Pinky Up

"Pinky Up" is a song by the US girl group Katseye. It was released on April 9, 2026, by Hybe UMG and Geffen Records as the lead single from their third EP Wild (2026).^[1] It was written by David Wilson, Justin Tranter, Magsy, Sorana, and Skyler Stonestreet, and produced by "Hitman" Bang, Dwilly, and Frants. The song contains a sample from "Meet Her at the Love Parade" by the German DJ Da Hool.^[2] The track is Katseye's first single without Manon Bannerman, whose hiatus from the group was announced in February.^[3]

An accompanying music video directed by Bardia Zeinali was simultaneously released with the single. A choreography video was released on April 14, 2026.

Background

On January 2, 2026, Katseye released the standalone single "Internet Girl".^[4][5]

On April 1, Katseye announced that they would release the single "Pinky Up" on April 9, ahead of their performance at Coachella 2026.^[6] The group had previously teased the release with video clips featuring artworks such as the Mona Lisa depicted with their little finger raised.^[6] They also included a visual centered on an arcade claw machine, with the claw pulling a sword from a pile of embellished stuffed animals and a single teacup.^[7] The cover artwork features a person kneeling on a carpet with a teacup, saucer, and toy cat nearby.^[7] A teaser photo was also released showing Lara, Daniela, Sophia, Megan, and Yoonchae wearing Y2K-inspired outfits.^[8] Manon, whose hiatus from the group was announced on February 20, was not included in the image teaser.^[9][8]

On April 15, Katseye announced that "Pinky Up" will be included in their upcoming EP, Wild, which will be fully released on August 14, 2026.^[1]

Composition

"Pinky Up" is two minutes and 11 seconds. Sonically, it is an uptempo hyperpop and techno-pop track that continues the experimental hyperpop sound previously explored with "Gnarly".^[10] Within the production there are elements of EDM and rave music.^[11][12] The song was produced by "Hitman" Bang, David Wilson, and Frants. Lyrically, the song features lyrics of having fun with a carefree attitude and mindset, including many references to the world ending, getting high, being in a state of mind, and raising their pinky fingers up as a declaration.^[12]

Music video

The music video for "Pinky Up" was directed by Bardia Zeinali and produced by Roison Moloney.^[13] It was released on April 9, 2026, on the official Hybe YouTube channel. The video features a mid-clip break with musician Mel 4Ever, drag queen Vhex, DJ Saturn Risin9, and models Katalina and Vivian Wilson. All five are transgender women. Wilson is the estranged daughter of Elon Musk.^[3][14]

As hinted in the teaser, Manon did not participate in the video, making it the group's first as a quintet. A practice video and a storyboard concept clip were leaked in March 2026 showing all six members, including Manon, being incorporated into the video and the choreography.^[15]

Live performances

Katseye first performed "Pinky Up" on April 10 at Coachella.^[16] They later performed in South Korea on the April 30 broadcast of M Countdown,^[17] followed by Show! Music Core on May 2,^[18] and Inkigayo on May 3.^[19]

Critical reception

Shin Dong-gyu of IZM rated the song 2 out of 5 stars. He described the song as an "afterimage of the trend" and criticized its short length.^[11]

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from Apple Music.^[20]

• Katseye – vocals
• "Hitman" Bang – producer
• Austin Seltzer – mixing engineer, programming
• Bart Schoudel – vocal producer
• Chris Gehringer – mastering engineer
• David Wilson (Dwilly) – songwriter, background vocals, drum programming, keyboards, producer, synthesizer
• Frants – bass, drum programming, producer
• Justin Tranter – songwriter
• Kyle Miller – engineer
• Mark Parfitt – engineer
• Magsy – songwriter
• Sam Sznd – background vocal
• Sorana – background vocal, songwriter
• Skyler Stonestreet – songwriter
• Will Quinnell – assistant mastering engineer

