KiiiKiii Fully Sheds the “IVE’s Sister Group” Label… After Reaching No. 1, They’re Truly “Back on Form” [MD People]

[MyDaily = Reporter Kim Ha-young] KiiiKiii no longer seems to need the label ‘IVE’s little sister group.’ After ‘404 (New Era)’ reached the top of Melon TOP100, ‘Pop Off Pop Off’ has also received an enthusiastic response, firmly establishing the group’s own color.

KiiiKiii released their third EP, ‘WhyKiiiKiii,’ on the 10th. In particular, the response has not been limited to the title track. All six songs on the album—from the opening track ‘Ever2Late!’ and ‘Hey Hi’ to the title track ‘Pop Off Pop Off,’ ‘SWEET SOUR,’ ‘Candy Pink Magic Hole Flip Phone (What Do I Do),’ and ‘Blue Hour’—entered Melon HOT100.

As of 10 a.m. on the 12th, the title track ‘Pop Off Pop Off’ ranked 27th on Melon TOP100, first on HOT100, second among YouTube Music’s trending videos, first on the Bugs real-time chart, 30th on Spotify Korea’s TOP SONGS daily chart, and 15th on Apple Music TOP 100: South Korea, placing it near the top across major music platforms. In addition, videos featuring the retro shuffle dance from ‘Pop Off Pop Off’ are spreading across TikTok and various social media platforms.

Having brought UK house and garage into the sensibility of 2026 in their previous release, KiiiKiii once again shows through ‘Pop Off Pop Off’ why they are called a group that truly knows what’s in style. This time, they summoned the nostalgia of electropop that dominated the late 2000s and early 2010s. Online reactions have also continued to note that the song evokes the electropop sensibility of an era when Uhm Jung-hwa’s ‘D.I.S.C.O,’ Kesha’s ‘TiK ToK,’ and Katy Perry’s ‘California Gurls’ were making waves.

In the music video for the pre-release track ‘Candy Pink Magic Hole Flip Phone (What Do I Do),’ they also used the Anycall feature phone, a symbol of that era, as a central motif. Rather than simply recreating the late 2000s and early 2010s through clothing or styling, they brought the objects and sensibilities of that period into their content as well.

Regarding their previous release, ‘Delulu Pack,’ some listeners felt that the album’s momentum weakened somewhat in the latter half compared with the strong impact of the title track ‘404 (New Era).’ By contrast, ‘WhyKiiiKiii’ has shown the power to make listeners hear the entire album, with not only the title track but also the B-sides entering the charts simultaneously. It has largely erased the shortcomings pointed out in the previous release.

Rather than simply following trends created by others, KiiiKiii is bringing genres and cultures from the past back in their own way. By convincing the public of their choices one after another, from ‘404 (New Era)’ to ‘Pop Off Pop Off,’ the expression ‘KiiiKiii-like’ is now beginning to suit them better than ‘IVE’s little sister group’ when explaining who KiiiKiii are. That is why their continued growth is so eagerly anticipated.

Reporter Kim Ha-young ([email protected])