"Kitsch" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Ive. It was released as the group's pre-release single for their first studio album, I've Ive, on March 27, 2023, through Starship  Entertainment and Columbia. 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".

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.

Composition 
"Kitsch" is a "bubbly" pop track that combines strong beats, basslines, and various bouncing sounds. The song showcases the group's "unique charm" and reveals their self-confidence and identity, which became stronger with their "dignified appearance." 

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." 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."

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). The song debuted at number one on the Circle Digital Chart.

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. Upon the music video's release on March 27, it topped YouTube's trending page and surpassed 9.21 million views within 23 hours.

Synopsis
The meaning of "kitsch" "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".

Accolades

Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from Melon.
 Ive – vocals
 Gaeul – lyricist
 Rei – lyricist
 Kriz – background vocals, vocal director
 Lee Seu-ran – lyricist, composer
 Hwang Hyun (MonoTree) – lyricist, composer
 Ryan S. Jhun – composer, arranger
 Lise Reppe – composer, arranger
 Audun Agnar Guldbrandsen – composer, arranger
 Kyle Joseph Faulkner – composer
 Tea Carpeter – composer
 Emily Harbakk – composer
 Stally – composer, arranger
 Pateko – composer, arranger
 Minhee Kim – recording engineer 
 Youngeun Yang – recording engineer 
 Kyungwon Lee – digital editing
 Markus Gustafson – mixing
 Namwoo Kwon – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Release history

Notes

See also
 List of Circle Digital Chart number ones of 2023
 List of Show! Music Core Chart winners (2023)
 List of Inkigayo Chart winners (2023)

References

Ive (group) songs
2023 singles
2023 songs
South Korean pop songs
Korean-language songs
Starship Entertainment singles
Columbia Records singles
Songs written by Ryan S. Jhun
Gaon Digital Chart number-one singles