HUNTR/X Women of the Year: EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI Receive 2026 Billboard Honor

EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI, the singing voices behind HUNTR/X in Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters, were named Billboard’s 2026 Women of the Year. The HUNTR/X Billboard honor was tied to Billboard Women in Music 2026, which took place on April 29, 2026, at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, with Keke Palmer hosting. ¹

The selection positioned the three artists at the center of Billboard’s annual Women in Music program after the rise of “Golden” and the public emergence of HUNTR/X as a performing group. Billboard Korea reported that the artists recorded separately before KPop Demon Hunters was released in June 2025, then later began performing together as HUNTR/X after “Golden” became a major chart hit. ²

HUNTR/X Women of the Year Recognition

Billboard Philippines reported that Billboard officially announced EJAE, AUDREY NUNA and REI AMI as the Women of the Year honorees for the 2026 Women in Music event. The outlet also listed other 2026 honorees, including Teyana Taylor, Tate McRae, Ella Langley, Kehlani, Laufey, Mariah the Scientist, Thalia and Zara Larsson. ³

The Women of the Year announcement was also reported by BroadwayWorld, which stated that EJAE, AUDREY NUNA and REI AMI would receive the 2026 Women of the Year Award at Billboard Women in Music on April 29. That report also named Keke Palmer as host and said viewers could watch the event live through Billboard.com or Billboard’s YouTube channel. ⁴

Leila Cobo, quoted in Billboard Korea’s report, said in Korean that Billboard was “very proud” to select EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI as Women of the Year. ¹ Billboard Philippines also quoted Cobo as saying the artists “have not only dominated the charts, but also redefined what it means to be powerful women.” ³

The award framed the three performers both as individual artists and as the vocal identities associated with HUNTR/X. The reporting available in the source material identifies them as the singing voices of HUNTR/X in KPop Demon Hunters, rather than as a conventional group formed before the Netflix project. That distinction is central to the award context: their public profile as HUNTR/X followed the film’s release and the subsequent impact of “Golden.” ²

From KPop Demon Hunters to Billboard Women in Music

KPop Demon Hunters was released in June 2025, and the three artists recorded separately before the film’s release. Billboard Korea’s later interview described how EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI began performing together as HUNTR/X after “Golden” became a major chart hit. ²

The award announcement therefore came after a transition from voice and singing work for a Netflix title into a broader music-industry recognition under the HUNTR/X name. The source material does not provide additional chart figures, rankings or sales totals, but it repeatedly links the Women of the Year honor to HUNTR/X, KPop Demon Hunters and “Golden.”

In the same Billboard Korea interview, EJAE described the recognition as especially meaningful as an Asian American woman. Her comment, translated from Korean, was: “It is very special. It is even more of an honor, especially as an Asian American woman.” ²

GMA News Online also included Huntr/x in its published honoree list for Billboard Women in Music 2026 and identified the act as Women of the Year. The same report said the event would stream on Billboard.com and Billboard’s YouTube channel. ⁵

Wider HUNTR/X Activity Around the Honor

The Billboard recognition arrived during a period of continuing KPop Demon Hunters promotion. Netflix Tudum published an official update on April 28, 2026, about a Battle For The Fans promotion involving Netflix, McDonald’s, HUNTR/X and the Saja Boys. The update said Netflix and McDonald’s worked with the voice and singing talent of both groups to deliver new performances, including “How It’s Done” by the singing voices of HUNTR/X. ⁶

That promotion sits separately from the Billboard Women in Music award, but it shows that HUNTR/X activity was still being developed around the Netflix project at the time of the Billboard event. The available source material does not state that the promotion was part of Billboard Women in Music, so the two developments should be treated as related only through the artists and the wider KPop Demon Hunters context.

For Billboard Women in Music 2026, the confirmed facts are specific: EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI were named Women of the Year; the event was held on April 29, 2026, at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles; and Keke Palmer hosted. The honor followed their work as the singing voices of HUNTR/X in KPop Demon Hunters and the rise of “Golden,” which helped move HUNTR/X from a screen-based music identity into a recognized name at Billboard Women in Music.

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Cloi Lee

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