KATSEYE, dubbed as the first global girl group, released their contentious song, “PINKY UP,” ahead of their performance at Coachella 2026. While the group has received widespread fame through songs such as “Gnarly” and “Touch,” Coachella created an opportunity to reach more mainstream audiences. However, audiences are divided on whether “PINKY UP” is a brainrot anthem or just another miss for the growing group.
KATSEYE first found fame through the Netflix docuseries, “Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE.” It follows the companies HYBE and Geffen as they train 20 women and methodically test them through a survival format to establish the 6 member team that will be the group KATSEYE. With the goal of creating the first global girl group, the show also tests the possibility of using the famously rigorous K-pop idol system in western markets.
“PINKY UP” features five members of the group: Sophia Laforteza, Lara Rajagopalan, Daniela Avanzini, Yoonchae Jeong, and Megan Skiendiel. It’s important to note that this song does not feature KATSEYE’s sixth member, Manon Bannerman. Since February, she has been on a “temporary hiatus” for her health and wellbeing, but it’s highly speculated this hiatus could be motivated by racial discrimination, though neither HYBE nor Manon has confirmed this.
Blending Techno and Hyperpop: KATSEYE Continues To Experiment
“PINKY UP” is another experimental track for a group whose sound cannot be boiled down to one genre. Produced by dwilly, FRANTS, and “hitman” Bang, “PINKY UP” goes hard into the techno sound with heavy synths and a constantly moving drumbeat. It also leans into the maximalist hyperpop genre with its exaggerative take on pop songs and glitchy-sounding production.
Is “PINKY UP” Brainrot or Satire?
The lyrics of “PINKY UP” set the stage for a world that’s ending and how they “wanna live large, right before it all burns down,” as the lyrics say. A lot of the division around the song comes from arguments stating the lyrics are pure nonsense made for a generation that consumes short-form content without critically thinking about what they are listening to; however, the other side believes that the song is self-aware and epitomizes the Gen-Z attitude of apathy in the face of a world that has set them up for failure.
I argue, why can’t it be a little bit of both? The lyric, “I kinda know nothing, just like Socrates,” plays on the philosopher’s quote, “I know that I know nothing.” A quote that implies intelligence can be found in recognizing your own ignorance. This line shows that there is some self-awareness to the chaotic lyrics of previous verses. However, with the influence of the music industry today, songs are seemingly pushed to be easily digestible so they can find fame within short-form content sharing websites such as TikTok and Instagram. I believe this song was trying to be an ironic commentary on “brainrot” but with the processes and influences of labels, it became what it sought to satirize.
The question for KATSEYE is what comes next? Will they lean into the techno-hyperpop sound they found in this song, fall back into other genres they’ve played with, or continue experimenting indefinitely? KATSEYE has always fascinated me from its inception and I’ll be watching to see what they do next.
While “PINKY UP” is still quite new and without scores, you can find sheet music for other popular KATSEYE songs.
