Korean-American singer-songwriter REI AMI has returned to her birth country for the first time in 12 years, marking a new chapter with her solo single “2LOUD” after a run as the singing voice of Zoey, the maknae rapper of fictional girl group HUNTR/X in Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters.”
In an interview with Newsis at Universal Music Korea in Seoul’s Gangnam district, the 31-year-old described the trip as a “spiritual and fated return.” Born in Seoul as Sarah Yeeun Lee, REI AMI had not set foot in Korea since 2014. She said she cried throughout the flight over, upon landing, and all day on her first day in Seoul, overwhelmed by being welcomed back almost like a national trophy. During the visit she attended the October 17 Seoul wedding of her HUNTR/X colleague EJAE and producer Sam Kim, and revisited the semi-basement home in Gupyeong-dong where she spent her early childhood.
“2LOUD” was released on September 18, 2026 through Republic Records, her first solo release since “KPop Demon Hunters.” The dancefloor-ready track turns years of being told she was “too loud” or “too much” into a statement of self-assertion. “If you think I’ve been too loud, then I don’t know what to tell you because I’m about to get even louder. Cry about it or get some ear plugs,” she said of the song, which arrived with a visualizer.
The film became Netflix’s most-streamed film project of all time, and HUNTR/X crossed over into a real-world global phenomenon. Their multi-platinum single “Golden” was the first song by a K-pop girl group to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, spending multiple weeks atop the chart and surpassing one billion streams worldwide. The awards run included Oscar and Grammy wins tied to the film’s music, followed by live appearances at the Oscars, BRIT Awards and BAFTAs, plus a surprise performance during KATSEYE’s Sahara Tent set at Coachella.
REI AMI debuted in 2019 with the provocative “snow cone,” and her stage name fuses Sailor Moon characters Sailor Mars (Hino Rei) and Sailor Mercury (Mizuno Ami). Raised in a strict religious household where only Christian contemporary music was allowed, she secretly downloaded pop songs as a teenager and, after college, lived a double life as a marketing and brand coordinator for a custom packaging company counting Sephora as its biggest client by day while hitting studios by night.
Asked about a “KPop Demon Hunters” sequel, she joked she could not say anything without getting in trouble with Netflix and director Maggie Kang, but added she would love to see an origin story about how the three girls met, or even a Joseon-era historical drama exploring the origins of the demon hunters.
