Brooks Brothers and Gold House recently co-hosted a star-studded Lunar New Year dinner at Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills, bringing together prominent figures from various industries. The exclusive gathering on Thursday night saw the attendance of a diverse array of guests, including "KPop Demon Hunters" star Ji-young Yoo, Daniel Dae Kim, Harry Shum Jr. and his wife Shelby Rabara, Yara Shahidi, Jeannie Mai, fashion influencer Nick Wooster, former "Queer Eye" star Bobby Berk, celebrity jeweler Ben Baller, stylists Jeanne Yang and Jared Eng, and TV personality Lawrence Zarian.

Brooks Brothers CEO Ken Ohashi, accompanied by his creative director Michael Bastian, delivered welcome remarks to kick off the evening. Ohashi highlighted the shared vision of success, stating, "Brooks Brothers has long defined what success looks like in America and in this room is what success looks like in America." Gold House CEO Bing Chen, sporting a sweatshirt from the Brooks Brothers-Gold House capsule collection, shared a poignant message about the current challenging times. He advised attendees, "It is a very troubling time for a lot of people and it’s about to get much more painful when people realize the AI jobs are not coming back. So our message in the year of the fire horse is to charge forward on building things that you know deeply, whether it’s with your neighbors that you trust, in an industry you love and so forth. While it is the most painful time, no pressure, no diamonds. This is truly the best time to build."

The dinner experience itself was rich with cultural elements and culinary delights. Guests were treated to a noodle-making demonstration before enjoying a menu featuring Mr. Chow's signature dishes, such as chicken satay, glazed prawns with walnuts, drunken fish, and green prawns. A highlight of the evening was a surprise traditional lion dance performed midway through the meal, adding to the festive atmosphere. Attendees departed with thoughtful parting gifts, including gift cards for a complimentary made-to-measure Brooks Brothers dress shirt and a book commemorating Mr. Chow’s 50th anniversary.

Connecting to one of the evening's notable attendees, Ji-young Yoo, the film "KPop Demon Hunters" and its hit song "Golden" continue to achieve remarkable success, seven months post-release. "Golden" recently attained 5x platinum status, further cementing its record-breaking legacy. The creation of this chart-topping song was a collaborative effort involving a talented team of songwriters: EJAE, who also lent her voice to the character Rumi; Mark Sonnenblick; and the acclaimed South Korean hit factory The Black Label, represented by IDO members Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, and Zhun.

The songwriting process for "Golden" involved specific creative directives. Zhun, through a translator, explained that the production team sought a particular drum loop within a BPM range of 100 to 120, which served as the foundation. Nam noted that the initial demo adhered to a traditional KPop song structure, comprising two voices, two verses, and a bridge. Filmmakers Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans provided a crucial request: the inclusion of a prominent high note. This essential component, an A5, was intentionally written by EJAE, who subsequently performed it during vocal recordings. The IDO team expressed awe upon hearing it, with Zhun remarking, "There’s a limit to how high a note can be, so we weren’t expecting to include a note so high. It’s really incredible to see her hit that note."

Beyond "Golden," IDO also composed music for other songs within the film, including those performed by the all-female group Huntr/x and the Saja Boys. Music producer Ian Eisendrath played a pivotal role in shaping distinct sounds for these two in-film bands. Zhun elaborated on their contrasting identities: "They inhabit very different roles within the story itself; it was relatively easy to approach them in a different way. Saja Boys are a group that’s actually evil, that’s pretending to be kind, whereas Huntr/x is a group that is expressing frustration, and they are the heroines of the story itself." Eisendrath's expertise was instrumental in integrating the music with the film's visual narrative, providing continuous feedback to ensure cohesion. Zhun acknowledged his guidance, stating, "We come from a KPop background, and we didn’t have much experience doing scores for visual media. He played a role in directing us and guiding us in creating these two sounds. You feel his influence and direction, the music coming together with the visual image, because it feels completely different than standalone music."

The lyrics of "Golden" also hold deep significance for its creators. Lee cited "I’m done hiding, now I’m shining" as the most resonant lyric, symbolizing Rumi's inner growth and deeply moving him. For Nam and Zhun, the pride stemmed from the inclusion of Korean lyrics in a globally successful song. Zhun expressed his emotion, stating, "That brings me a great sense of pride, and to see people singing along to these Korean lyrics is a very moving moment for me."