EJAE Says an Unsmiling Leonardo DiCaprio Threw Her Off During Her BAFTA Performance of 'Golden'
K-pop singer EJAE has told The Times (U.K.) that an unsmiling Leonardo DiCaprio sitting directly in front of her threw her off during her performance of 'Golden' at the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards in London — and that the moment still haunts her.
EJAE, who voices the character Rumi in a Netflix animated film as part of the fictional K-pop group HUNTR/X, performed 'Golden' live at the 2026 EE BAFTA Film Awards alongside bandmates Rei Ami and Audrey Nuna on 16 February 2026. The crowd sang along during the performance, according to Rolling Stone and Variety. But behind the confident delivery, EJAE said, was a very different experience.
She told The Times that DiCaprio was seated in the audience right in front of her and was not smiling. Just before she sang the lyric "born to be" and geared up for a high note, EJAE said she locked eyes with the actor. The encounter made her nervous, she said, and put her off — she cracked on the high notes. She described the voice crack as something that has stayed with her since.
Billboard reported EJAE's comments on 13 August 2026.
'Golden' has had a run that most songs never approach. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — the U.S. chart that ranks the country's most-consumed songs each week. It won the Academy Award for best original song. It earned EJAE and HUNTR/X awards at this year's Grammys and Golden Globes.
The BAFTA night carried a second, gentler surprise for EJAE. At an afterparty, she said, Beyoncé and Jay-Z introduced themselves to her — with Jay-Z opening simply: "Hi, my name's Shawn." Beyoncé told EJAE, "You have an incredible voice." When EJAE asked Beyoncé whether she knew 'Golden', the reply came back: "Yeah, my girls sing it."
For an artist who says she is still rattled by a voice crack in front of one of the most famous actors alive, being told her song is on rotation in the Carter household is a detail that lands harder than any trophy. The awards say the industry noticed. Beyoncé saying her daughters sing the song at home says it had already travelled further than any ceremony could measure.
