Aug 13, 2026 2:30pm IST
‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Star Ejae Says Leonardo DiCaprio’s ‘Not Smiling’ Face Threw Her Off at BAFTAs
“KPop Demon Hunters” star Ejae recalls her performance at the BAFTAs. The award show took place on February 22 at London's Royal Festival Hall, hosted by Alan Cumming. She recently shared how a major movie star “was not smiling” during her performance, which made her uncomfortable.
During an interview with The Times, the singer shared how she made mistakes because Leonardo DiCaprio threw her off with his expressions. “The BAFTAs haunt me. I made mistakes. I cracked a little bit on the high notes. Leonardo DiCaprio was [in the audience] right in front of me, and he was not smiling,” she said.
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The singer detailed that she looked directly at DiCaprio during the part where she sings “born to be.” The same marks as one of the highest notes of the track. She further added, “That’s what put me off. He made me so nervous. It was already so nerve-racking to be in front of all these celebrities, and then I look up and lock eyes with Leonardo DiCaprio? Come on.”
Ejae also noted that she was much less nervous when she performed at the BRIT Awards. “Because it was performing to fans, kids being like ‘Rumi, you got this! I never knew that sentence would be so heartwarming and helpful.”
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As for her professional update, after the “KPop Demon Hunters”, she recently co-wrote and performed at the 2026 FIFA World Cup anthem "DNA" alongside David Guetta, Doja Cat and Andrea Bocelli. She is also actively writing and performing on global stages.
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