"How It's Done" is a song performed by Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami as the fictional K-pop girl group Huntrix in the 2025 animated musical urban fantasy film KPop Demon Hunters. It was released on August 27, 2025, through Republic Records, as the third single from the film's soundtrack album; it then officially impacted US contemporary hit radio on January 13, 2026.
Background and release The animated musical fantasy film KPop Demon Hunters was released on Netflix on June 20, 2025. The film follows the fictional K-pop girl group Huntrix, consisting of members Rumi, Mira, and Zoey, whose singing voices are performed by Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, respectively. The film's accompanying soundtrack album was released on the same day, with "How It's Done" as the second track.
"How It's Done" was released by Republic Records as a single on August 27, 2025. In January 2026, the song officially impacted US contemporary hit radio. In April 2026, the Huntrix singers performed an abridged version of "How It's Done" as part of a McDonald's collaboration.
Lyrics and composition "How It's Done" serves as the opening track of the film KPop Demon Hunters that introduces the film's protagonists Rumi, Mira, and Zoey. In the scene, the trio sing the anthem as they battle a group of demons posing as members of their private jet's flight crew before dropping into a stadium of fans to finish the song as the girl group Huntrix. The team took inspiration from "Jet Song" from West Side Story, which introduced the Jets, and wanted a similar introduction for the fictional band. According to the producer Ian Eisendrath, he wanted to set up a unique sonic world for the band and create a song that "felt like when you first heard Blackpink." Ejae referred to "How It's Done" as "the hardest song" of the songs she worked on for the film.
The song went through several different iterations on finding the beat and tempo. On the song's development, Ejae stated that they tried "to find a hook that's hook-y" as well needing to create "a melody that's good enough that can pierce through" the track. She explained that the song's raps "took full advantage of K-pop writing", noting their strategic approach of blending rap and theater styles where "all the verses had rap, so we could put all the storyline in there, and the chorus could be as simple as possible".
Reception Billboard placed "How It's Done" in the fourth position in their ranking of songs from the soundtrack, describing it as a "perfect introduction" for the characters and the film.
The 2026 live performance for the McDonald's app was criticized for being abridged. Kenneth Shepard of Kotaku opined that the cuts to the song "are especially tough because they skip over the second verse, which is the best part of the song". Additionally, Aimee Hart of Polygon highlighted fan disappointment to the performance "due to the trio assumingly lip-syncing"; however, there was also fan praise for the "cool and stylish" performance by Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami.
Track listing Digital download, streaming, and 7-inch vinyl "How It's Done" – 2:56 "How It's Done" (instrumental) – 2:55
Charts
Weekly charts + Chart (2025–2026) Peakposition Greece International (IFPI) 29 Hong Kong (Billboard) 24 Iceland (Tónlistinn) 8 Israel (Mako Hitlist) 68 Lithuania (AGATA) 67 Malaysia (IFPI) [Select 2025 Week 28] 9 Malaysia International Streaming (RIM) 6 Norway (IFPI Norge) 12 Philippines (IFPI) [Select 2025 Week 27] 17 Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100) 36 Portugal (AFP) 51 Singapore (RIAS) 9 South Korea (Circle) 10 Taiwan (Billboard) 9 United Arab Emirates (IFPI) [Select 2025 Week 38] 18 Vietnam (Vietnam Hot 100) 90
Monthly charts + Chart (2025) Peakposition South Korea (Circle) 11
Year-end charts + Chart (2025) Position Australia (ARIA) 46 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) 58 Canada (Canadian Hot 100) 56 Germany (GfK) 63 Global 200 (Billboard) 96 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) 37 Norway (IFPI Norge) 87 Philippines (Philippines Hot 100) 94 South Korea (Circle) 80 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) 95 US Billboard Hot 100 68 US Hot Dance/Pop Songs (Billboard) 3
Certifications
Release history + Region Date Format Version Label Various August 27, 2025 Republic November 21, 2025 7-inch vinyl United States January 13, 2026 Contemporary hit radio Original Italy March 13, 2026 Radio airplay Island
References