I am So Disillusioned By KATSEYE’s Anticipated Comeback (& I am Not The Solely One)

KATSEYE is a worldwide lady group beneath HYBE UMG and Geffen Information. They function in an area that locations them someplace within the area between Okay-Pop and Western pop music. After being fashioned on the 2023 actuality present Dream Academy, KATSEYE debuted with two singles launched a month aside, “Debut” and “Contact” – two catchy pop tracks that see the ladies lean into a strong but mild power in each the lyrics and choreography.

After these singles, they launched their first EP, SIS (Mushy Is Robust), in August 2024. This EP adopted a lot of the identical construction because the singles: brief, catchy songs with a transparent message that audiences felt drawn to. It was a profitable debut, with “Contact” gaining over 270 million streams on Spotify on the time of penning this. Now, with their first official comeback on the horizon, KATSEYE dropped the EP’s first pre-release single, “Gnarly.” As they attempt to break into the worldwide market, nevertheless, this single might have harm them.

The place Did “Gnarly” Go Unsuitable?

The Tune Did not Reside Up To Followers’ Expectations

Earlier than leaping into the negatives, let me spotlight some positives. The ladies of KATSEYE are improbable performers. Their facial expressions, power, and confidence are plain, even with one foot in an business that boasts a few of the most gifted performers in music right now. The music video for “Gnarly” is superior. Lara, Daniela, Megan, Sophia, Manon, and Yoonchae appear like superstars in beautiful styling whereas performing ridiculously cool choreography. Even the beat of the track is sweet. For my part, what finally brings this track down are its lyrics.

Oh, we’re in a session tonight (Gang, gang)

Oh, we’re going out tonight (Gang, gang)

Oh my God, this track’s so lit, congratulations

Now you be like, “Gang”

Gang, gang, gang, gang, gang (Haha)

In a typical Okay-Pop track that options perhaps 80% Korean and 20% English lyrics, the odd English phrase right here and there’s frequent, however when a track is 100% English and almost each lyric is extra jarring than the final, that is not going to draw many individuals. This additionally makes me marvel what sort of viewers they have been hoping to succeed in. “Contact” and “Debut” attracted a mixture of devoted Okay-Pop followers and mainstream pop followers, however “Gnarly” feels crafted for an viewers that is far too particular for the trail they have been created to forge.

What Does This Imply For Their Upcoming EP?

“Gnarly” Units A Tough Stage For Their Future

Inside minutes of the music video dropping, YouTube and Instagram feedback have been stuffed with confusion and disappointment. After ready nearly a 12 months for a brand new track, followers questioned if all that ready was price it. Feedback like “The beat is fireplace and the lyrics are the extinguisher…” and “This seems like in the event that they took the English bits from any Okay-Pop track and made it the entire track” principally sum up how I really feel. Clearly, there are some followers who beloved it from the primary pay attention, however I could not consider how trustworthy and agreeable the YouTube remark part was.

It is troublesome to say if this one track can have a bigger influence on the way forward for their profession as a gaggle. I’ve already seen individuals switching as much as say that they “get it” after a couple of listens. KATSEYE even posted an Instagram reel utilizing a Nicki Minaj audio the place she says “You are not gonna get this track the primary time you hear it,” so a minimum of they’re self-aware.

I simply discover it troublesome to consider that their staff genuinely believed that this was the track their first world lady group wanted to launch after an extremely profitable debut. I am all for an idea change in Okay-Pop, however KATSEYE is not a Okay-Pop group. They are a broadly gifted lady group that has the potential to develop into enormous worldwide, however I do not see this present path being the one which will get them to that time.