LE SSERAFIM, ILLIT & KATSEYE, ICONIC BY MISTAKE | Song Review

Girl groups LE SSERAFIM, ILLIT, and KATSEYE collaborate, creating a truly iconic pop bop on “ICONIC BY MISTAKE.”

Woo! LE SSERAFIM, ILLIT, and KATSEYE all on the same track?! OMG! Now that’s a superstar girl-group collaboration! “ICONIC BY MISTAKE” is nothing short of iconic with all of the talent that collaborates between the three groups. The pop record was written by Sean Cook, dyvahh, Alice Longyu Gao, Kiddo A.I., Madison Love, ALYX MENDOZA, Brandon Colbein, McKay Stevens, and Justin Tranter. That’s a lot of writers! Cook, Stevens, and dyvahh produced it.

“ICONIC BY MISTAKE” begins with a noisy, electronic sound effect. The tone is set, given the menacing, unsettling vibe. Soon enough, a hard-nosed, aggressive beat provides a mean anchor. Do you know who else is mean? The gals – in the best way possible! The first section heard on “ICONIC BY MISTAKE” is the chorus.

“Hating me is like all you do, breakfast to dinner

Algorithm bulletproof, b-breaking your fingers

Thank you for the comments, it’s because of all your hate

I-I-I-I-I-I-I am iconic by mistake

I-I-I-I-I-I-I am iconic by mistake.”

Throughout, various combinations of members of LE SSERAFIM, ILLIT, and KATSEYE perform the iconic, unforgettable chorus that is chanted/rapped, not sung. The first verse maintains the fierceness and a chanted/rapped approach.  Kim Chaewon memorably states, “Engrave it on my tombstone / I, I survived the fame, and I barely changed.” D-d-damn! With the verses firmly entrenched in minor, the pre-chorus introduces major chords in contrast with the darker sound.  Also, most of the vocals are pitched here instead of chanted. Sakura sings first during this section, asserting, “Your imagination got me going viral / Life’s a simulation, got me in a spiral.” Like the first verse, the second is also chanted/rapped. Wonhee and Iroha put on a façade: “I just keep on going, too beautiful to be broken.” Moving along to the third verse, we get an f-bomb from Daniela: “I’m just tryna stay me, dance a little crazy / But now I am iconic from how much you fuckin’ hate me.” The end of the verse is intriguing, where Lara asserts, “(Wait) I’m getting kinda spiritual,” and Yoonchae responds, “Been to hell and back, let ‘em judge me, crucible.” Woo! As to be expected with so much firepower courtesy of three outstanding groups, “ICONIC BY MISTAKE” is nothing short of epic. Fame and the music business can be tough, but the ladies are resilient as… you fill in the ellipsis! 

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LE SSERAFIM, ILLIT & KATSEYE » “ICONIC BY MISTAKE” » BELIFT LAB / SOURCE MUSIC / HYBE UMG LLC » 6.12.26 [📷: BELIFT LAB / SOURCE MUSIC / HYBE UMG LLC]

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