Here are my credentials (again): So, like a lot of kpop fans, I’d consider myself at least a casual fan of KATSEYE. I know a decent amount of their songs, a decent amount about them as people, and a sprinkling of context surrounding Dream Academy and online conversation about them. I’ll be talking a little bit about that going forward, where I feel like it’s relevant. (Also, important to note, while I’ve covered groups with young people before, this is one of the first times I’m covering a group that is all basically my age, which is…an interesting experience, to say the least.)

BUT as you may have guessed from the title, this isn’t a solo review, but rather one of my so-called co-pilot reviews, with my beloved little sister in queer (and EYEKON extraordinaire, basically since debut), Ella. You might remember her from my TXT concert review. I thought it would be fun to include two very different perspectives on KATSEYE, so we sat down with our popcorn and our big girl analysis glasses and decided we’d do it together. Part 1 is going to cover the first two EPs, basically everything before Manon’s hiatus, and Part 2 will start with Internet Girl.

You still with me, after all of that? Great. Let’s get into it!

(Part One)

Interlude: A Discussion On Sexualization

If you read Part 1 (which you should, since we’re firmly in the middle here), you’ll know that I spent quite a bit of time talking about the clothes that KATSEYE were / are being dressed in, how the camera focuses on them, and so on. And that isn’t because I’m searching for something to criticize them for, or because I’m deeply conservative and think seeing legs will cause fine young men heart attacks, or something, but because of what it means both for KATSEYE and their fanbase.

But I realize it’s kind of hard to critique something without any comparison—it feels a bit like screaming into a void. So I’m comparing KATSEYE’s stage outfits for Animal on Jimmy Fallon to I-dle’s stage outfits from Lollapalooza, not just because they’re both girl groups, but because they both performed in America, on TV, within a week or two of each other, and their fanbases are both mostly young women.

I know this is typed, but just imagine me speaking in an obnoxious YouTuber voice with a bad quality mic. If we look at KATSEYE’s stage outfits, clearly the intent is sexualization. They’re in what’s basically lingerie—burlesque, if we’re being generous, with very body-hugging one-pieces, see-through tights, stiletto shoes, and a clear animal-print theme, that both matches the song and puts the girls firmly in femme-fatale Catwoman territory. That’s without even mentioning that three of them are wearing some sort of collar, which I doubt is an accident, or the unnatural, objectifying poses they’re doing; hips out, arms limp, necks arched, ass pointed towards the camera. No one stands like that naturally. It’s all just very uncomfortable to look at, personally.

If you look at I-dle’s, while yes, they’re wearing less clothes, their clothes are also much more practical. They’re not only dressed for the weather—a festival outside in august, on a day it was 90-something degrees—but fairly comfortably, in jean shorts (with safety shorts underneath them in case of slipping) and an array of black tank tops that each match their personal style. Just for a couple examples, Shuhua’s stomach is more covered and her shorts are higher, Soyeon isn’t wearing a bra, and Miyeon is wearing long sleeves., all things that they’ve said they prefer. The picture doesn’t show it, but they’re also wearing boots with short wedges that make much more sense for dancing than stilettos. I-dle are known for being very involved in their group, from promotion to songwriting, so I’m fairly confident in saying that they had a good amount of input in these decisions.

As mentioned up above, I-dle are also older. Their youngest member, Shuhua, at 26, is still two years older than KATSEYE’s oldest, Manon, and a full eight years older than Yoonchae, the youngest. She’s also been in the industry much longer and therefore is able to speak up if she finds herself put in an uncomfortable situation, which she has before, something that I doubt Yoonchae, or KATSEYE, have the freedom to do.

I can’t stress enough that my bringing up I-dle isn’t because I’m trying to start a fanwar, or pit the girls against each other; I’m using them as an example to show that I don’t think every performance outfit that shows a lot of skin is “BAD”. There’s a way you can design them for the artist’s comfort, and with their input, and you can feel the difference just looking at them. I-dle are facing the camera, standing naturally, smiling. They are in charge. They are looking at us, not existing for our gratification. I’ve posed for photos exactly the same way. I don’t feel uncomfortable looking at this photo. I feel like I’m looking at girls I go to school with on a warm day off, or maybe at a concert.

