KATSEYE Say the Backlash to 'Gnarly' Taught Them What Pop Artistry Really Means

KATSEYE have spoken openly about the backlash to their single 'Gnarly,' saying the criticism sharpened their sense of what it means to put out music that matters.

In an interview on the Nicky at Night podcast, the global girl group addressed the reception that greeted 'Gnarly' when it dropped. Members acknowledged the single was met with critiques, and rather than retreat from the reaction, they framed it as a turning point. Sophia pointed to Lady Gaga as a model for the kind of artist who is not afraid to make people uncomfortable or release something audiences may not immediately understand. "She fully puts her full artistry into something," Sophia said (Billboard).

The backlash, Sophia said, made KATSEYE realise that putting out something interesting and impactful is the artistry. Lara added that the group wants their music to "stick in people's heads," and said the controversy around 'Gnarly' prepared them for the rest of their career.

'Gnarly' reached No. 82 on the Billboard Hot 100 — the weekly US singles chart that ranks the most consumed songs across streaming, radio and sales. It marked KATSEYE's first appearance on that chart, a data point that sits alongside the critical noise rather than quietly resolving it.

KATSEYE have previously described their path from the training environment of Dream Academy, a competition show that assembled the group, into artists who feel comfortable stepping outside the framework they were built in. That shift is now showing up in their creative choices: the group has begun incorporating more of their individual personalities and performance styles into their work.

What stands out in the group's telling is how they have chosen to read the 'Gnarly' reaction. A song that drew criticism on release also became their first Hot 100 entry, and the members are treating both facts as part of the same lesson — that provoking a response, even a divided one, is the point of the work for them now.