Northwest High School alumna Rei Ami is now an Academy Award winner. The artist, born Sarah Yeeun Lee, helped make history Sunday night as the animated film KPop Demon Hunters took home two Oscars at the 98th Academy Awards. The film won Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for the track “Golden,” performed by Rei Ami alongside EJAE and Audrey Nuna.
“Golden” earned another milestone along the way, becoming the first K-pop song to ever win an Oscar. The trio, who perform as the fictional group Huntr/x in the film, delivered a live performance of the song during the ceremony at the Dolby Theatre. The film’s Best Animated Feature win also marked a notable moment in the category, as KPop Demon Hunters became the first non-Disney or Pixar film to win in several years.
Rei Ami’s connection to Montgomery County runs deep. Born in Seoul, South Korea, she moved to the United States with her family at the age of six and grew up in Germantown. She graduated from Northwest High School in 2014 before attending the University of Maryland, where she graduated in 2018.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Rei Ami spoke with The Diamondback, the University of Maryland’s student newspaper, from her Germantown home while her career was beginning to take off. Not long after, she returned to the region for a performance at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C., a venue she had admired for years while growing up in Montgomery County.
“I grew up in Montgomery County, MD. I’ve watched sooo many shows at the 9:30 Club… I always told myself at every show, ‘That’s going to be you one day.’ Fast forward years later, I’ve had the privilege of performing for sold out crowds for my first show back home. DMV, thank you, this was the best welcome home present ever. I am so honored,” she shared at the time.
Her role in KPop Demon Hunters has since elevated her career to an international level. In the hit 2025 animated film, Rei Ami provides the singing and rapping voice for Zoey, one of three members of the demon-hunting K-pop girl group Huntr/x. The movie follows the trio as they balance their lives as global pop stars with their secret mission battling supernatural forces.
The film has become Netflix’s most-watched original movie to date, while its soundtrack has also dominated the charts. The anthem “Golden,” featuring Rei Ami’s vocals, spent three consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
With an Oscar now added to her growing list of accomplishments, Rei Ami’s journey from Germantown student to global music star continues to inspire fans both locally and around the world.