I hope that makes more of my commentary clear. Also, going forward, I specifically chose photos for each song / EP where they are more clothed than a lot of the pictures I’ve seen, partly because I don’t want to criticize something and then condone it, but also partly just because I feel voyeuristic looking at them.

Single #6: Internet Girl

Alright, now that we’ve discussed that, back to the music, and onto Internet Girl. I have…so many thoughts about this song. First off: what in the ever-loving fuck do you mean, “eat zucchini?” Am I an idiot? Surely there are better, even more broadcast-friendly ways to say “suck it” or “fuck off” that aren’t…so stupid? (Eat zucchini. Eat zucchini. Just kill me.)

“I really don’t hate Internet Girl as much as everyone else,” Ella admits. “Behind the weird chorus and annoying baby voice are some interesting lyrics about being internet famous. But honestly, [the lyrics] don’t make too much sense strung together. It’s kinda like they took a bunch of sounds and ideas and just threw it in a song.”

To be honest, I agree with her. Despite all of the nonsense, I do genuinely like the main chorus, minus, of course, the dreaded zucchini. (Eat zucchini. Eat zucchini. I cannot stress how many times they say the word zucchini in this song, I swear to God—-) The hook would be a highlight in a stronger song, but this is not that song. I think Ella put it really well so I’ll end with her words: “Internet Girl again falls victim to something we see over and over with KATSEYE: cool concept, clear talent, wasted potential.”

Single #7: Pinky Up

“Here’s the thing,” Ella says at the start of her paragraph, which is how you know she’s trying her goddamn best to be kind and searching for patience, “[The last EP] Beautiful Chaos seemed very experimental to me. And I hoped, at the end of those experiments, they wouldn’t go in the direction that Gnarly and Internet Girl were steering towards. But unfortunately, Pinky Up is just that; more of the hyperslop. And unlike Gnarly, Pinky Up isn’t saved by a good dance (you know it’s a bad dance if my bionic ass back* can do it) or a fresh concept.”

Look, Pinky Up is not all awful. The verses are honestly not bad as a whole, and I actually like the way-too-short pre-chorus (which I’m considering starting around “screaming from Cloud 9”). And then we have the laziest, most bare-bones attempt at a chorus I’ve seen since 2 Baddies 1 Porsche. Why? Just why? What 40-something year old executive decided: “enough actual lyrics and a sensical storyline, why have that when you could sing ‘us against the world shaking ass in the parking lot.’” Yes this is a real lyric, that is accompanied by the most choreographed ass-shaking I’ve ever seen. But we’re not done yet, my friends, no no. It wasn’t enough to drag the Louvre robbery and the Mona Lisa into this, because now Yoonchae is singing about Socrates. Sure. Why not. (“For the love of God,” Ella said, speaking for Classics scholars everywhere, “please leave Socrates out of this.”

And that’s without even touching the bad blonde wigs or the random French or the way, way too sexual shots that just keep invading the screen. For an abridged list: Lara splayed out on a bed in a tiny nightgown, Megan in a bathing suit with her hips popped out, Dani smacking her ass and the aforementioned ass shaking in way-too-short shorts, Yoonchae making a disturbingly “riding” like motion on a…pillow horse thing, and finally, Megan licking a sword, because we’re not even trying to go for subtlety anymore. Never did I think I’d be yearning for the days of up-the-leg shots from SIS-era but here we are! To paraphrase Megan herself: God, get me out of here.

*Edit from Anna (we can take this out if you want, El): Ella’s being dead serious here; she has literal metal in her spine.

Single #8: Animal

Let me start off by saying that Animal is in a different class from Internet Girl and Pinky Up, in that it’s a genuinely good song in isolation. Just listening to it, I was humming along and honestly, it’s one of my favorites of their singles. I know it’s probably not intentional, but something about it has felt sapphic to me since the first time I heard it, and personally, I’ve always loved a good “damn, look at that hot / cool girl on the dancefloor” song, and this is no exception. The dance is well choreographed, and this song finally gives KATSEYE the chance to exercise their vocals, and Lara and Sophia especially sound great.

