KPop Demon Hunters star says chart success doesn't feel real

19 minutes ago Share Save Peter Gillibrand and Srosh Khan BBC Newsbeat Share Save

Getty Images Singer-songwriter Ejae co-wrote and performed number one single Golden

One of the stars of animated sensation KPop Demon Hunters says the movie's success "feels like a dream". The film, about a fictional girl band who live a double life defending humanity from a supernatural threat, has become Netflix's most-watched animated film ever since its release in June. Upbeat anthem Golden, one of the standout songs from its soundtrack, leapt three places to take the number one spot in the Official UK Singles Chart from Justin Bieber in this week's top 40. Ejae, who co-wrote and performed the track, tells BBC Newsbeat she has been "honoured" by its success.

"It's like I'm surfing for the first time and a big wave just came through," she says. "And I'm trying my best to get through it." In the film, Golden is performed in the film by girl band HUNTR/X, consisting of Rumi, Mira and Zoey. According to the Official Charts Company, it's the first K-pop single to top the UK chart since PSY's Gangnam Style in 2012. Ejae, who provides the singing voice of Rumi, performs some of the soundtrack's songs and also co-wrote Your Idol, How It's Done and the Hunter's Mantra. She tells Newsbeat ending up on the final recordings was an "organic process". "I've been singing all the demos while writing the songs," she says. "I guess we got used to me singing it. And they were like: 'Hey, do you want to sing?' "I was just like: 'Why not?'"

Getty Images KPop Demon Hunters spent two weeks as the UK's most watched movie on Netflix

Ejae says the outpouring of support has been "overwhelming". She gained almost 100,000 Instagram followers in a month and says she's been getting used to the spotlight instead of "working behind the scenes". The KPop Demon Hunters crew knew Golden was a "banger" when they wrote it, she says, but had no idea how huge it would become. But Ejae has an idea as to why the song has captured so many fans. "I think we're in a time right now where we need hope and people are wanting that," she says. "And this song is very hopeful, it just lifts your voice and it's a very powerful song. "I think maybe that's what people need right now."

HUNTR/X face off against demon boyband the Saja Boys in the movie - and their single Your Idol climbed to number 10 in this week's chart. The Official Charts Company's editor Carl Smith tells Newsbeat it's a "sign of how popular K-pop is right now". He says both songs are "amazing pop songs with great melodies" and the film allows fans to "visualise their new favourite band". The last time an animated film soundtrack reached number one was when single We Don't Talk About Bruno, from Disney's Encanto, held the top spot for seven weeks in early 2022. Carl thinks Golden could have similar staying power. "It could possibly be the song of the summer," he says. "I think its popularity transcends generations."

Getty Images American actress SunHee Seo, known professionally as Ji-young Yoo, voices the character Zoey in the film

Katy, who runs K-pop site Hallyu Doing, tells Newsbeat the success of KPop Demon Hunters is exciting for UK fans. "I'm seeing people who are not K-pop fans that have seen the movie and are now looking into K-pop artists for real that they want to go and see," she says. Elsewhere in the charts, Drake and Central Cee scored the week's highest new entry with their collab Which One landing at number four. And music from Ozzy Osbourne, whose funeral was held in Birmingham this week, continued to climb the charts after his death. Black Sabbath's Paranoid climbed 12 places to the top 20, while Ozzy's solo track Crazy Train hit number 25 - its highest-ever position in the UK.

They escaped Ukraine's front lines. The sound of drones followed them

9 hours ago Share Save Joel Gunter Reporting from Kyiv Share Save

BBC Pavlo experienced drone warfare. "You are being hunted," he said.

