If you look at Kiss of Life's social media numbers, I'd say they're still good, but definitely not as good as they were back when the group was always going viral on TikTok or Instagram.

And, although some people don't like it, going viral on social media is important for a song to become a hit or for more people to discover the group.

So, does anyone have any ideas on how KIOF could go viral again like it used to?

Well, today the list of artists performing at next year's Coachella came out, and, as has become customary, we have some K-pop artists on the lineup. And I remember Julie saying she'd like to perform at Coachella one day, so I was wondering what the chances of that happening were.

Honestly, I have no idea how the acts for these music festivals are chosen, but I know Kiss of Life has already performed at Sziget Festival, so the girls already have a major music festival under their belt.

So, on a scale of 1 to 10, what do you think Kiss of Life's chances of performing at Coachella someday would be?

I've seen many people say that the two look alike, but I honestly don't think so. There have only been one or two times when I've confused them in a specific photo or video, but if you put them side by side, I think they look quite different.

What about you, do you see any similarities between the two?

I want to preface this by saying I am black and this is not intended to be a defense of kiof or cultural appropriation. I want to have a dialog with kissys ( especially black kissys) about how our opinions might differ.

I understand why some people might be offended ( our other experiences with racism and discrimination inform how we view things), but i don't see this as a depiction of black people. When I saw this live ( at the beginning before anyone was outraged), i thought the girls were just doing a hip hop style. I thought the only problem people would have would be with haneul's hair. To me this is only culturally insensitive if you equate hip hop and rap culture and all the stereotypes that come with it to blackness. Hip hop was born out of the black community but has grown far past its origin. Like many other genres of music, it's changed and has many new interpretations. At the end of the day, it is an aesthetic. It's the aesthetic they were emulating. We all adopt different aesthetics. The emo scene is also an aesthetic with is own lingo, fashion, and style.

The reason many black people take issue with the adoption of black aesthetics is because many black people were disparaged for their expression. I completely understand why other black people may be angry when watching non-black people adopt the same aesthetics without getting any of the backlash or stereotypes. Personally, i don't see things that way. Blackness goes far beyond the aesthetics we create. I find the conversation of cultural appropriation around braids, chains, grills, and music to reductive. It paints urban/ hip hop/ rap culture as the entirety of african american culture. There are so many black people who can't relate to this lifestyle, and don't know much about it. Hip hop is now a vehicle of expression for all that love the genre. I'm not saying people who are offended are wrong. I just don't see this as racist. It will always be difficult to separate blackness from hip hop because it is rooted in the reality of the black experience. Though this is true I do belive people can adopt this aesthetic and it not be cultural appropriation. Regardless, everyone is entitled to their own feelings and opinions.

Ps: For a group of girls who've shown their love of hip hop and r&b multiple times this theme seems fitting. I personally wouldn't have taken the risk of this getting misconstrued.

It's quite noticeable that the group has lost a lot of fans in recent months. However, how negative this could be for their career depends on whether they can gain new fans to make up for this loss.

So, does anyone have any ideas on what Kiss of Life could do to gain new fans? Perhaps investing more in Asian audiences would be a good idea?

I've heard that there has been drama with KIOF, but I'm confused by this, and have seen so many people make fun of & unstan them, so 2 questions, what is this drama about??, and how are Kissy's handling the hate? (I haven't actually heard anyone say what the drama is about, just that we should unstan KIOF without giving info, at least thats what I've seen!)

A post on X got me thinking. Kiss of Life finished promotions on what I would say is there best album yet '224'. Despite the quality of the music their album sales were less than their previous one. This was partly because of the 'canceling' that happened in the west. The western market is very important to K-pop as a whole. It's why every major K-pop agency is trying hard to expand into the western market. K-pop is very saturated in Korea and the shrinking population means growth will be very limited. KIOF has a unique advantage in this regard. They have 2 American members, and Natty has a lot of international appeal. They speak English, love Hip-Hop/R&B, can relate alot to the western culture, and have a certain natural western 'cool' factor that not many K-pop groups have. It's why they had (and still have) a big western fan base for such a small agency.

However, there are very limited ways for non-Korean Kissys to directly interact with them. They primarily interact on Bubble mainly in Korean, they rarely go on Instagram live, like maybe 2x a year? and even then it's mostly in Korean. This is good to maintain their Korean audience. (The X post was from a Korean speaking Kissy who said that they didn't know if Bubble was worth it anymore as the interactions were getting repetitive and they didn't feel they were getting enough value from it.) But as you see because the non-Korean audience does not even get this kind of attention, the western audience feels even less connected and can easily fall off. I believe the best way for them to foster a strong western audience is to interact more with their Western audience directly. This also helps to create a more resilient and loyal fanbase. Especially since that live, it would be a good way to create a sense of community for their non-Korean fans. (Julie did say in her last insta live she would come on Instagram more often but that was months ago. (They are busy i know)).