Charts

References

1. ^ Tangcay, Jazz (April 15, 2026). "Katseye Set to Drop New EP, 'Wild,' in August". Variety
2. ^ Gonzaga, Pie (11 April 2026). "KATSEYE’s Coachella Debut Had Big Highs and Some Awkward Lows". Rolling Stone Philippines. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
3. ^ Kaufman, Gil (April 9, 2026). "Katseye Put their 'Pinky Up' and Go Hard in the Club in Video For Hyper Pop New Single: Watch". Billboard. Archived April 9, 2026 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
4. ^ Saulog, Gabriel (January 5, 2026). "Katseye Embody Being An "Internet Girl" on New Single – Listen" (in en-PH). Billboard Philippines. Archived April 5, 2026 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
5. ^ Patridge, Ken (January 2, 2026). "Katseye Explore The Pros & Cons Of Online Fame On New Song "Internet Girl"". Genius. Archived April 5, 2026 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
6. ^ Saulog, Gabriel (April 1, 2026). "Katseye Announce New Single "Pinky Up" Before Coachella" (in en-PH). Billboard Philippines. Archived April 5, 2026 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
7. ^ Harrigan, Annie (March 31, 2026). "'Pinky Up'! Here's When Katseye's New Single Arrives". Billboard. Archived April 5, 2026 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
8. ^ Yap, Jade Veronique (April 4, 2026). "Katseye releases teaser photos for upcoming single 'Pinky Up'" (in en-PH). GMA News. Archived April 5, 2026 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
9. ^ Junaini, Hidzir (February 21, 2026). "Manon announces temporary hiatus from Katseye to focus on her health". Bandwagon Asia. Archived April 5, 2026 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
10. ^ Abraham, Hannah (April 10, 2026). "KATSEYE Releases 'Pinky Up' Without Manon". Forbes
11. ^ Shin, Dong-gyu (April 23, 2026). "Pinky up". IZM
12. ^ "KATSEYE's divisive "PINKY UP" also divided our critics". The Fader. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
13. ^ Ocho, Alex & Seavers, Kris (April 9, 2026). "Katseye Debuts "Pinky Up" Music Video: Stuffed Animals Meet Motorcycles". Complex
14. ^ Rodriguez, Mathew (April 10, 2026). "Vivian Wilson and a Posse of Trans Artists Appear in Katseye's "Pinky Up" Video". Them. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
15. ^ Pop Culture & Art (April 18, 2026). "Katseye Pinky Up choreography leak sparks debate over Manon Bannerman removal". The Express Tribune. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
16. ^ "Katseye Talks About Performing "Pinky Up" For the First Time At Coachella & "Golden" With HUNTR/X". Billboard. April 11, 2026. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
17. ^ Mnet M2 (April 30, 2026). [MPD직캠] 캣츠아이 직캠 8K 'PINKY UP (Clean Edit)' (KATSEYE FanCam) @MCOUNTDOWN_2026.4.30 (video). Retrieved April 30, 2026. – via YouTube.
18. ^ MBCkpop (May 2, 2026). KATSEYE (캣츠아이) - PINKY UP Show! MusicCore MBC260502방송 (video). Retrieved May 3, 2026. – via YouTube.
19. ^ SBSKPOP X INKIGAYO (May 3, 2026). PINKY UP - KATSEYE SBS 260503 방송 (video). Retrieved May 3, 2026. – via YouTube.
20. ^ ""Pinky Up" by Katseye (Credits)". Apple Music. April 9, 2026. Archived April 9, 2026 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
21. ^ "Official IFPI Charts − Digital Singles Chart (International) − Εβδομάδα: 15/2026" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived April 22, 2026 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
22. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Overseas – Week of April 22, 2026" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
23. ^ "2026 16-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. April 17, 2026. Retrieved April 17, 2026.
24. ^ "OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży – single w streamie" (Select week 10.04.2026–16 April 2026.) (in Polish). OLiS. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
25. ^ "The Official Singapore Charts Week 16 (10 – April 16, 2026)". RIAS. Archived April 21, 2026 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
26. ^ "The Official MENA Chart | Weekly Chart – Week 16, 2026 – 10/4 to April 16, 2026" (Select year 2026, week 16 and UAE chart to view peak.). The Official MENA Chart. April 22, 2026. Retrieved April 24, 2026.