IVE’s Wonyoung talks about “Golden” in an interview with Esquire Korea
IVE member Wonyoung recently shared her thoughts about the song “Golden” from the animated hit movie KPop Demon Hunters during a recent conversation with Esquire Korea. The interview, which was published on May 21, 2026, asked the 21-year-old artist about various topics. At one point, she was asked whether she had seen KPop Demon Hunters, and later, which KPop group came to mind after hearing one of the songs featured in the film. Wonyoung admitted that the track “Golden” reminded her of IVE’s hit song “I AM,” saying she had quietly thought that for a while before finally talking about it publicly.
“Uh… It’s my first time talking about this, [it] reminds me of our song ‘I AM.’ I felt and thought like that alone, but this is the first time I’ve said it with my mouth.”
The similarities between IVE’s I AM and Golden are evident
During the conversation, Wonyoung explained that she originally thought she was the only person who noticed the similarity between the two songs. However, the artist later realized that many people around her felt the same way about the track. She specifically pointed out that the part where the melody rises in “Golden” sounded very similar to IVE’s own track “I AM”. When the interviewer mentioned that the melody in “Golden” felt “exactly like IVE,” Wonyoung agreed to that remark and commented that the song styles were indeed very similar. This part of the Esquire Korea interview quickly caught attention online, following its official publication on May 21.
The KPop Demon Hunters topic concluded with a final comment. The interviewer mentioned that after checking which IVE song received the most attention overseas, the result was “I AM.” Wonyoung seemed to be surprised by the fact, commenting, “Oh! Really?” which potentially hints at the fact that she did not think this would be the IVE song of choice for international audiences.