“On one hand, I like it,” Ella says. “It sounds good, and the music video has a good concept. I like the idea that “Wild” isn’t just a second Beautiful Chaos, and is leaning more into something exotic and animal-like. Animal feels like a breath of fresh air after Pinky Up.”

If you’re wondering why we sound so hesitant, our problem with Animal comes with…literally everything else. I’ve already shown the picture of KATSEYE performing Animal on Jimmy Fallon up above in the “sexualization” section, but honestly, that’s really the tip of the iceberg.

I’ll let Ella explain it: “The concept is cool, but the music video is pretty nonsensical and over sexualized. Why was Lara fixing pipes and then kissing Dani on the cheek? Why did Yoonchae poison Lara and then cry? Why is there a changing scene is the middle that shows all the girls in bras and underwear?” And on our list of questions, I’d like to add: Why is Megan dressed like she’s cosplaying Alison from Teen Wolf? Why is there a closeup on Lara’s hands as she fixes a pipe that’s clearly meant to resemble a handjob? Genuinely, just: why? But the biggest issue is: I think we all know why, and as much as I like Animal in isolation, it kind of can’t be isolated.

Single #9: Hootie Frutti

I’m honestly not sure where to start with Hootie Frutti (the name alone is…something), so I guess I’ll ask: What in the ever-loving fuck is that thumbnail? If you haven’t seen it, the music video’s thumbnail on YouTube is Daniela “sitting” on a motorcycle—I put this in quotes because she’s really posing—-her back bent and her ass out, in the tiniest thong I’ve ever seen. Basically, you could glance at it and think she’s wearing nothing, and I’ve honestly resisted clicking on the video since it came out just because of how much my stomach kept churning looking at it.

And the music video is just as bad as you think it’s going to be. There isn’t a single second in these two and a half minutes that you could pause the video and not have it be mistaken as some kind of adult film, and trust me, I don’t say that lightly. After I typed this, I tried. Besides the fact that KATSEYE are barely dressed despite, once again, being only 18-22, there are so. many. shots. of close ups on their chests, their lips, their hips, and so on, while they dance. They’re soaked in water, they’re grinding on each other, on walls, they’re in positions that are so obviously sexual that it makes me feel sick.

As Ella puts it: “What the FUCK were they doing? Hooti Frutti is a club song. Which is fine, they’re all adults. (As mentioned, I disagree with this part but as for the sentiment I understand her thought process) Except that they advertise kids slime in the music video. The same music video that has Daniela in a thong talking about eating “fruit.” Okay. And it’s just not tasteful. I’m not a prude, and I really don’t have an issue with sexual themes….It’s sexualized to the point where Sophia isn’t even being shown on screen singing her lines- instead, we see a shot of Daniela’s chest body rolling. Jesus.”

Song-wise, I again have a thousand questions. Why is there random Portuguese in it when none of the members are Portuguese. Why are we putting on the most agonizing fake Portuguese / Brazilian / vaguely Latina accents that I’ve ever heard when once again, I know that none of the girls sound like that. What the hell does this title mean? Were the lyrics made in an AI? Why are none of them wearing clothes? Can we please not forget that once again, these girls are barely legal. Once again, these girls are my age, and every single torturous second of this I had to resist attempting to jump through the screen, punch the cameraman. and cover them all in towels. No, no, and once more, for posterity: NO. 

EP #3: WILD

We’re actually going to start with the last song on the album, That Way, because both Ella and I do not like it, and I didn’t want to end the review with my complaining. As Ella puts it: “It’s not atrocious, it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I’m not against the [idea of] “if it’s hard to keep it up then the door is that way” and I’m not too against the sound of it, it’s just the whole idea [of the song]’ is so icky to me.” You may think she’s exaggerating. She’s not. Once again: these are barely legal girls, why are we having them say they need a more experienced man to show them the ropes and touch them “that way”? Yes, actual lyrics. That Way is simultaneously a song that’s supposedly about not settling for a man who can’t satisfy you—a mature concept, but one that works—and one that constantly reinforces just how young its singers are. It’s gross. It’s just gross.

