KPOP Demon Hunters: 'the Story Spell' in Art
- Tracy Eire
- Jul 27
- 4 min read
Okay, yes. This is an art blog -- well spotted.
Readers, you're gonna have to trust me for a beat.
Just till the magic happens, I promise!
(Surprisingly, it’s wearing glitter eyeshadow and hitting all the high notes.)
Because believe it or not, KPop Demon Hunters is a masterclass in art. Let's talk about what is arguably the most gripping singing group of the summer, and a single -- no, an entire album -- that is a top tier, ten-alarm, bona fide hit set on overdrive.
To ask folks in the know, HUNTR/X -- Huntrix -- is pretty much incomparable, and if you don't follow why, perhaps you didn't hear Rumi hit that A5, full voice? Even if you were sleeping under a rock that day -- they will tell you -- that high note will fix you right up.
Now, their rival band, the Saja Boys, come in with sugary lyrics rife with implications. Those insinuations come to foul fruition in 'Your Idol' where the lyrics outline what Jinu's plans to compromise HUNTR/X main vocalist Rumi had always been. That is good news for a bad guy -- the demon king Gwima. Or, is it?
The most important thing to keep in mind about all of this as an artist and an art collector is this... none of these people are real.
Why does that matter? Because...
The single 'Golden' went supernova, IRL
The KPop girl group that doesn’t exist outperformed every KPop girl group that does.
Fictional group HUNTR/X has now broken real-world records with the song Golden, topping the Billboard Global 200.
Actually, life imitated art.
At first, the rival Saja Boys wore the crown, beating the highest-ever ranking of KPop real-life legends, BTS. But you can't keep a good huntress down. Rumi and the girls came in swinging, as is apropos. "HUNTR/X outpace[d] its rival KPop Demon Hunters boy-band Saja Boys" billboard.com reported -- destroying both the real and the fictional competition.
Yes. HUNTR/X showed up and trounced the demon boys on a killer redemption tour.
It's not wild.
That is not magic.
It's mythmaking.
The movie and music mean more because they tap into a tale as old as time.
Not art. Not music. Art, music, and story.
The real unreal - the Story Spell
Okay, pause for the jet: At Studio Eclipse we have always believed story is amongst the most important ingredients of art. We chart emotional arcs with our paintings. We just don't do it with script- and songwriting.
There is something revealing in the meteoric rise of HUNTR/X, and that is the fact that humanity has -- likely through its entire 6- or 7-million-year history -- craved story. That's not to say we popped upright in Africa and started to write all of this down, but that human beings sang and told stories from early times because it was critically important.
Part of that storytelling survives in cave paintings and on rocks around the world today, and if you don't think that's connected to what the Studio Eclipse artists do, you are mistaken.
And, by the way, scientists have dated rainbow serpent and dreamtime myths to some 50-65,000 years ago.
Neuroscientists will back me up here. Stories aren’t fluff, but wiring. When we hear them, our brains pump out oxytocin (that’s the trust and bonding hormone), dopamine (the good vibes chemical that makes moments memorable). And the curious phenomenon of neural coupling happens between the listener and the storyteller. That's what they call it when brainwaves sync up and fall into mirrored rhythm -- a big driver in creativity, collaboration, and social cohesion.
Right. So, I lied. Because it is magic. Sorry about that.
But it's also essential biology and what allows us to coexist and thrive. For artists, it is the invisible thread that connects the creative to the audience. Story made HUNTR/X's songs more meaningful, more memorable, than Blackpink's. (No diss on my girls, though.)
So, beyond understanding the critical role of reading to children demonstrated here, what does this say about an artist, an art lover, and the art?
The invisible thread
Do you ever roll your eyes at people who say, 'This art was made for me?'
Well, that's over. The truth is, if you listen to a Studio Eclipse artist telling the story of her work, and -- while you're scanning this gorgeous piece -- something starts to happen at the back of your eyes, that's story. Like rock-painters from days gone by, your artists are speaking in paint. When an art lover jumps into the mix, this becomes conjoint storytelling, and two pendulums start to fall into rhythm.
This is when collectors start to communicate and collaborate on another level. The Story enters the chat. Creativity cranks up, big time. With such focus, and your creative self in the building, this is the highest level of clarity people are likely to achieve on a painting.
People like this are deep in the matrix seeing things outsiders can't. They are in resonance.
For artists, this is the moment when art lovers really blow your mind. They see some part of their history, a secret aspiration, a 20x20 inch window into their futures, and they'll stand right there and tell you the story.
You can stop wondering why some people suddenly get it that a painting is meant for them.
It happens like how 'Golden' didn’t top the charts by accident -- beating out beloved powerhouses like Blackpink and BTS -- but because the song and movie reminded everyone how story and art actually work to let people connect.
Likewise, story isn't just a decoration in artwork either, it's a healing and memorable connection. An invisible reality that, given the right onlooker, creates belonging.
And let's face it. We could probably all use a little more of that.
Tracy Eire
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