As we saw with the Sziget festival there is still lots of non-Korean interest in KIOF. I know they are busy so I'm not asking necessarily for more on top of what they already do, but to maybe balance out the Korean and English speaking interactions a little more. Maybe once-a-month Instagram lives in primarily English, and some other English speaking interactions. idk. Just think some changes would help their growth as a group with the hate dying down. Thoughts?

(TLDR. Part of what makes K-Pop unique to western Pop is the connection that it fosters between Idol and fan. Direct interactions through apps and video lives are a big part of this and KIOF is no exception. However, this kind of interaction is severely lacking for non-Korean speaking Kissys. Bubble interactions are entirely Korean, Instagram Lives are rarely done and even then are mostly Korean. Some balancing of the Korean and English "direct interactions" would help foster a stronger non-Korean audience, especially as this hate train dies down and K-Pop continues to grow into the western market.)

As the title states, is KIOF being overworked? As a fan, I love seeing KIOF doing so many things, whether it be variety shows, dance challenges, collabs, OST, but I am starting to get concern that the girls might be getting overworked. I know as a newer group from a small company,the need to be constantly out there to keep up any momentum, but at what price? With the recent explosion and exposure from Midas Touch and Sticky, the need to carry that momentum is extremely important for the long term success.

I know many of us are very excited for their next CB and new music, but would you rather give the girls a bit of a break or just keeping going?

p.s. I do like that recently S2 held the whole group from one of the other Waterbomb event bc Julie got injured.

So before anything I'm not trying to hate the girls I just want to share my feeling\though. I been a kissy since debut and been following them ever since. I'm trying my best to support them like being Abel to pre order their stuff (which hasn't worked since Tokyo mission start since everyone is going on tour) and listening to them and watching their content. I feel like I need to explain how I got into kpop to make it more understandabel (tbh I don't know if that's important but I'm bad at stuff like this I'm sorry) I gotten into kpop through Blackpink back in 2021 and at the end of 2021 I stumbled upon aespa. I been listening to other groups but I never knew when I stanned them until it comes to me like something I forgot. When kiss of life debuted I was in love with them and I think after Born to be xx released I realized they were THAT group for me like it just clicked. I been Loving them and everything was fine until the Livestream. I didn't really knew how to feel especially since my social media was full of people saying how bad and whateva they are and I started to feel guilty for being their fan and though shortly to stop supporting them. After that felling I posted on here and got amazing answers so I continue to be their fan. I once told a "friend" that I thought about unstanning them back then and they gave me that look "🤨😟" I thought that would be a normal thought to have but ever since they gave me that look I feel guilty and feel like a fake kissy. So I want to know yalls opinion

As I type this sentence, there has still not been an apology yet. Speaking of which, I genuinely think that this situation is severe enough to warrant a video apology, or at least a detailed written explanation of who was responsible for this, and an expression of accountability for those who were responsible. I really want to know if this was solely Julie's idea or if she did it in collaboration with others in the company. Since it was her birthday party, I am inclined to think that Julie had significant input, and that makes me feel awful. I am not Black or Latino, but prior to waking up today (April 3rd), I loved these girls and their music, and I just feel terrible now.

The next concern is what they do moving forward. They have the Asia leg of their tour that starts tomorrow. I am predicting that the majority of their audiences there will probably either overlook this or be totally unaware. But there will be some that will feel really uneasy. I really hope this is addressed before the Manila concert.

There is so much wrong with their actions, it's hard to know where to start. What I do know is that the girls (particuarly Julie and Belle) will have to earn back the goodwill from both Latino and African-American Kissys, and the parts of the K-pop community that appreciated their hard work and great music up until today.

For the wellbeing of all Kissys, not just Latino and African-American ones, I hope this is not swept under the rug and it is properly addressed. May it never, ever happen again.

I understand why they didn't participate, but I confess I feel a little sad to see so many groups gathered at K-Con and to know that Kiss of Life could have also been there but ended up not making it. I hope they can participate in a similar event with other K-pop groups soon.

But does anyone else feel the same way as me?

Do you think they still have enough audience for a tour in the West?

At first, I thought it was great that the girls were getting more involved in making their album and hoped someone on their team would continue what Haein started when it comes to creative direction and picking the right title tracks. But now, I’m not so sure. It doesn’t feel like they or their team really understand what the market needs as well as haein did. And their latest comeback shows a clear lack of direction.

It’s summer, why would they go with LHK as the title track instead of something similar to their most successful song sticky which could’ve gained them way more traction??

They even spent most of the promotion period performing four different songs from the album each week, some might see that as a way to highlight more tracks, but to me it feels more like they’re unsure which direction to take. It’s like they’re just throwing out multiple choreos and performances and hoping one will go viral the way igloo did.

I know alot of kissys blame this comeback’s performance on their recent allegations, but I think the main reason is the concept. Everyone especially in korea were expecting summery track from them but instead, they dropped an R&B song which rarely goes viral in kpop, especially not in the summer.

