Rei Ami
South Korean and American singer (born 1995)
Rei Ami | |
|---|---|
 The Cosplay Baker · CC BY 4.0Rei Ami at Anime NYC in 2025 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Sarah Yeeun Lee (1995-05-25) May 25, 1995 |
| Origin | Germantown, Maryland, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 2019–present |
| Labels | |
| YouTube information | |
| Channel | |
| Years active | 2018–present |
| Genre | Music |
| Subscribers | 211,000 |
| Views | 31,516,927 |
| Last updated: December 4, 2025 | |
Sarah Yeeun Lee (born May 25, 1995), known professionally as Rei Ami (pronounced RAY-AH-mee[8]), is a South Korean and American singer and rapper.[9][10] She rose to prominence with her guest performance on American musician Sub Urban's 2020 song "Freak", which gained virality on TikTok. The song peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs.
Lee released her debut single, "Snowcone", in 2019[11]; her debut mixtape, Foil, in June 2021[12]; and her debut extended play Shhh, in November 2023. She has been nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Premios Best International New Artist.
She provided the singing voice for the character Zoey in the 2025 musical film KPop Demon Hunters. "Golden", one of the songs produced for the film, topped the Billboard Hot 100 and charts in other countries. It received the Critics' Choice Award, Golden Globe Award, and Academy Award for Best Original Song. At the 68th Grammy Awards, the song received four nominations (including Song of the Year) and won Best Song Written for Visual Media. It is the first K-pop song to win a Grammy Award or an Academy Award.[13][14]
1. Early life
Sarah Yeeun Lee was born on May 25, 1995, in Seoul, South Korea,[15] to South Korean parents. When she was six, her family moved to the United States, settling in Germantown, Maryland.[15] She took lessons on piano and guitar. Her parents, devout Christians,[15] paid for tutoring to ensure that she would perform at church services.[6] She graduated from Northwest High School in Germantown, Maryland in 2014, then from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2018.[16] In a 2020 interview with The Diamondback, Ami described her musical process during the COVID-19 quarantine: "It’s mostly virtual sessions. Every session is different with each producer but, you know, trying to just make it work. And it’s been successful so far."[17]
2. Career
In 2019, Ami filmed the visualizer for her breakout single "Snowcone"[18][19] with a budget of under $100.[11] That led to her signing with Visionary Records.[20][21]
2.1. 2020–2024: Freak and Foil
The official music video for "Freak" by Sub Urban,[22] featuring Lee,[23][24][25] was released on March 13, 2020,[23] alongside Sub Urban's EP Thrill Seeker.[26] The video, which was directed by Andrew Donoho, has a circus-themed background. Ami is depicted as a snake-human hybrid. On YouTube, the video has had over 292 million views and over 3.5 million videos on TikTok.[24] Lee was featured on Rihanna's Savage X Fenty Show.[27]
Her debut mixtape, Foil, released on June 25, 2021, included collaborations with Aminé on "Do It Right"[28][29] and Lolo Zouaï on "Cherry Chapstick".[12] The project showed her ability to move between assertive rap verses and melodic pop hooks.
2.2. 2025–present: KPop Demon Hunters , new music
On the soundtrack of the 2025 film KPop Demon Hunters, Ami provided the singing and rapping vocals for the character Zoey, in the songs "Golden", "How It's Done", "What It Sounds Like", and "Takedown" (soundtrack version).[31][32] On October 4, 2025, she along with her fellow KPop Demon Hunters cast-mates Ejae and Audrey Nuna made a cameo appearance on the season 51 premiere of Saturday Night Live in a sketch based on the film, reprising their respective roles as Rumi, Mira and Zoey.[33] On October 7, they together performed "Golden" live in full for the first time on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[34] On December 25, she and the other voices of Huntrix performed "12 Days of Christmas" at the Snoop Dogg 2025 NFL Halftime Show.[35] On April 10, 2026, she and the other voices of Huntrix appeared during Katseye's Coachella 2026 performance as surprise guests and performed "Golden" alongside Katseye.[36][37]
As of December 2025, she has been working on a new album after signing to Republic Records.[38] On September 17, 2026, Ami released "2 Loud", her first single through the company.[39]
3. Personal life
Ami has talked about her personal challenges, including an erroneous diagnosis with depression during her first year of college and her 2022 diagnosis with bipolar disorder.[38] She has called music a therapeutic outlet that has helped her navigate mental health struggles.[40]
Ami is a self-proclaimed anime fan, and in a TikTok, attributed her stage name to the Sailor Moon characters Rei Hino and Ami Mizuno.[8]
4. Discography
4.1. Mixtapes
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Foil |
4.2. EPs
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Shhh[42] |
|
4.3. Singles
