On the 17th, the Academy's official Instagram posted a photo with the caption, "Rei Ami, EJAE and Audrey Nuna x 98th," highlighting their presence at the 98th Oscars.
In the photo, the three artists are seen posing in different gold dress designs. However, the post drew criticism from some netizens, who left negative comments due to an incident where winners' speeches were abruptly cut off, sparking allegations of racial discrimination.
The Netflix animation 'K-Pop Demon Hunters' (referred to as 'K-Demon Hunters') won both the Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song awards at the 98th Academy Awards held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on the 15th (local time).
Singer and co-writer of the OST 'Golden', EJAE, took the stage and said, "This song is about recovery, not success," adding, "As a child, people mocked me for liking K-pop, but now everyone sings our songs. I'm proud."
As EJAE finished her speech and passed the microphone to co-composer Yuhan Lee, exit music began to play loudly. Lee attempted to continue with a prepared note, but the music did not stop.
EJAE reached out, pleading "Wait!" while co-lyricist Mark Sonnenblick jumped beside her. However, lyricists Yuhan Lee and Mark Sonnenblick, along with The Black Label composers Jung-kyu Kwak, Hee-dong Nam, and Jung-hoon Seo, were denied the opportunity to give their acceptance speeches.
After the ceremony, EJAE expressed her disappointment, saying, "I wanted to thank everyone on stage, but I couldn't because they cut us off." Yuhan Lee also shared his gratitude, saying, "I wanted to thank my family, the 24 composing team, IDO members, and Teddy. It's an incredible honor," only able to express his feelings after the ceremony.
Earlier that day, when 'K-Demon Hunters' won the Best Animated Feature award, directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans gave their speeches. However, when producer Michelle Wing took the microphone, music began to play. CNN criticized the Oscars, stating, "The Oscars should not ignore K-pop."
In response to these incidents, netizens flooded the Academy's official social media with comments such as "Stop cutting speeches," "The highlight of the ceremony is the artists' speeches, and cutting them is disrespectful," "Many wanted to hear what the composers had to say," "STOP ASIAN HATE," and "Interrupting thank-you speeches is extremely rude."
By Dayeon Jeong, TenAsia Reporter light@tenasia.co.kr