By David Lavrinovich, Alumni Editor

Globally renowned K-Pop girl group KATSEYE has recently dropped my expectations with their latest single. There was a lot of discussion leading up to the release of “Pinky Up,” with many fans, myself included, skeptical of its quality. When it finally dropped on April 9, I tuned in and immediately cringed from how painfully difficult listening to it was. Not to mention, how my favorite member, Manon, was not included on the track. KATSEYE emphasising they’re a group of six made the absence that much more noticeable. Even worse than all of that, the song was a departure from the group’s core concept of versatility in musical style, which is what connected them with a global audience. To say that the song has garnered a lot of criticism is an understatement at best, especially given the story behind the girl group’s creation.  

Getting the Band Together

KATSEYE is the product of a collaboration between two companies: Hybe, a Korean company most famous for their K-Pop boy band, BTS, and Geffen Records, an American label that has signed many artists, including Olivia Rodrigo. This partnership led to the creation of Dream Academy, a reality show in which female performers from around the world competed for a chance at stardom. In the end, six finalists were chosen to become part of the first-ever global girl group, KATSEYE. 

The girls who ended up forming KATSEYE are Sophia, Lara, Daniela, Manon, Megan, and Yoonchae. These talented artists weren’t only chosen for their individual skills but also for how their combined efforts would benefit the group’s performance. Furthermore, the girls all come from various cultures, encapsulating the global concept behind their formation. That intercultural harmony is the core of KATSEYE, and was one of the main reasons I was so interested in the group’s debut. Having so many cultures in one group allows them to connect to fans around the globe, and makes it easy for anyone to have a favorite member.  

This is all reflected in their musical style and aesthetic, since their whole concept is about diversity and fluidity. All of their most famous songs are so different from each other. Grammy-nominated “Gabriela” is a slow, romantic ballad inspired by Latin R&B. Cute and catchy, “Touch” is a perfect fusion of Korean and U.S. American pop. The last of the group’s most recognizable songs, “Gnarly,” was polarizing for its experimental sound and lyrics, but eventually found its place in KATSEYE’s discography. Even though the group can cover a variety of styles, this new single doesn’t even feel like KATSEYE and has led me to feel as if they have completely abandoned what made them so special in the first place. 

“Pinky Up” Review

It’s difficult to understand where this song came from. “Pinky Up” seems to follow in the footsteps of KATSEYE’s previous two songs, “Gnarly” and “Internet Girl.” All three songs have faced similar criticism for being meaningless pop music and a misuse of the girls’ talents. Yet “Gnarly” was written by Alice Longyu Gao, a Chinese artist who wanted to criticize how the English word can be used positively and negatively. Meanwhile, “Internet Girl” is an ode to women’s experience with fame and the memes fans made of KATSEYE. In comparison, “Pinky Up” doesn’t seem to have any meaning whatsoever, and that is reflected in the sound, lyrics, choreography, and music video. 

KATSEYE is a pop girl group, so no matter what style of music they may draw inspiration from, it will always lean towards pop. “Pinky Up” is no exception, as it specifically draws from the genres of techno-pop and Euro-pop. The track has a bouncy rhythm with electronic sounds, but it suffers from drastic tone shifts, alternating between slow, light parts and fast, punchy sections. Many songs use this technique, but the problem with “Pinky Up’s” execution is how the song feels choppy and disconnected from itself, giving the listener auditory whiplash. Unfortunately, the lyrics faced a similar issue, only infinitely more irritating. 

Lazy, Lackluster Lyricism

Songwriting is an important aspect of music that helps songs resonate with their audience. Unfortunately, the only memorable line from “Pinky Up” is the repetitive chorus and song’s namesake. The phrase “pinky up” is earbleedingly sung almost 15 times in the span of three minutes, cementing itself as one of the most annoying choruses I’ve ever had the misfortune of hearing. Meanwhile, the verses in which individual girls get the opportunity to sing lack deeper meaning. 

Daniela sings about partying with lines like “Go hard like we’re robbin’ the Louvre” and “Us against the world, shaking ass in the parking lot.” Meanwhile, Yoonchae sings “Fancy is a frequency / A mind of delusion, philosophy / I kinda know nothing just like Socrates,” in which Megan follows with a famous quote, “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” These lines are nonsensical and contribute to the song’s problem of meaningless word vomit, posing as a significant message. Lara and Sophia’s lines hardly fare better. 

Overall, these lyrics are extremely disjointed and have no artistic value. This is extremely disappointing since, in the past, KATSEYE has had beautiful songs that told a story, or at the very least made sense. It’s clear the song was written to be mindless and easy to dance to. Since the only possible scenario in which I could find hearing such verbal garbage as even mildly enjoyable is if I threw my brain out the window. 

