KPop Demon Hunters has continued to dominate the streaming world and pop culture since its release a little over a year ago. Arguably creating a new Korean Wave (Hallyu), the musical artists behind the fictional K-Pop idol group, Huntrix, have become household names seemingly overnight.
But what about the talent behind their rivals, the Saja Boys?
Saja Boys Take NYCC 2026: Inside the Huntrix Rivalry
Emmy-nominated Actor & Producer, Rich Ting (Tulsa King, Warrior) has founded and opened a production company, with one of the verticals being talent management. Because Ting has “been around the block”, it has allowed him to build relationships over time with companies and meet people like Andrew Choi and Neckwav. Utilizing their combined talents and resources, the goal is to help further propel their careers beyond Jinu and Abby.
While at New York Comic Con, we had the opportunity to attend the press conference with Rich Ting and Neckwav. The pair also hosted a panel, titled “Inside the Saja Boys: Beyond KPop Demon Hunters” during the convention weekend. Jinu’s singing voice, Andrew Choi, unfortunately couldn’t attend that day due to travel delays.
This interview has been lightly edited and truncated for clarity.
Songwriting Roots & Studio Confessions: How ‘Soda Pop’ & ‘Your Idol’ Were Born
Both Andrew Choi and Neckwav were involved in the K-Pop music industry before landing their roles as the singing voices of Jinu and Abby. All of the Saja Boys’ singing voices had a background in songwriting, and were already used to singing on demos for artists.
From K-Pop Demo Writers to Virtual Idol Superstars
“I was a songwriter. So, everyone who sang [in] the Saja Boys, we’re all songwriters. We’ve been involved with K-pop for so long, like the genre itself; we usually sing on demos for artists. We were very used to singing, so that’s why I was approached to sing a rap in Korean and English. I was like, ‘Sure, I do that all the time’” said Neckwav.
“I was told to audition for Soda Pop and Your Idol, and next thing I know, I recorded for maybe six to seven hours in the studio, and completely forgot that I did it… And a year later, movie came out without a trailer, Instagram started blowing up, and next thing I know, I’m at the New York Comic Con… It was just crazy.”
While Neckwav didn’t know the other Saja Boys members beforehand, he was already familiar with and even a fan of Andrew Choi after watching his performance on K-pop Star Season 2.
“Andrew [Choi] couldn’t be here today. I’ve been a fan of him forever. He was in one of the really famous America’s Got Talent for Koreans, called K-pop Star. He sings like an angel, so I practice myself, just try[ing] to sing like him, and he’s been in the game forever,” said Neckwav.
“He wrote a lot of K-pop songs…I think he’s the only one that I knew. Everyone else, we recorded separately…first time ever meeting each other through the movie.”
As we all now know, the central characters for Huntrix and the Saja Boys had both voice actors, and dedicated artists for the singing roles. Baby Saja was the only idol who was voiced by the same actor, Danny Chung, during the film’s production.
“ There’s only one character that has the same guy for voice and lead role, which is Danny [Chung]. He’s the Baby Saja. And I believe Abby was dubbed by someone [SungWon Cho/ ProZD] who does a lot of voice acting work. And I sang Soda Pop and Your Idol as Abby.”
Despite being the second lead in Soda Pop and Your Idol, Neckwav spoke about the music being ‘chopped and screwed’ in parts that sometimes made it difficult to even recognize his own voice after hours of recording.
“ So, I think I start off Your Idol. The ‘keeping you in check’ part is me, and then Soda Pop, the rap and I don’t know which parts, because we sang so many lines. And I think Ian [Eisendrath], our phenomenal music director, he sort of chopped and screwed the parts and then made it into a whole song itself. So, I had to figure out which parts I sang when the movie came out.”
The Demon Twist: Recording the Mask On vs. Mask Off
Something that was absolutely wild to learn during this press conference was that Neckwav had no clue the Saja Boys were meant to be demonic idols that rival Huntrix.
When asked if he was aware that the Saja Boys were demons before filming, Neckwav stated, “ Oh, no, absolutely not,” before retelling the story of how his role was explained to him by Ian Eisendrath, the film’s executive music producer, vocal producer, and conductor.
“When we were recording Soda Pop, he [Eisendrath] was telling me that, ‘Okay, so you guys are putting on this disguise. You’re basically sucking out the soul of all your fans, but you’re putting on a mask with this boy band’. So, I was like, ‘Okay, so I guess I just gotta sing as bright as I can’. And then Your Idol is the grand finale of, you know, ‘we’re gonna take all your souls’ so you can be as dark as you want.
Your Idol was pretty intense when I recorded, because I couldn’t get the tone right. So, I had to record it on a metronome without the instrumental for a little while, and then we had to throw a background to it. It was really fun, though.”
Soda Pop was recorded when the film’s animation wasn’t even done yet, so Neckwav watched stick figures while receiving direction from Eisendrath for the song’s intended tone.
“When I recorded it, the animation wasn’t done yet. So, I was recording to stick figures, and Ian was kind enough to really explain the plot to us, kind of leading into, ‘Okay, this is you guys, showing yourself for the first time as the boy band but with demon patterns’ and all that…”
When asked how different the two songs were to record as a singer, since Soda Pop is “the bait” to hook fans in while Your Idol is the “mask coming off”, Neckwav expressed his affinity toward recording Your Idol due to frequently rapping because of his deep voice, and the song’s overall vibe.
