This exclusive piece delves into extraordinary interviews and narratives from around the globe.
"{I disliked that I looked Asian, that I didn't have blue eyes and blonde hair, because that's what was beautiful at the time," says Arden Cho, who voiced Rumi in the streaming platform's chart-topping movie, the K-pop themed animation.
The performer, 40, recalls her early years in the southern state, as the firstborn child of parents who emigrated from Korea and her struggle for acceptance in the United States.
In the movie, which narrates the tale of a girl group who must save the world from evil forces, the protagonist has to accept her identity as a hybrid being – and when Cho first saw the screenplay, this struck a deep chord.
"Growing up in the US, feeling American but having people treat me like a foreigner, grappling with my sense of self as an Asian-American, as a Asian-American, as a female," she explains.
These were all components of her formative years that paralleled the character's path.
"Truthfully, at different points in my life, I despised many parts of me and I longed to become a different person.
"During childhood, your surroundings influences your development and I feel like I lacked exposure to sufficient individuals that look like me."
When it launched on Netflix in June, the animated feature registered 33 million views in just two weeks, and secured the top 10 of the streaming rankings in 93 countries. To be part of the pioneering animation with a Korean setting, with Korean leads, was for Cho "a dream come true" – but it has also established her as a inspiring figure for young Asian-Americans, the kind that she lacked when she was young.
Cho says many Korean-Americans have expressed it's "such a refreshing moment", making them feel pride for the first instance of their mixed background and cultural roots.
"I feel like Korean pop music has genuinely broken barriers. Korean cosmetics has had a significant influence on global appreciation for Korea. But I believe the film is the one that pushed it further, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, currently," she comments.
But the film's success was not guaranteed and Cho says she felt the team making it were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".
"I feel like it's unfortunate to mention this, but any time there's an Asian-led project, people feel like it's a risk," she says.
So, when she accepted the part, she took steps to connect with everyone working on the film face-to-face, she says.
The film was released against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the United States as part of extensive removal policies, which sparked protests in many states.
As an Asian-American living in the US "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," she states. "Newcomers have shaped the nation."
Reports have suggested that up to 150,000 Korean immigrants lacking legal status, including adopted children, are among those who could be removed.
As an adult, she came to realise that the racism she had experienced when she was younger stemmed mainly from a lack of education, as many were unaware what it meant to be of Asian descent.
"However today, in the modern era, when I feel like the society and individuals should know better, it's deeply disheartening and sometimes I feel like we feel so hopeless," she expresses.
Because of this, it feels very special, she says, that the film could bring "optimism and happiness to various groups".
"Perhaps this explains it became the season's hit film, because there was a need for some hope and something to unite us all together."
The growth of AI is a significant worry for the entertainment sector, raising the possibility that in future it could be used to produce a film like KPop Demon Hunters.
Cho acknowledges she is aware that AI is already being used to copy performers' vocals, but wants to "maintain faith in people" that audiences will still seek out human-made creativity.
"Sure, I'm sure there will be digital performers and vocalists. I know they already exist. I know our voices are already being manipulated, but I trust people have some respect and desire for authentic creations."
KPop Demon Hunters has also been dominating the global music charts, with seven tracks from its soundtrack featured on the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan art, and viewers globally are demanding a sequel.
Cho tells us she wishes she could answer the question of if a sequel is planned – but both she and fans will have to wait for the platform or the studio, which produced the movie, to give it the green light.
"I know rumors are circulating, the feedback is positive," she shares. "So we shall see, and I believe everyone in the world would riot if there wasn't."
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