The Music Video

“Pinky Up” has quite the avant-garde music video, and while it could be called many things, boring is not one of them. Just like the music and lyrics, many of the scenes felt disconnected, with some aspects out of place entirely. Right in the middle of the music video is a break in which five women are standing around a car, and the trunk pops open to reveal… Daniela eating a bag of Tru-Fru chocolate strawberries. Frankly, the scene appeared more like a strange ad placement than an actual part of the music video. Another scene features all five girls dressed exactly alike with short blonde wigs and sheer, feathery ensembles for no explicable reason. Other scenes were just as random and difficult to follow, except for scenes of the girls dancing, if you could even call it that. 

Speaking of which, the official choreography for “Pinky Up” has divided fans on whether it’s good-weird or bad-weird. Either way, it seems everyone can agree that having a dance centred around the pinky finger is definitely some kind of weird. While KATSEYE can be seen dancing throughout the video, the most recognizable parts are when they stick out their pinkies and punch them out above their heads. Of course, the awkward pinky up-and-out gesture makes up the majority, if not all, of the music video. It lacks creativity due to its repetitiveness and how visually uninteresting it is to watch. Not to mention that the dance requires zero talent to perform, which is absolutely insulting to KATSEYE’s skills and training.

“Pinky Up” Music Video | KATSEYE

Alt text: Five girls in brightly colored and patterned outfits (Left to right: Yoonchae, Lara, Megan, Daneila, Sophia)

All in all, “Pinky Up” was incredibly polarizing. It seems that people either hate it or love it, with no in between. Maybe the point of “Pinky Up” was to be a fun bop, or maybe there was no point at all. It appears Hybe x Geffen seems to be doing everything in its power to stop KATSEYE from having any meaningful music and is only interested in creating viral content, even if it is absolute slop. Credit where credit is due, the five girls succeeded at making “Pinky Up” attention-grabbing and interesting. But wait, aren’t there six members of KATSEYE? Why are there only five girls singing on the track and performing in the music video? This is because…

Manon is “M.I.A.”

Manon’s absence from “Pinky Up” is deeply confusing for multiple reasons. And I’m not just saying that because she’s my bias, or favorite member. While she did announce a hiatus, many fans suspected there was more happening behind the scenes. Despite Hybe x Geffen recruiting Manon all the way from Switzerland, they seemed to put more effort into making “Pinky Up” work without her than if they had just included her in the first place. This is evident in the uneven distribution of lyrics that would have been balanced out by her presence. Not to mention how the music video pairs Sophia and Lara, as well as Megan and Yoonchae, while Daniela is awkwardly positioned alone. 

Most egregiously, the scene with Daniela in the trunk would have been perfect for Manon to take place instead, which is what many fans expected, myself included. However, that is not what Hybe x Geffen decided to do, continuing to leave fans in the dark and trying to brush their blatant mistreatment of Manon under the rug. The situation was made even worse as Manon had removed KATSEYE from her bios on social media, and it was announced that she’s not performing at Coachella this year. At best, this is poor management and PR on Hybe x Geffen’s part, but at worst, it’s racism towards the only Black member of KATSEYE. 

The complicated situation with Manon has led many fans to circulate superstitious theories, citing “curses” that eerily apply to KATSEYE and previous K-Pop groups. One “curse” states that six-member groups will lose a member, which has occurred with EXID, I-DLE, LE SSERAFIM, and more. Another “curse” says the first member to sing in the group’s debut will be the first to leave, such as Danielle of NewJeans, Heeseung of ENHYPHEN, and Kim Garam of LE SSERAFIM.

Manon is so personable to her fans and seamlessly blends into any aesthetic or genre, which is why so many fans and I love her. Unsurprisingly, Manon’s not being included in “Pinky Up” made many fans voice their grievances. This gave rise to hashtags like #KATSEYEISSIX, #JusticeForManon, #BoycottForManon, and more, as fans rallied together in support of her. Some even went further than that, such as a rolling billboard with those same slogans driving around New York City to show how fans are backing Manon. Even the other girls of KATSEYE have expressed their unconditional loyalty and support for the sixth member, with social media posts and announcements at Coachella. The love for Manon is ever strong and has only grown with her absence in “Pinky Up,” but it has led many to wonder what can be expected from KATSEYE going forward. 

The Future of KATSEYE

KATSEYE, like its gemstone namesake, is beautiful because of its multiple facets. All six members shine bright on their own, but that special magic comes out when they’re together. This single is more than just the group’s latest song. “Pinky Up” is indicative of KATSEYE’s future, with many other fans and me expecting further disappointment. The current production and creative direction is set to waste the potential of the first-ever global girl group, and all the talented, charismatic women who make up KATSEYE. If there’s one thing fans could ask from Hybe, Geffen Records, and of course, KATSEYE, it’s this: pinky promise you’ll do better.