"Kitsch" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Ive for their first studio album, I've Ive. It was released as the album's pre-release single on March 27, 2023, through Starship Entertainment and Columbia.[2] It is a pop song characterized by basslines and bouncing sounds, with lyrics written by Lee Seu-ran, Hwang Hyun (MonoTree) as well as group members Gaeul and Rei, whilst composition was handled by various contributors, including Ryan S. Jhun, who had previously helped compose "After Like" and "Eleven".
"Kitsch" was a commercial success in South Korea and topped the Circle Digital Chart for three weeks, becoming Ive's third number-one single in the country. It also reached the top ten of the national charts in Singapore and Taiwan.
Background
"Kitsch" serves as a pre-release single for Ive's first studio album, I've Ive, to be made available on April 10. Its release marked the group's first single under a new label deal, upon Starship Entertainment and Kakao signing a partnership with Columbia Records in the United States.[3]
Composition
"Kitsch" is a "bubbly" pop track[4] that combines strong beats, basslines, and various bouncing sounds.[5] The song showcases the group's "unique charm" and reveals their self-confidence and identity, which became stronger with their "dignified appearance."[6]
Billboard noted the track's opening lyrics as almost "prophetic", with member Wonyoung singing the line "It's our time." Its lyrics revolves around themes of expressing confidence and self-love, with the publication regarding them as the group's "now-signature themes."[3]Nylon noted the track's balance between both dark and light, with it being a "bubbly pop song that hides an otherwise dark and edgy core."[4]
Commercial performance
"Kitsch" was a commercial success in South Korea. Upon release, it topped all real-time charts in South Korea and achieved their second song to get perfect all-kill (PAK).[7] The song debuted at number one on the Circle Digital Chart.[8]
Music video
Background
On March 20, a teaser video titled "It's our time, Kitsch" was uploaded to Starship Entertainment's YouTube channel, with teaser images featuring the members posted in the following days.[9] Upon the music video's release on March 27,[10] it topped YouTube's trending page and surpassed 9.21 million views within 23 hours.[11]
Synopsis
The meaning of "kitsch"[A] "has become an aesthetic trend," which the group presents in the music video, where they capture "the spirit of kitsch" throughout various cultural references; amongst them is the phrase “Book, not guns. Culture, not violence,” from the 2003 movie The Dreamers, capturing "the spirit of resistance against the older generation and elitism that young people had in the midst of chaotic times during the French Revolution of 1968".[12]
^As quoted from GQ, "The dictionary meaning of kitsch is 'vulgar work, fake'. In modern times, 'kitsch' was used as a sarcasm of trivial, vulgar, and popular art as the antipode of high culture."[12]
References
^Park, Soojin (April 2023). "Kitsch". IZM (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 23, 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
^Park, Seo-hyun (March 27, 2023). "아이브, 통통 튀는 매력..선공개곡 '키치' 오늘(27일) 공개" [Ive, bouncing charm..Pre-release song 'Kichi' released today (27th)]. Herald Pop (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
^Jang, Woo-young (March 27, 2023). "신인상·대상 휩쓴 아이브, 4연속 히트 위한 반전의 '키치' [Oh!쎈 이슈]" [Ive, who swept the Rookie of the Year Award and Daesang, a 'kitsch' of reversal for 4 consecutive hits [Oh!sen issue]]. OSEN (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
^Kim, Hye-young (April 3, 2023). "아이브, 선공개곡 '키치'로 음원 차트 '올킬'" [Ive set an all-kill on music charts with the pre-released song 'Kitsch']. MBC News (in Korean). Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023 – via Naver.
^Kim, Ha-young (March 24, 2023). "'D-17' 아이브, 컴백 초읽기 "이제 우리의 시간"" [‘D-17’ Ive counts down comeback “Now is our time”]. Sports Trend (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 7, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
^Jeong, Ji-won (March 27, 2023). "[오늘가요] 아이브가 온다, 'Kitsch'로 보여줄 신드롬" [[Today's Go] Ive is coming, a syndrome to be shown with 'Kitsch']. Joy News 24 (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 7, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
^Lee, Yoo-min (March 28, 2023). "아이브 '키치' 음원→뮤비, 월드 와일드 1위" [Ive's 'Kichi' sound source → MV, World Wild No. 1]. Sports Trend (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
^ abLee, Hwa-yoon (March 29, 2023). "아이브의 'KITSCH'에서 발견한 메시지 해석 3" [Interpretation of messages found in Ive's 'KITSCH' 3]. GQ Korea (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 14, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
^Park So-young (April 8, 2023). '키치' 아이브, 선공개곡인데도 '음중' 1위..에이핑크x뱀뱀x김우석 컴백 [종합] ['Kitsch' Ive, even though it was a pre-released song, it won 1st place on 'Music Core'... Apink x BamBam x Kim Woo-seok's comeback [Comprehensive]] (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023 – via Naver.
^Jung Seung-min (April 9, 2023). 새 MC 김지은-형원 특별무대→아이브, 음방 없이 1위(인기가요) [New MC Kim Ji-eun and Hyung-won special stage → Ive, 1st place without music room (Inkigayo)]. MHN Sports (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 9, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2023 – via Naver.