In a cramped apartment in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, Pavlo, a 30-year-old drone operator who had recently returned from the front, unzipped a black case about the size of a pizza box. Inside, there was a four-rotor drone he intended to fly around the room. He pressed buttons on the control unit and pushed the antenna to different positions. Nothing happened. "Sorry, not today," he said, with a smile. The unit looked fine, but something was broken. At the front, Pavlo, who asked to be identified only by his first name, was a pilot of first-person view (FPV) drones. These small, highly manoeuvrable drones have front-facing cameras that allow them to be flown remotely. Over the past year or so, bomb-laden FPVs have become ubiquitous on the front lines in Ukraine, replacing the heavy weapons that characterised the war's first phase. The FPVs chase armoured vehicles, hunt infantry units through treelines and stalk individual soldiers to their deaths. "You cannot hide from the FPV, and to run is useless," Pavlo said. "You try to be as calm as possible, and you pray." Even when an FPV is too high to see clearly, or hidden behind foliage, soldiers can hear its distinctive, high-pitched whine. "Bzzzzzzzzzz," Pavlo said. "You are being hunted."

Getty Images Small FPV drones with munitions attached, in the hands of Ukrainian soldiers

After more than a year at the front, Pavlo has returned home to the Kyiv apartment he shares with his wife. But the sound of the drones has followed him. Everyday mechanical tools like lawnmowers, motorcycles and air conditioners remind him of the FPVs that hunted him and his unit mates. And nature is not an escape. Pavlo can no longer hear the sound of bees and flies buzzing near him without a creeping panic. "I don't like to go into nature anymore and hear this sound, because it reminds me so hard of the drones," he said. Trauma associated with sound is not new – generations of soldiers have been affected by sudden noises after returning to civilian life. But as the war in Ukraine has evolved into a conflict driven by drone technology, the trauma has evolved with it. "Over the past year, the majority of patients – if they are not physically wounded – have mental health injuries as a result of being under drone activity," said Dr Serhii Andriichenko, chief psychiatrist at Kyiv's military hospital. "We call this droneophobia." The first trial of its kind: A Russian solder takes the stand

Kill Russian soldiers, win points: Ukraine's new drone scheme

Families of the missing fear peace will not bring them home Many thousands of men are now returning from the front like Pavlo, with acute stress disorders associated with the sounds of drones, Dr Andriichenko said. The droneophobia can be triggered by an array of ordinary urban sounds – small motorcycles and scooters, lawnmowers, air conditioners – anything mechanical that whirrs. "If it's a moped or a lawnmower, my first thought is that it might be a drone," said another returned front line soldier, Savur, who lost his arm in an FPV drone attack. At the front line the drones were a "permanent sound", said Savur, who in accordance with military protocol asked to be identified by his callsign. "The sound of a shell lasts just a few seconds, but the sound of the drone is there most of the time," he said. "You can lay in your position, in your foxhole, and listen to it for hours. I remember that sound all of the time." Or sometimes the problem was the opposite – silence. "Silence is always the start," Dr Andriichenko, the psychiatrist, said. "When the soldiers go on rotation to combat positions, they start listening carefully to make sure there are no drones. There is constant tension, constant fear. They are always looking up."

Serhii Andriichenko, chief psychiatrist at Kyiv's military hospital. "We call this droneophobia," he said.

In many cases, that constant sense of tension has not been dispelled by the return to civilian life. Soldiers have been observed suddenly switching off lights at home, moving away from windows and hiding under furniture. Later, if a soldier is seen for treatment, Dr Andriichenko describes how he often has no memory of any trigger sound, but his wife or family member will reveal that an extractor fan or air conditioner had just been turned on. Soldiers from the earlier phases of the war - which was characterised more by brutal, direct combat - came home fearful of being in forests, where much of the fighting had taken place. But drone warfare has reversed the phenomenon. Now soldiers "feel safest in forests, under dense tree canopies", the psychiatrist said. "And in their free time, they try to avoid wooded areas." The rise in drone use has had another terrorising effect for combat troops - it has extended the danger zone far back from the front line. Soldiers operating up to 40km (25 miles) away, or pulling back after a heavy rotation, can no longer let their guard down. Nazar Bokhii, a commander of a small drone unit, was about 5km from the contact line in a dugout one day when his unit scored a direct hit on a Russian mortar position 22km away. Buoyed by the success, Bokhii bounded out of the dugout, forgetting the usual protocol of stopping first to listen for a telltale buzz. Metres away, a Russian FPV was loitering in the air. As it sped towards him, Bokhii only had time to raise his arms. When it detonated, it took both his hands and his left eye and badly burned his face.