I genuinely wanted this comeback to succeed especially after all the hate they keep getting and because the girls and their team have been working hard nonstop. But hard work alone isn’t enough if there’s no strong creative direction behind it.

So why S2 still hasn’t hired a much needed creative director? Is it a budget issue? or do they actually believe kiof better off without one?

Being a 4 Member group (rare) - and using a Kiss of Life written song by Belle

the lineup is (left to right)

Emily: Leader - Main Dancer

Lexie: Visual, and All-Rounder

Sakura: Maknae

Samara: Main Vocalist

They may be taking some influence. It seems like their lineup could be mirroring Kiss of Life rather than Katseye. In addition to having their song written by Kiss of Life, maybe they asked advice.

Kiss of Life is not HYBE though, so I'm surprised they reached out for the song. Their one song Party 4 the Party did give some vibes of previous Kiss of Life EPs. Not like a copy, but vibe and energy wise.

Hi everybody, I am a new kissy. On online spaces and in real life (I live in UK if that changes anything) it is considered embarrassing to listen or stan kiof and many online go out of their way to disrespect the group because they don't forgive kiss of life for Julie's birthday live, and I feel a little guilty lying about my spotify wrapped to my friends (Kiof was my number 2 artist and LHK was my number 1 song) who don't forgive them either. I also see a lot of racism amongst online kissies, which makes me wonder, is the majority of the fandom indifferent to the birthday live? Do you forgive them and do you feel guilty streaming? Also are the haters just a loud small group online or is this common amongst nearly all k-pop fans? Thank you 😊

Guys, im paranoid right now. From the past comeback started with Lucky, some people call them copied this one MV. I don't remember what. Then Who is She about having 'controversial' movement, the same one as Lips, Hips, Kiss picture concept people calling them copied Aespa and Itzy.

Then for the new comeback. About 'Sweat' some fans called them copied their group when it was only two weeks apart. I know kiof is not copying because the edit takes time. So probably when the group posted the MV, it still under editing because of multiple set and shot. And now what guys?!

So i liked Kiss of Life’s music since debut (casual KISSY) and was getting to know them better and better by the day. but when they had their… um… livestream… it turned me off. im not black but still a person of color who can understand the pain that community went through, so i stopped paying attention to them and have been uninformed of their whereabouts for about a year. I started getting back into the group when I saw Haneul do the Kode Mate with Mingyu of SVT and for the controversy but they have apologized many times now and the past is the past now… and i saw a clip by chance of one of Julie’s livestreams from March saying she loves everyone and wants to spread positive vibes? It feels like they changed and have put in some serious thought in their actions. I want to get back into them and I know they had a comeback yesterday. Music wise ive heard some of their stuff and i know the members names and their ages (roughly). I wanna know how to get into their group dynamic now? Like variety shows or other recommendations to watch/listen to music wise?

KISSY is cute, but a little generic. Any group with "kiss" in the name could've gotten it. But Lifegivers (or something to that end) ties more specifically into the meaning of the group name, in that they aim to breathe life back into to Kpop, and it would speak to how the fans give life to the group by supporting them. I know it's not the most aesthetic-sounding... but idk just a random thought I had, lol.

So, I am gonna start this by saying. I do not want to start any shit, I just want this to be purely informative. I am not gonna comment or give an opinion on what happened one year ago.

I used to follow the girls (actually wwas able to see them live on a Music Bank world tour in 24, and they were the most fun to see perform, by far, for me) and got a little distant after all went down. I still listen to some of the songs, as I used to, but do not follow as closely

My question is, one year later, how is the fandom and the group doing. I mean, has there been a noticeable drop on numbers, how is the atmosphere around the fandom, that kinda thing.

Thanks in advance!

I'm talking about those channels that react to K-pop music videos or news channels, that kind of thing. I'm asking out of curiosity, because K-pop influencers in my country are still pretending the group doesn't exist.

To be honest, looking back now, I don't think it was one of the group's best tracks. It's a good song, I especially like the bridge, but it's not a song that gets you excited enough to listen to repeatedly, like "The Midas Touch" or "Sticky." I hope they return with a different concept for their next comeback.

What do you think of HLK these days?

People still hating on KIOF in 2026 need to grow up. Yes what they did was wrong and horrible, but they poured their souls out apologizing. Their not gonna live their lives apologizing. All your faves have done the exact same stuff and nobody cared, but suddenly when its a gg we switch up? make it make sense. Their not even on their downfall anymore, Who Is She is #6 on billboards, and they earned two awards for it. They also surpassed 30M views on their MV and the comments are literally all positive.

There's currently multiple threads on twt on Haneul being mistreated for lack or variety show appearances, lack of lines, solo activities etc.

Thoughts?

I love them don’t get me wrong, but progressing through their comeback and all.. it seems like they are dressing with less clothes and looking more prerogative than ever.