KATSEYE opens new SNL season with flair, from new-song performances to comedy sketches

Girl group KATSEYE appeared on NBC's 〈Saturday Night Live (SNL)〉, a program that regularly features U.S. stars, for the first episode of its new season, performing new songs and taking on comedy roles.

KATSEYE appeared as the musical guest on the first episode of 〈SNL's〉 52nd season, which aired on Sept. 27 Korea time. It marked the group's first appearance on the program since debuting. The members performed ‘Animal,’ a pre-release track from their third EP, ‘WILD,’ and the title track ‘Hootie Frutti,’ while also taking part in a comedy sketch. During ‘Animal,’ the members removed their black jackets midway through the performance to reveal outfits trimmed with feathers and jeweled details. Under red lighting, they captured the song's provocative mood with bold facial expressions. For ‘Hootie Frutti,’ they performed on a set resembling a tropical fruit juice shop, adding gestures that made it look as if they were picking and eating fruit.

In the comedy segment, they appeared in ‘Dream Academy: Season 2,’ a parody of 〈The Debut: Dream Academy〉, the audition program that created the group. The premise cast the members, who had once been contestants, as judges selecting members for a new girl group. They played judges who earnestly encouraged the clumsy and eccentric contestants during their performances.

KATSEYE is nominated in four categories at the ‘2026 MTV Video Music Awards,’ held on Sept. 27 local time: ‘Best Group,’ ‘Song of Summer,’ ‘Best K-Pop’ and ‘Best Choreography.’ The group will also take part in the U.S. music festival ‘2026 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour’ at the end of the year. Olivia Rodrigo, the Jonas Brothers, Hilary Duff, Alex Warren and Charlie Puth are among this year's lineup. KATSEYE will take the stage in Dallas-Fort Worth on Dec. 1 for the opening show.