Nazar Bokhii lost both his hands and one eye in a Russian FPV drone attack

Bokhii's own PTSD was limited, he said, to an occasional fear response to motorcycles and lawnmowers. But he knew about the effect of the sound, he said, because his unit had used it to inflict terror on others. "We were the side that caused fear with sound, not the side that suffered from it," Bokhii said. They had realised at some point that the sound could be used to force Russian soldiers into exposed areas. "You buzz around them and it becomes a test of the enemy's psychological resilience," Bokhii said. "The sound of the drone itself is a serious psychological attack." According to Bokhii, buzz above a soldier for long enough and he will leave a strong shelter and simply run into open terrain. "Our psychology works in such a way that we need to do something to calm ourselves," Bokhii said. "So you hover nearby and psychologically suppress him… and he starts running and becomes easier to hit." And the psychological terror of the FPV is no longer just a problem on the front line. It has reached beyond even the areas behind the front lines. Russia has begun using FPVs to drop munitions on civilians in Ukrainian cities nearby. Among the worst hit is Kherson, a southern city occupied for a time by Russian forces and still comfortably within drone range. According to Human Rights Watch, Russian forces have deliberately targeted civilians in the city with FPV drones and killed or maimed them - a war crime. According to the regional military administration, at least 84 civilians have been killed in the Kherson region as a result of Russian drone attacks so far this year. Residents say the tiny FPVs are a daily terror. "There is no such thing as a safe place anymore," said Dmytro Olifirenko, a 23-year-old border guard who lives in Kherson city. "You always have to be alert, focused, and because of that, the body is constantly under stress," he said.

Stanislav Ostrous/BBC Dmytro Olifirenko is among the many civilians wounded in drone attacks in Kherson.

Storm Floris will bring 'unseasonably strong gusty' winds to Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and the North of England on Monday.

A yellow weather warning will come into force at 06:00 on Monday and remain in place until 06:00 on Tuesday.

Gusts of up to 85mph could hit exposed Scottish coastlines and hills, while winds of 60 to 70mph are expected elsewhere.

It is the sixth named storm this season and the first since January.

"I'm not sure we'll see another Sonny at Tottenham," Kevin Wimmer, Son Heung-min's close friend and former Spurs team-mate, tells BBC Sport.

"To be at one club - especially one as big as Spurs - for 10 years in this day and age is a very special achievement."

After 454 appearances and 173 goals, Son is moving to pastures new a decade after Mauricio Pochettino brought him to north London from Bayer Leverkusen.

The South Korea forward was the most expensive Asian signing in the Premier League when the then 23-year-old arrived in 2015 in a deal reportedly worth £22.5m.

Now aged 33, Son leaves three months after writing his name in Spurs folklore by helping the team to victory over Manchester United in the Europa League final to end the club's 17-year wait for a major trophy.

"We love players who give so much to this club," Micky Hazard, an FA Cup (1982) and Uefa Cup (1984) winner with Spurs, says.

"Sonny will always be worshipped in these parts."

On the pitch, Son will be remembered by Spurs fans for his searing pace and outstanding moments like his wonderful solo goal in 2019, when Tottenham's number seven was too quick for Burnley as he ran all the way from the edge of his own penalty area, dodging tackle after tackle, before slotting past Nick Pope.

Off it, he will be remembered by team-mates for his incredible gestures.

Son paid the bill when he took the team out for a Korean barbecue during Tottenham's pre-season tour of South Korea in 2022 before giving the whole travelling party personal gifts to mark their visit to his home country.

"When he first arrived, I didn't know much about him," Hazard tells BBC Sport.

