KATSEYE EP WILD Features Charli XCX Sucker Outtake

KATSEYE dropped their new EP WILD today on HYBE/Geffen Records, and the tracklist alone is enough to make people pay attention. The six-member group, currently operating as four after Manon Bannerman and Sophia Laforteza stepped back on hiatus, is leaning into the music and not letting the lineup shift slow their momentum.

The headline grab on WILD is a cover of "Bel Air," a song Charli XCX wrote for her 2014 album Sucker that never made the final cut. The original was co-written by Charli and Noonie Bao and produced by Jarrad Rogers in December 2013. It circulated online in multiple forms over the years, including a later rework with John Hill and the late SOPHIE. The version KATSEYE recorded credits Charli, Noonie Bao, and Jarrad Rogers alongside a team of co-writers: Stefan Gräslund, Patrik Berger, Martin Stilling, and Kristin Carpenter.

What KATSEYE Did With the Charli XCX Original

KATSEYE's "Bel Air" is a cleaner, more polished take on the material. It works as a lovelorn pop song, but it trades the rawness of the leaked Charli version for something more radio-friendly. The biggest departure is in the lyrics. KATSEYE dropped a particularly striking verse from the original, where Charli sang about driving up to Bel Air and drowning in a pool. It was one of the more emotionally violent moments in a song full of them, and its absence changes the tone considerably.

That is not a knock on KATSEYE's version so much as a note on what gets lost in the translation from scrapped demo to group pop record. Charli's original had a messiness to it that felt intentional, winded in a way that matched the emotional content. KATSEYE's version is a different song in spirit, even if the bones are largely the same.

For Charli XCX fans, this is a genuinely interesting moment. "Bel Air" has been a cult favorite among deep listeners for years, and hearing it produced and released in any official capacity adds a new layer to its history.

What Else Is on WILD and Why It Matters

The Charli XCX cover gets the most attention, but the EP also includes an Ed Sheeran co-write, which signals the kind of industry reach KATSEYE's team is working with. HYBE and Geffen Records are not cutting corners on the songwriting side, and pairing that with a recovered piece of pop history like "Bel Air" shows a deliberate strategy: position KATSEYE as a group with taste and connections, not just choreography.

KATSEYE also appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon earlier this week, where they talked through their dance process and performed "Animal." The timing of the Fallon appearance and the EP drop in the same week points to a coordinated rollout, and the group is clearly being supported with real promotional infrastructure despite the internal lineup changes.

For anyone tracking K-pop adjacent groups making moves in the Western pop market, KATSEYE is one of the more interesting cases right now. They came out of the HYBE America and Geffen co-signed survival show Dream Academy, and their catalog has been building steadily since their 2024 debut. The hiatus of two members could have derailed the moment, but the decision to push forward with WILD keeps the conversation going.

What This Means for Artists Watching From the Outside

The WILD rollout is a useful case study in how a group manages a difficult transition without losing the thread. Lineup changes can stall momentum fast, but KATSEYE dropped new music, booked a major late-night spot, and tied their release to two of the most talked-about names in pop right now. That is deliberate positioning.

For independent artists and creators, the deeper lesson here is in the songwriting credits. Recovering unreleased material, finding songs with cultural history attached to them, and bringing them into a new context is a legitimate creative and marketing strategy. The song already had an audience. KATSEYE gave it a new one.

WILD is out now on all platforms via HYBE/Geffen Records. If you want to stay on top of drops, collabs, and releases worth following, [check the aux](/pass-the-aux) for what we're putting on rotation.