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KATSEYE WILD: The Third EP and a First No. 1

Published: 2026-11-04

• Category: Album guide
• Artist: KATSEYE

KPOP NO1 Editorial · Sources checked November 4, 2026

After BEAUTIFUL CHAOS came something wilder. KATSEYE's third EP, WILD, came out on August 14, 2026, from HYBE x Geffen. Universal Music Japan introduces it as the opening of a striking new era, built on two years that defined the group's path. It went straight to No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

The EP has five songs, plus a bonus track on some editions. Its themes are self-discovery and self-determination. Here's how the songs were released one by one, what's known about each, and which official videos to open.

The idea behind WILD

WILD followed a breakout year. Before it, KATSEYE were named TikTok's Global Artist of the Year and earned two Grammy nominations, Best New Artist and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Gabriela." They also won three American Music Awards. Biography

Universal Music Japan's description sets out the concept. WILD captures the feeling of a wild road, driven by growth and change. It goes beyond the "beautiful chaos" of the previous chapter into more euphoria and more unleashed territory. With self-discovery and self-determination as its themes, KATSEYE affirm every side of themselves, and the result is open and boundless. (The description is in Japanese; this is our translation.) WILD release page

The track list runs: Track list
1. PINKY UP
2. Animal
3. Hootie Frutti
4. Bel Air
5. That Way

Some editions add a sixth track, Unloveu. Six-track edition

The physical edition comes in two versions, Wild world and Wild heart. Our take: the two names read like the two halves of the concept, the world outside and the feelings inside. Which one does the EP lean toward for you?

Animal, the pre-release single

Animal came next, in July. Universal Music Japan calls it a bold, provocative pop anthem about accepting and unleashing your wild side. It plays the polished self you show the world against the free energy that comes out behind closed doors. Ed Sheeran is a co-writer. Biography

The music video went up on HYBE LABELS on July 24, 2026.

Animal kept climbing after the EP came out. By the Hot 100 dated October 17, it was at No. 32 in its 11th week on the chart, and it reached No. 12 on Pop Airplay, a new high for the group. Unloveu release news

Hootie Frutti, the lead song

On release day, Hootie Frutti arrived as the EP's lead song, with its music video on HYBE LABELS. A highlight medley of the whole EP had gone up three days earlier, on August 11.

Hootie Frutti kept gaining after release too, rising 51 places to No. 120 on the Billboard Global 200 in mid-October. Unloveu release news

The last two songs on the standard list, Bel Air and That Way, have no official description yet, so we won't invent one. They're the two to discover on your own.

Archival photo: KATSEYE on The Beautiful Chaos Tour at WAMU Theater in Seattle, December 9, 2025, eight months before WILD. Credit: David Lee, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0. Linked from Wikimedia Commons at a smaller size; no other edits by KPOP NO.1.

Unloveu, the bonus track LARA wrote

Unloveu started as a bonus track on the limited edition and was released digitally on October 14, 2026. Member LARA made it with Ross Golan and Grammy-winning songwriter Amy Allen. Unloveu release news

It's the quiet one. Universal Music Japan describes a song about the moment you finally let go of someone who used to hold you, as the feelings you thought you'd never escape slowly fade. Unlike the intense, energetic songs on the rest of WILD, it puts inward emotion and mature vocals up front. The phrase "Unloveu" repeats through the song like a spell.

The visualizer went up on HYBE LABELS with the digital release.

The chart run

WILD entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1 on the chart dated August 29, 2026, right after release. It was still at No. 39 on the chart dated October 17, its eighth straight week. Unloveu release news

The previous EP, BEAUTIFUL CHAOS, had debuted in the top five, so WILD took the group one step further. The songs head out on the road next: every date of THE WILDWORLD TOUR across the UK, Europe and North America sold out within 48 hours of going on sale. Biography

Official WILD videos

Dates are the YouTube publication dates in Korean time.

Keep exploring

New to the group? The KATSEYE starter guide introduces the members and all three EPs.

Going to a show? Our WILDWORLD TOUR Seoul news has the ticket dates.

Sources

• Universal Music Japan, WILD release page, Discography and Biography
• Universal Music Japan, Unloveu digital release news, October 19, 2026
• Apple Music catalog, WILD - EP and the six-track edition, HYBE x Geffen, ℗ 2026 HYBE UMG LLC
• Official YouTube channel: HYBE LABELS