"Ten years on, he's leaving a Spurs legend."

David Warner says Joe Root will need to "take the surfboard off his front leg" if he and England are to succeed in Australia this winter.

Warner, 38, is in England for a stint with London Spirit in The Hundred and while he is looking forward to calling Lord's home for a month, he could not resist a gentle dig at former Ashes rivals.

England face Australia in the Ashes from late November, when they will attempt to win back the urn for the first time in 10 years.

"The big anchor there is Rooty [England batter Joe Root], who is yet to score a hundred in Australia," Warner told BBC Sport.

"Josh Hazlewood tends to have his number quite a lot. He will have to take the surfboard off his front leg."

Warner, who retired from international cricket last year, is set to make his Hundred debut in the tournament opener against Oval Invincibles on Tuesday.

He could face Root's Trent Rockets at Lord's on 14 August.

Root is the number one Test batter in the world and crucial to England's hopes of winning the Ashes but has never scored a century in Australia.

He has been dismissed 10 times in 18 Tests by Australia seamer Hazlewood - one fewer than the 11 times he has been dismissed by Australia captain Pat Cummins and India bowler Jasprit Bumrah.

"It all comes down to the bowlers," Warner said.

"If the English bowlers can put a dent in the Australia top order then they will come into the contest."

Warner could also face another former Ashes rival in The Hundred this year in veteran bowler James Anderson. Anderson was a late pick for Manchester Originals, who the Spirit play on 11 August.

Asked about the prospect of facing England's record wicket-taker again, Warner said: "They are 2025 white cricket balls not 2018 red Dukes.

"It is going to be a bit different."

England asked for the 2018 batch of Dukes balls to be used for the 2019 Ashes because they expected them to move more for Anderson and the hosts' other seamers.

Anderson was injured four overs into the series which was drawn 2-2, yet Warner has not forgotten.

"He probably won't be able to seam it around corners like they normally do," Warner said.

When Warner plays on Tuesday it will be the first time he has taken to the field on English soil since the final day of the Ashes in 2023.

That day, before the ball changes, bail swaps and Stuart Broad's finale, Warner was applauded off by the crowd at The Oval, despite his troubled history with the England-supporting public.

"I was touched by that," Warner said.

"It is a credit to the supporters of cricket in England, who love the game.

"We have always had our challenges and battles as nations but what English supporters do is appreciate players who have played for a long time. That did mean a lot."

The Spirit reached the Hundred eliminator 2022 but have finished seventh or eighth in the tournament's other three seasons.

This year Warner will be reunited with another Australian, the former coach and opener Justin Langer who has replaced Trevor Bayliss as coach.

"I know Spirit haven't gone too well in the past few years," Warner said.

"For myself to bring some energy and intensity to the group and project that on the field would be awesome.

"It is about the fans and the young kids that are coming out to see us, not about the player and whether there has been a bit of history or not.

"It is about supporting the game, making sure we are the ones putting bums on seats and are there for the right reasons."

Rory McIlroy will not play in the opening play-off event of the PGA Tour season next week.

The Masters champion was not listed in the field for the FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis, which was released on Friday.

Northern Ireland's McIlroy has not played since finishing tied seventh at the Open Championship at Royal Portrush last month.

The tournament in Memphis will mark world number one Scottie Scheffler's return after his four-shot victory at the Open.

Three-time FedEx Cup winner McIlroy, 36, struggled at the St Jude Championship last year, finishing joint second last on nine over par.

The top 70 in the FedEx Cup standings after this week's Wyndham Championship will qualify for the St Jude.

After Memphis, the top 50 will advance to the BMW Championship in Maryland on 14-17 August.

The season-ending Tour Championship, featuring the top 30 players, takes place in Atlanta the following week.

McIlroy, who is second behind Scheffler in the FedEx Cup standings, is scheduled to play in the Irish Open at the K Club and the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in September before returning to the United States for the Ryder Cup in New York.