Pinky Up
2026 single by Katseye
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"Pinky Up" is a song by the 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]
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| "Pinky Up" | ||||
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| Single by Katseye | ||||
| from the EP Wild | ||||
| Released | April 9, 2026 | |||
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| Length | 2:11 | |||
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| "Pinky Up" on YouTube | ||||
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][failed verification]
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, followed by Show! Music Core on May 2, and Inkigayo on May 3.[17]
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] In June 2026, Billboard listed it as one of the 50 best songs of the year, with Kristen Winseski praising the track's "upbeat melody and highly danceable rhythm" and highlighting how it resonated with fans.[18]
Credits and personnel
Credits are adapted from Apple Music.[19]
- 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
Weekly charts
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Monthly charts
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Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[52] | Platinum | 40,000‡ |
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‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Version | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | April 9, 2026 | Original | |||
| June 5, 2026 | The Remixes | [53] |