Who Is KPop Demon Hunters' Rei Ami? The Voice Behind Huntrix's Zoey, Named After Two Sailormoon Characters — and Who Grew up in a Cult

Rei Ami's story is one of faith, survival, and reinvention. The Korean-American singer, rapper, and voice actress has built a reputation for turning trauma into art, shaping her identity through music, performance, and resilience.

As the voice behind Zoey in KPop Demon Hunters, she has reached global audiences, but her path to fame began long before her animated alter ego took the stage. Just what do we know about the talented Rei Ami?

Early Life and Background

Sarah Yeeun Lee, known professionally as Rei Ami, was born on 25 May 1995 in Seoul, South Korea. At six, she moved with her family to Maryland, United States, where she was raised in a devout Christian household.

Her parents encouraged her musical talent early, enrolling her in piano and guitar lessons and urging her to perform at church services. Rei Ami has spoken openly about growing up in what she later discovered was a religious cult, an experience that shaped both her worldview and her art. She has described her childhood as strict and fear-driven, recalling that she would suffer panic attacks on Sunday nights, terrified by the belief that she might be separated from her parents in the afterlife. In adulthood, she processed much of this trauma through music, using her craft as a means of expression and healing.

'Asian Hannah Montana' Balancing Two Different Lives

Rei Ami attended the University of Maryland, where she graduated before pursuing music full-time. During her first year, she was diagnosed with depression, which she has said was a turning point in her life. Seeking therapy without her parents' knowledge, she found relief in understanding her mental health and began to channel her experiences into songwriting. While balancing her studies, Rei Ami began making music with producer Elie Rizk, recording songs in improvised studio spaces, including her bathroom.

In 2019, she adopted the stage name 'Rei Ami', inspired by the Sailor Moon characters Rei Hino and Ami Mizuno, the civilian identities of Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury, representing the two sides of her personality: bold and fiery versus calm and reflective.

Rei Ami described herself as the 'Asian Hannah Montana' because for a period, she was secretly balancing two very different lives; one where she was working a nine-to-five office job by day while building a music career by night. Her coworkers at a packaging company had no idea she was a rising alt-pop artist until a fan recognised her at a business conference and exposed her identity.

The revelation led to colleagues blasting her hit Snowcone in the office and flooding her work chat with Hannah Montana memes. The comparison captured the double life she was living; that of an ordinary employee by day, pop star by night, much like the Disney character's iconic secret persona.

Breakthrough With 'Freak' and Rise to Fame

In March 2020, Rei Ami gained global attention through her collaboration with Sub Urban on the single Freak. The official music video, released on 13 March 2020, featured a circus-inspired theme and depicted Rei Ami as a snake-human hybrid. The song's success was immense, earning over 292 million views on YouTube and inspiring more than 3.5 million videos on TikTok. The success of Freak led to her debut mixtape, Foil, released on 25 June 2021. The project showcased her range across rap, R&B, and alternative pop, featuring collaborations with artists such as Aminé on Do It Right and Lolo Zouaï on Cherry Chapstick. Rei Ami also appeared in Rihanna's Savage X Fenty Show, further amplifying her profile within both the music and fashion industries.

The Voice of Zoey in 'KPop Demon Hunters'

In 2025, Rei Ami lent her voice to the character Zoey in KPop Demon Hunters, a Sony Pictures Animation film following a K-pop girl group who secretly fight demons. Rei provided both the singing and rapping vocals for the character in several soundtrack songs, including Golden, How It's Done, What It Sounds Like, and Takedown (soundtrack version). The role introduced her voice to new audiences worldwide, particularly within the intersection of anime, gaming, and pop culture.