, Woo made a surprise performance on Dec. 11 to close the “A Year in TIME” event, where the magazine honored KPop Demon Hunters as Breakthrough of the Year. “It was such a nerve-racking moment for me,” he says of the affair also attended by HUNTR/X singers EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, and his fellow Saja Boy vocalist Danny Chung. “ It was filled with so many important people like the head of YouTube, the CEO of TIME, Leonardo DiCaprio, LL Cool J, just to name a few. It was a different energy in the room, but I really wanted to show the energy of the movie and the performance element to K-pop. So, it was such a huge honor for me to perform at that and it was even more special because HUNTR/X was there in the crowd because they performed ‘Golden’ at the beginning of the event. For them to hold the Saja Boys’ and HUNTR/X’s lightsticks and support me performing ‘Soda pop’ was such a surreal moment — it felt like it was a scene right out from the movie,” adding with an inside joke for KDH superfans, “ But I don’t know if the HUNTR/X girls were rooting for me or if they were booing me…”
Kevin also performed a midday set at the pre-Jingle Ball bash for the Z100 All Access Lounge at the Hammerstein Ballroom, spotting fans waiting in line since 7:00 a.m.
“New York is on another level; it’s crazy,” he adds. “This whole Jingle Ball experience has been so amazing and I’ve looked up to so many artists who perform at Jingle Ball. I’ve always wanted to attend but it’s my first time coming to the show and also performing. It has double meaning for me this year; meeting fans of KPop Demon Hunters and K-pop in general. They’ve just been so supportive and enthusiastic; they’ve been singing every lyric at every stop of this tour and for me to present sing-a-long moments alongside performing with them has been such an honor.”
MSG was where Woo had his first-ever arena performance in the U.S. when he took stage at KCON 2019; however, he says Jingle Ball truly marks how much K-pop has grown. “Now to see K-pop blow up on another level has just been such joy for me as someone from that world. I’ve been sharing this stage with peers like Jackson Wang, JO1, A2O MAY, GIRLSET, today Monsta X; it’s incredible how diverse we are here.”
A throughline across all of Woo’s work has been persistence: honing one’s craft while timing aligns around projects that resonate culturally; this manifests new career highs nearly two decades into his journey. As Kevin gears up for more opportunities in 2026 ahead read on for reflections on favorite songs, albums concerts alongside reactions to KPop Demon Hunters ‘ success on year-end Billboard charts.
Billboard: I want to get your reactions to some rankings on Billboard ‘s year-end charts because KPop Demon Hunters landed at No.13 on Billboard’s Top Albums chart.
Kevin Woo: Oh my God! I just got goosebumps! I think I need more time to process this; we made that much impact? This was just supposed to be movie music but now it’s charting? I’m still amazed!
On Hot Songs chart: “Soda Pop” landed No.61 while “Your Idol” is No.54. What do you think made America connect more with “Your Idol”?
It’s insane! The song draws you right from its intro; it’s dark yet mysterious mixing rock elements with K-pop! North American audiences love those hard-hitting tracks; perhaps that’s why “Your Idol” resonated more than “Soda Pop,” even though both did well globally.
“Soda Pop” had world’s tenth-most Googled lyrics according to Google Year In Search report; why do you think so many sought its lyrics?
I believe it’s due to younger fans loving this film! While “Golden” is an anthem it’s tough to sing; “Soda Pop” is catchy—everyone can sing along easily! The dance challenge made waves on TikTok too—it’s more relatable globally!
Best show you saw this year?
My favorites were ATEEZ—both shows at BMO Stadium were phenomenal! Their fan engagement is outstanding—truly special compared to other K-pop acts!
And BLACKPINK’s Deadline Tour blew me away too! Each member shone solo yet together they delivered an incredible performance—so proud!
Your song/album of year?
I love “Soda Pop,” but honestly “Your Idol” holds my heart too! It’s infectious—my go-to crowdpleaser! Lady Gaga’s album MAYHEM also stood out—her blend of theater into performances is genius! One day I’d love her outfit changes!
As for standout song? Definitely “like JENNIE.” That track was fire!
Your New Year’s resolutions?
My goal is health-focused—I want self-care amidst this busy season ahead! Also meeting fans more personally during my world tour is high on my bucket list!
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