Sarah Yeeun Lee (born May 25, 1995), known professionally as Rei Ami (pronounced ), is a South Korean and American singer and rapper. 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; her debut mixtape, Foil, in June 2021; 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.
Early life Sarah Yeeun Lee was born on May 25, 1995, in Seoul, South Korea, to South Korean parents. When she was six, her family moved to the United States, settling in Germantown, Maryland. She took lessons on piano and guitar. Her parents, devout Christians, paid for tutoring to ensure that she would perform at church services. She graduated from Northwest High School in Germantown, Maryland in 2014, then from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2018. 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."
Career
In 2019, Ami filmed the visualizer for her breakout single "Snowcone" with a budget of under $100. That led to her signing with Visionary Records.
2020–2024: Freak and Foil The official music video for "Freak" by Sub Urban, featuring Lee, was released on March 13, 2020, alongside Sub Urban's EP Thrill Seeker. 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. Lee was featured on Rihanna's Savage X Fenty Show.
Her debut mixtape, Foil, released on June 25, 2021, included collaborations with Aminé on "Do It Right" and Lolo Zouaï on "Cherry Chapstick". The project showed her ability to move between assertive rap verses and melodic pop hooks.
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). 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. On October 7, they together performed "Golden" live in full for the first time on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. On December 25, she and the other voices of Huntrix performed "12 Days of Christmas" at the Snoop Dogg 2025 NFL Halftime Show. 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.
, she has been working on a new album after signing to Republic Records. On September 17, 2026, Ami released "2 Loud", her first single through the company.
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. She has called music a therapeutic outlet that has helped her navigate mental health struggles.
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.
Discography
Mixtapes Title DetailsFoil Released: June 25, 2021 Formats: Digital download, streaming, CD
EPs Title DetailsShhh Released: November 10, 2023 Formats: Digital download, streaming, CD
Singles As lead artist TitleYear Album"Make It Mine"2019 rowspan="5" "Snowcone""Dictator""Runaway"2020"Mac & Cheese""Do It Right"2021Foil"That's on You!""F.R.A.""Ricky Bobby""Hot One" rowspan="2" "Plaything"2022"Body Bag"2023Shhh
As featured artist TitleYear Details"Freak" 2020 rowspan="2" "Bye" "Rainy" 2023This Mixtape Is Fire Too"I See Red" 2024
Other charted songs + List of other charted songs, with selected chart positions and album name Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album US AUS CAN KOR MLY [Select 2025 Week 28] NZ PHLHot SGPPeaks on the Official Singapore Chart: "Takedown": "How It's Done": "Golden": "What It Sounds Like": UK WW "How It's Done" 2025 8 7 9 10 9 8 12 9 9 5 RIAA: Platinum ARIA: 2× Platinum BPI: Platinum RMNZ: Platinum KPop Demon Hunters "Golden" 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 RIAA: 5× Platinum ARIA: 5× Platinum BPI: 3× Platinum KMCA: Platinum MC: 8× Platinum RMNZ: 5× Platinum "Takedown" 21 15 25 37 18 18 24 13 67 11 ARIA: Platinum BPI: Gold MC: 2× Platinum RMNZ: Platinum "What It Sounds Like" 15 12 15 44 7 10 17 8 13 7 RIAA: Platinum ARIA: 2× Platinum BPI: Platinum MC: 2× Platinum RMNZ: Platinum "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes 2025 KPop Demon Hunters Zoey (singing voice) Netflix original movie Saturday Night Live Herself Season 51, Episode 1Cameo The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon Herself Guest and live performer 99th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Herself Live performance Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve Herself Live performance
Tours Supporting 333 Tour (with Tinashe) (2021) Friends:Forever, SXSW 2024
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result Ref.2025Asia Artist AwardsBest OST"Golden" Hollywood Music in Media AwardsSong – Onscreen Performance (Film)K-World Dream AwardsBest OSTKorea Grand Music AwardsBest Virtual ArtistLos 40 Music Awards Best International New Artist Huntrix MAMA Awards Best OST "Golden" MTV Video Music Awards Song of Summer Melon Music Awards Song of the Year Best OST Variety Hitmakers Awards Variety's Hitmakers Rei Ami 2026 Advanced Imaging Society Lumiere Awards Best Musical Scene or Sequence "Golden" American Music Awards Song of the Year Best Pop Song Best Vocal Performance Annie Awards Outstanding Achievement for Music in a Feature Production KPop Demon Hunters Billboard Women in Music Billboard Women of the Year Huntrix Brit Awards International Group of the Year International Song of the Year "Golden" Dorian Award Film Music of the YearKPop Demon Hunters Grammy AwardsBest Pop Duo/Group Performance"Golden"iHeartRadio Music AwardsDuo/Group of the Year HuntrixPop Song of the Year "Golden"K-pop Song of the YearBest Lyrics Japan Gold Disc Award Song of the Year by Download (Asia) Song of the Year by Streaming (Asia) Korea First Brand Awards Hot Icon (Female)Huntrix Korean American Community Foundation Trailblazer Award MTV Video Music Awards Song of the year"Golden" Music Awards Japan Best Song Asia Best International Pop Song in Japan International Song powered by Spotify Music City Film Critics Association Best Original Song SEC Awards International Song of the Year
Listicles + Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement Publisher Year Listicle Placement Billboard Korea 2025 K-Pop Artist 100 Forbes 2025 100 Most Powerful Women Luminate 2025 Most Streamed K-Pop Artist in US Gold House 2026 Gold100 List
Notes
References