It’s been almost a year since KPop Demon Hunters first hit our screens, building a fervent fandom with its slick, stylish animation and songs that quickly rocketed to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. One of our personal favorites is “Free,” featuring Rumi (Ejae) and Jinu (Andrew Choi) belting out a heartfelt ballad about their desire to run from the expectations placed on them. It was the only duet the two shared, until now.
McDonald’s recently announced it would collaborate with the KPop Demon Hunters brand for a new event, titled “Battle For The Fans.” The event would pit Rumi, Zoey, and Mira of Huntr/x against the Saja Boys, and ask fans to show their enthusiasm for their favorite bands by purchasing one of two McDonald’s meal options.
The event launched Mar. 31, and to commemorate it, McDonald’s has released two new commercials. One features the demon-slaying trio and their manager, Bobby, tucking in for their meal. The other depicts two older ladies who appeared in the Sony/Netflix animated film, opening a Happy Meal box to discover the Saja Boys inside.
As each commercial ends, the familiar McDonald’s jingle, the company’s signature five-note “ba da ba ba ba,” plays. The jingle debuted in 2003, and has since been used for a variety of global McDonald’s campaigns, including KPop Demon Hunters.
While you would be forgiven for not thinking anything else about this particular commercial, the voices behind the jingles for the KPop Demon Hunters ads actually belong to Ejae and Choi. It makes sense, considering they’re the leaders of their respective bands.
The McDonald’s ad certainly isn’t the duet we — or the Rumi/Jinu fans — imagined as their next collaboration, but we take what we can get. Until KPop Demon Hunters 2 comes around, of course.