“ I have a deeper voice, so I’m just used to rapping more often. I tried to sing, so Soda Pop was too bright for my music and my personal taste. But as a songwriter, you have to do what you gotta do. You’re pitching songs constantly, so you can’t really complain about the genre and the style of music. Soda Pop was something that I really don’t usually do on my end, but it was fun recording, cause I’ve never recorded such a bubbly song in my life.
Your Idol was just on point. I loved the song. As soon as I heard it, I was like, ‘Oh, this is definitely a song that I would write. ’”
Authenticity & Hallyu: Why KPop Demon Hunters Resonated Worldwide
KPop Demon Hunters is now known worldwide, with fans from all walks of life. The film resonated with so many people due to its humanistic themes intertwined with folklore, something we have chronicled on this website. I had the chance to ask Neckwav directly how he felt about the film’s international success, and his thoughts on it triggering a new Korean Wave (“Hallyu”).
“How do you view the international reception of the Saja Boys beyond just the idol phenomenon, as a story about breaking generational supernatural chains that fans resonated with worldwide?”
Neckwav: “ It’s been incredible. Everyone who was involved with the song, we were just literally the K-pop songwriters. We’ve been authentic and staying true to how to make good music in the genre of K-pop. And then we were just amazed and grateful to see that we’ve been doing this forever…We were there, whenever we were called upon and this was just one of those days, and now we’re being recognized for that.”
I told Neckwav that the story and the film resonated with people worldwide. He explained that he thought the film’s authentic portrayal of Korean culture resonated with fans and helped propel its stardom.
Neckwav: “ Just going off of what your question is, just being most Korean is what made it most international in my opinion. So, us just being true to ourselves and sticking to our character. I mean, not as a character for Abby or other Saja Boys, just us as musicians, who are pursuing K-pop. I think that’s made it international. And we’re just so grateful that everyone loves K culture, K-pop music…”
I agreed, and shared the common belief that KPop Demon Hunters had ignited a new Korean Wave, overshadowing the wave created by the K-drama adaptation of Boys Over Flowers in 2009.
Neckwav: “ Exactly! So it’s just amazing to see that.”
I thanked Neckwav for transcending boundaries and creating something impactful for everyone to enjoy, and he politely thanked me as well for the question. Moving forward, Neckwav would like to release his own music in order to thank the fans of KPop Demon Hunters who love the deep voice of Abby.
Neckwav: “ Through this movie, a lot of opportunities came about as a songwriter…So, it just opened up a lot of doors for me, so I’m forever grateful for it. But I’m definitely gonna release my music as my voice. But, to obviously thank fans of the KPop Demon Hunters movie, ’cause they loved the deep voice of Abby. So I’m like, ‘I have to do this’, I have to do it for the fans.”
Beyond the Avatar: Rich Ting on Management & Netflix Sequel
Just as the Huntrix fandom knows the real-life artists behind Rumi (EJAE), Mira (Audrey Nuna), and Zoey (REI AMI), it is Rich Ting’s goal to have the Saja Boys’ lead artists be just as recognizable to the fandom.
“Netflix did a fantastic job promoting Huntrix. Granted, they won everything, right?” said Ting. “People know who the three girls are outside of the virtual animated characters. So, my goal has been to do the same with Neckwav and Andrew, the two that I represent.”
Ting continued, “Andrew’s the lead in all the songs, but Neckwav is the second lead in Soda Pop and Your Idol. So to just be able to get them the exposure they deserve so that the fandom can be like, ‘Oh, that’s Abby, that’s Jinu’…” is the goal of this strategic launch.
Thankfully, some dedicated fans have already recognized Neckwav despite him ‘hiding’ behind the virtual avatar of the demonic idols.
“ I have been recognized,” began Neckwav when asked. “I was stopped at a store one time. They said, ‘Aren’t you one of the Saja Boys?’ I was like, ‘How do you know?’… We’re virtual idols; we’re literally hiding behind our characters. Fans were kind enough to do their research and find our faces, and other actors’ faces.”
Neckwav admitted that it was “an amazing experience just to run into them” that hopefully, will continue to happen more often given KPop Demon Hunter’s international renown.
Netflix announced earlier this year that a KPop Demon Hunters sequel is officially in the works. If you haven’t already seen the first film, it is available to stream only on Netflix.
🏮 Read More In Asian Spaces
- KPop Demon Hunters Review: Sympathy for the Devil – Read our in-depth review on how the film redefines supernatural idols and Korean folklore for international audiences.
- Why Sinners and KPop Demon Hunters Work – A deep dive into why breaking generational chains and blending traditional myths with modern music creates viral hits.
- Kayou K-Pop: Demon Hunters Collectible Trading Cards Review – Comparing Classic vs. Energy Edition packs for fans collecting physical merch of Huntrix and the Saja Boys.
- The Shamanic Origins of Legendary Hunters – Explore the real-life Korean landmarks, shamanic traditions, and folklore that inspired modern supernatural storytelling.
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