21 Male K-Pop Artist Songs That Were Heard In American Movies And TV Shows
While K-Pop has become increasingly popular in the west, it’s still not very common to hear it through mainstream media. That’s why, when a K-Pop song does come up in American movies, television shows, or other media, it can be really exciting for fans, especially if it’s from a lesser-known artist! Here are 21 times that K-Pop songs by male artists were used in American media, from mainstream movies to cartoons.
1. “Beautiful” by MONSTA X
As part of a collaboration between MONSTA X and the show We Bare Bears back in 2019, a whole episode of the show called “Panda’s Birthday” was dedicated to the K-Pop group, and included a decent portion of “Beautiful”!
2. “Born To Be Alive” by Jackson Wang
The soundtrack for the movie Minions: The Rise of Gru includes the song “Born To Be Alive” by Jackson!
3. “DOOM DADA” by T.O.P
In the background of the show Lucifer during season one, episode five, the entirety of “DOOM DADA” was used! Some parts of it are easier to hear than others, but it’s definitely there.
4. “Dynamite” by BTS
“Dynamite” can be heard in the trailer for the movie Clifford: The Big Red Dog!
5. “Euphoria” by Jungkook
In the finale of the first season of HBO‘s show Euphoria, Jungkook’s song of the same name was appropriately used during a romantic scene!
6. “Fantastic” by RM
All the way back in 2015, BTS member RM released the song “Fantastic” made specifically for the movie Fantastic Four.
7. “Fantastic Baby” by BIGBANG
“Fantastic Baby” is an iconic hit that can be heard in the trailer for the movie Pitch Perfect 2, as well as an episode of the television series Glee.
8. “Fire” by BTS
It’s no secret that John Cena is a huge BTS fan, so it’s not too surprising that the song “Fire” was used in his movie Playing With Fire!
9. “FLOAT” by Eric Nam
Eric Nam’s song “FLOAT” can be heard in the end credits for the movie Hotel Transylvania 3.
10. “Friends” by Jimin & V
Eternals director Chloe Zhao is the reason that the duo’s song appeared in the movie, as she has said that it’s one of her favorite songs!
11. “Hangover” by PSY & Snoop Dogg
This epic collaboration can be heard briefly in the film Black Panther when the movie’s location switches to Busan, South Korea.
12. “HER” by Block B
During season one, episode eight of the television series Space Force, Block B’s “Her” was played during a car ride scene and was even discussed between the characters.
13. “Hero” by MONSTA X
Like with “Beautiful”, MONSTA X’s “Hero” was also used in the same episode of We Bare Bears, though it was a bit briefer!
14. “How We Do” by MONSTA X & Snoop Dogg
MONSTA X’s music has been used in quite a bit of American media — “How We Do” was used in the movie The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run during a scene where Spongebob and Patrick are challenged to put cowboy pirate zombies to rest.
15. “Lightsaber” by EXO
The song “Lightsaber”, released in 2015, was created as a collaboration between EXO and Star Wars and used as a promotional song for the movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
16. “Lucifer” by SHINee
“Lucifer” is another K-Pop song that appears in, appropriately, the TV show Lucifer during the same episode that “DOOM DADA” is in.
17. “Nan Arayo” by Seo Taiji and Boys
The oldest song on this list to appear in American media, “Nan Arayo” was used in the 1994 movie 3 Ninjas Kick Back. It was used in a scene that took place in Japan, however, and not Korea, which would have been more appropriate!
18. “Not Today” by BTS
BTS’s energetic song “Not Today” was used for a chaotic seen of piglets running wild in the 2021 movie Sing 2!
19. “Rising Sun” by TVXQ
Another one of the older songs on this list, TVXQ’s “Rising Sun” was used in the 2009 movie Fast & Furious during Paul Walker’s opening scene.
20. “Take Me Higher” by A.C.E
OMG!? I was watching Netflix new movie Day Shift AND A.C.E SONG TAKE ME HIGHER MV WAS IN IT!!!??? @official_ACE7 #ACE @netflix pic.twitter.com/iQBERyzTAI
— reina (@Lil_reina29) August 12, 2022
During a scene in the Netflix movie Day Shift, the video and song “Take Me Higher” by A.C.E can be seen and heard briefly!
21. “Who Do U Love?” by MONSTA X (ft. French Montana)
Finally, MONSTA X once more appeared in American media with the song “Who Do U Love?”, which was used in season four, episode thirteen of Riverdale.