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Make It Mine"[15] | 2019 | Non-album single |
| "Snowcone"[11] | ||
| "Dictator"[43][44] | ||
| "Runaway"[45] | 2020 | |
| "Mac & Cheese"[12][21] | ||
| "Do It Right"[29]
featuring Aminé |
2021 | Foil |
| "That's on You!" | ||
| "F.R.A." | ||
| "Ricky Bobby" | ||
| "Hot One"[46]
featuring Leyla Blue and Baby Tate |
Non-album single | |
| "Plaything"
featuring Pussy Riot and Kito |
2022 | |
| "Body Bag"[47] | 2023 | Shhh |
As featured artist
| Title | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
| "Freak" (Sub Urban featuring Rei Ami) | 2020 | Non-album single |
| "Bye" (Marsha Ambrosius featuring Rei Ami) | ||
| "Rainy" (Dillon Francis featuring Rei Ami)[48] | 2023 | This Mixtape Is Fire Too |
| "I See Red" (lilbubblegum featuring Rei Ami) | 2024 | Non-album single |
4.4. Other charted songs
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [49] |
AUS [50] |
CAN [51] |
KOR [52] |
MLY [53] |
NZ [54] |
PHL Hot [55] |
SGP [56] |
UK [57] |
WW [58] | ||||
| "How It's Done" (with Ejae and Audrey Nuna as Huntrix) |
2025 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 5 | KPop Demon Hunters | |
| "Golden" (with Ejae and Audrey Nuna as Huntrix) |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| "Takedown" (with Ejae and Audrey Nuna as Huntrix) |
21 | 15 | 25 | 37 | 18 | 18 | 24 | 13 | 67 | 11 | |||
| "What It Sounds Like" (with Ejae and Audrey Nuna as Huntrix) |
15 | 12 | 15 | 44 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 8 | 13 | 7 | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. | |||||||||||||
5. Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | KPop Demon Hunters | Zoey (singing voice) | Netflix original movie | [31][69] |
| Saturday Night Live | Herself[1] | Season 51, Episode 1 Cameo |
[33] | |
| The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon | Herself | Guest and live performer[1] | [34] | |
| 99th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade | Herself[1] | Live performance | [70] | |
| Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve | Herself[1] | Live performance | [71] |
6. Tours
Supporting
7. Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Asia Artist Awards | Best OST | "Golden"[1] | Won | [77] |
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | Song – Onscreen Performance (Film) | Nominated | [78] | ||
| K-World Dream Awards | Best OST | Won | [79] | ||
| Korea Grand Music Awards | Best Virtual Artist | Nominated | [80] | ||
| Los 40 Music Awards | Best International New Artist | Huntrix[1] | Won | [81] | |
| MAMA Awards | Best OST | "Golden"[1] | Won | [82] | |
| MTV Video Music Awards | Song of Summer | Nominated | [83] | ||
| Melon Music Awards | Song of the Year | Nominated | [84] | ||
| Best OST | Won | [85] | |||
| Variety Hitmakers Awards | Variety's Hitmakers | Rei Ami[1] | Honored | [86] | |
| 2026 | Advanced Imaging Society Lumiere Awards | Best Musical Scene or Sequence | "Golden"[1] | Won | [87] |
| American Music Awards | Song of the Year | Won | [88] | ||
| Best Pop Song | Won | ||||
| Best Vocal Performance | Won | ||||
| Annie Awards | Outstanding Achievement for Music in a Feature Production | KPop Demon Hunters[2] | Won | [89] | |
| Billboard Women in Music | Billboard Women of the Year | Huntrix[1] | Honored | [90] | |
| Brit Awards | International Group of the Year | Nominated | [91] | ||
| International Song of the Year | "Golden"[1] | Nominated | |||
| Dorian Award | Film Music of the Year | KPop Demon Hunters[2] | Nominated | [92][93] | |
| Grammy Awards | Best Pop Duo/Group Performance | "Golden"[1] | Nominated | [94] | |
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | Duo/Group of the Year | Huntrix[1] | Won | [95] | |
| Pop Song of the Year | "Golden"[1] | Nominated | |||
| K-pop Song of the Year | Won | ||||
| Best Lyrics | Nominated | ||||
| Japan Gold Disc Award | Song of the Year by Download (Asia) | Won | [96] | ||
| Song of the Year by Streaming (Asia) | Won | ||||
| Korea First Brand Awards | Hot Icon (Female) | Huntrix[1] | Won | [97] | |
| Korean American Community Foundation | Trailblazer Award | Honored | [98] | ||
| MTV Video Music Awards | Song of the year | "Golden"[1] | Nominated | [99] | |
| Music Awards Japan | Best Song Asia | Won | [100][101] [102] | ||
| Best International Pop Song in Japan | Nominated | ||||
| International Song powered by Spotify | Nominated | ||||
| Music City Film Critics Association | Best Original Song | Nominated | [103] | ||
| SEC Awards | International Song of the Year | Nominated | [104] |
7.1. Listicles
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard Korea | 2025 | K-Pop Artist 100[1] | 55th | [105] |
| Forbes | 2025 | 100 Most Powerful Women[3] | 100th | [106] |
| Luminate | 2025 | Most Streamed K-Pop Artist in US[1] | 2nd | [107] |
| Gold House | 2026 | Gold100 List[4][5] | Included | [108] |
Notes
Related articles
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This article is based on the Wikipedia article “Rei Ami”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the edit history for the list of contributors. Image credits appear under each image.