Alright, with that out of the way, WILD’s other two songs are actually quite good, and I’d go as far as to say that they’re the best songs on the whole EP. We’ll start with my favorite, Bel Air, which, at first blush, I thought was going to be a song about having a lot of money. But it’s not; instead, Bel Air recounts the aftermath of a messy breakup and a complicated relationship, kind of a matured version of Touch with the sound of Tonight I Might. Catchy, synthy, and finally, finally, a song that puts vocals and emotions first, Bel Air is just really great. It has some genuinely good lines too: “Stood and watched your car leaving, struck by silver ’til you were out of sight”, “my head is spinning time in retrograde”, and so on. Both of us kept asking ourselves: why wasn’t this the single?

Our last song, UNLOVEU, is not on the actual EP, only the target exclusive, and thus I had to go on a solid 20-minute odyssey to track it down. So I’ll pass the mic to Ella, one last time, to talk about why that’s such a damn shame: “I really love this song. Since Lara helped write it, you can tell it plays to her strengths, but honestly I think all the girls sound great, and I think that specifically Yoonchae, who’s been getting some strange parts recently, has a really good chance to showcase her voice and emotion. Please let Lara write more of their songs, and please actually release the ones she writes. The fact that “us against the world shaking ass in the parking lot” is on the official EP and “I wore your words like a necklace” is not, really pains me. “

Verdict: TL;DR

So. This may be a long outro, but let me start off by saying that I am glad I did this. And even more glad that my best friend was here to join me. El, thank you for being my friend for the last way-too-short four years, thank you for coming on this journey with me, and thank you for braving the hell of Hootie Frutti just to make my review more interesting. I love you.

You can probably guess that we ended up watching quite a lot of behind-the-scenes content for this deep dive, but I’m going to mention three in particular. Both Ella and I love the iconic M&M (Megan and Manon) live where they recounted their experiences traveling together, but my absolute favorite KATSEYE video is their What’s In Our Lunchbox video. It’s two years old now, but each member’s parents packed them a lunch with some of their favorite foods from their childhoods, and they got to share with each other. It’s so, so wholesome, and it makes me smile whenever I watch it. Ella recommended me the live where KATSEYE put together their lightstick and the video where they filmed them moving into the dorm.

My Top 5 songs were Mean Girls, Animal, Debut, Bel Air, and Gabriela, with Tonight I Might as an honorable mention. Ella’s were Gabriella, My Way, Gameboy, M.I.A., and UNLOVEU, with Mean Girls as her honorable mention. KATSEYE gets a 7.5 out of 10 from me, which…stings a little, honestly. There is so, so much potential here. Every single member of KATSEYE is talented in different ways, whether it be vocals like Megan and Sophia, or dance like Daniela and Yoonchae, or writing like Lara, or just all-around pretense, like Manon. Under another company, with more artistic control and people in charge that are actually looking out for their best interests, I think that they could be one of the most interesting and innovate groups out there.

But as they are now, their talents, their uniqueness, and their passion, the best things about them, are being stymied by the same overlord corporation that we as kpop fans have watched slowly take control of our favorite groups. And as we’ve discussed ad nauseam, they are being told that all of those things matter less than the ways their bodies can appeal to men, and even worse, imparting that belief on a very young audience that don’t recognize that something is wrong. “Katseye needs to figure out who their main audience is, and fast…” Ella says, “because they’re being streamed by teen and preteen girls.” As fans, as teenagers, and most importantly, as girls, I think I speak for both of us when I say we wish the girls the absolute best.

Next time, we’re onto a different girl group, and I’ll be posting from a different country. (Guess where!) Thank you so much for reading; I usually end with just three farewells, but today, just for KATSEYE, I’ll do six. For Manon, Daniela, Yoonchae, Sophia, Megan, and Lara: Tschüss, Adios, 안녕!, Paalam, 再见，and Goodbye!