K-Pop Demon Hunters breakout star Kevin Woo brought the animated film’s magic to real life this holiday season thanks to iHeartRadio’s Jingle Ball.
Woo stood center stage at Madison Square Garden with one simple question for a sold-out crowd: “This is the anthem of 2025. Are you ready to seal the Honmoon with me tonight?” before launching into “Golden,” transforming iHeartRadio’s Jingle Ball into a deafening sing-along and proving his evolution from animated demon to real-life pop phenomenon.
While K-Pop Demon Hunters has become a cultural marvel, amassing more than 352 million views and earning the title of Netflix’s most-streamed film, it’s the stars who have extended the magic beyond the screen and onto the stage.
amNewYork caught up with Woo backstage at Z100’s All Access Lounge, where he reflected on fame, fandom, K-pop, and his growing career in acting.
“It’s my first time being at Jingle Ball, and also my first time performing,” Woo said. “It’s a double whammy. It’s been really exciting to perform alongside so many talented artists, including those I looked up to growing up, as well as peers, especially in the K-pop world. It’s just been such a wonderful journey.”
Although Woo has become the face of the fictional Saja Boys, 2025 has marked a career-defining year that extends far beyond animation. He stars as the antagonist in Anderson .Paak’s directorial debut K-Pops!, where he walked the red carpet at the Tribeca Film Festival for its US premiere, released his single “Deja Vu,” and sang along to K-Pop Demon Hunters fan favorites like “Soda Pop” and “Your Idol” while riding a themed double-decker bus at the historic Paris Theater.
“I truly love K-pop, and that’s the background and world I come from as a K Pop boy band member from U-KISS, and I just felt so grateful to have had the opportunity to, you know, contribute and bring in my experiences and my authenticity to the table. I don’t think anyone from the cast or crew expected the level of success that it has reached. We knew it was special,” Woo said.
Woo also credits social media for blurring the line between himself and his animated alter ego, Mystery Saja.
“It’s unbelievable that fans recognize me as this fictional character,” he said. “But social media helped bridge that gap. I still love taking photos and singing ‘Soda Pop’ with kids. It’s such a joy.”
That impact was especially clear during the All Access Lounge, when a fellow journalist showed Woo a video of her young son singing a K-Pop Demon Hunters song in his sleep. For Woo, moments like that underscore how the film resonates with the younger generations and its role in amplifying Korean culture.
Woo’s rise was anything but overnight. Born in California, he endured the grueling K-pop trainee system, debuted with XING, and later became a member of U-KISS. As a Korean American, he candidly shared that he faced racial and cultural barriers, obstacles he believes K-pop is helping to dismantle for future generations.
“When I see all of our faces on the red carpet, in the media, I feel so proud of my peers,” Woo said. “I really think of my younger self. I feel like I’ve become the role model to my younger self. It was a representation that I did not have growing up, and for me to be that face for the younger generation to look up to, and realize that their dreams are valid and as possible as my dreams are, right now, I feel very hopeful for the new generation. And anyone who feels like they don’t have a voice or identity. They totally do.”
For fans who see Woo as their north star, his advice is simple but hard-won.
“Just keep going,” he said. “There were moments in my life where I felt like, ‘Oh, it’s getting tough.’ I felt like the light at the end of the tunnel was not there for me. But if you just keep going and believe in yourself, the doors will open, and the universe will find a way to support your dreams, as long as you hold on to it.”
In one day alone, Woo performed on two iconic New York City stages, opening Z100’s All Access Lounge at Hammerstein Ballroom before leading the K-Pop Demon Hunters sing-along at Madison Square Garden.
“I’m back at home in the US. I’m Korean American, and for me to continue my career and just continue to live out my passions and my home country feels very surreal, and to see the love that K-Pop has been receiving, not only in the US but worldwide, has been such a surreal experience for me to see that journey and for me to be one of the trailblazers of bridging the. Two Cultures with not only K-pop and Western music, but also with film and animation. I feel so honored,” Woo told amNewYork.
As his world expands creatively, Woo says the current moment feels liberating.
“I feel like, for me as an artist, it’s creatively liberating. I get to write with all the producers that I’ve looked up to. Just being in the room with so many talented people gives me so much inspiration, and I can’t wait for newer audiences who discover me, whether it’s Kpop Demon Hunters or my movies or whatnot, to discover Kevin Woo as a human and an individual,” Woo said excitedly.
At the All Access Lounge, longtime fans waved 2014 U-KISS light sticks while other supporters proudly displayed tattoos bearing his signature, proof of a career that spans generations.
Looking ahead, Woo promises more music and additional film roles, including his live-action debut in K-Pops!.
“I have a film called K-Pops! coming out with Anderson Paak, who is starring in it, is also directing it. Because it’s another K-pop film, I feel like people are really looking forward to it, especially after the success of K-pop Demon Hunters, and I play a villain. I play the antagonist, a very popular K-pop star. It was such a joy to embody that role. It was kind of seamless for me because I brought my personal experiences to the character, but I feel like everyone will really fall in love with this movie because it’s geared more towards family. It has a lot of heart,” Woo said.
For Woo, the Jingle Ball tour marked a turning point.
“This tour has been the highlight of my year,” he said. “z100 and iHeart Radio Jingle Ball feels like family now…I can’t wait to release more music.”
And while Mystery Saja may be a demon bad boy on screen, Kevin Woo has turned the role into something warmer this season, spreading joy, sealing honmoons, and closing out the year with genuine holiday cheer.
