K-Pop In 'XO, Kitty' Season 2 And Their Significance 

One of the many reasons XO, Kitty is all the rage is because K-culture fans get to live their Korean fantasies through Kitty Song Covey’s story. This includes, but isn’t limited to, being surrounded by beautiful Korean people, experiencing the culture, and living your life to a K-pop soundtrack. You know I needed something to get into the topic of today’s discussion! Anyway, while a lot of the music on the show is quite random, some of it is very strategically placed specifically with context to the show. Of course, that one Enhypen song is the most obvious choice for this season, almost like it was specifically written to shine in this moment. But, leaving that aside, I thought this would be a great opportunity to inspect something that doesn’t need inspecting and try to put reason to something that’s perfectly wholesome by itself, just because I can. Here’s a spoiler warning for season 2. If you’re a K-pop fan, though, we’d love to hear your thoughts about why you think certain songs were used in XO, Kitty season 2. Also, don’t take this too seriously; it’s just me (a grown-up) trying to stay relevant.

“I AM” By Ive 

The season opens with the song “I AM” by Ive, which, if you couldn’t tell by the title, is, of course, a message for the girlies to be self-empowered. The song talks about fresh starts by opening new doors. Now, we know Kitty’s just come back to KISS, but she needs a kind of awakening and maybe better experiences than her first trip. I think the thing that stands out the most about the show is that Kitty goes from looking for answers about her mom to finding herself. Of course, it is, after all, a coming-of-age story, so this is exactly what you expect from it, but Kitty’s journey is quite engaging, and this powerful song certainly adds to that, especially right at the start of the season, giving you a taste of exactly what’s coming your way. 

“I DO” By G-IDLE 

I could honestly list all the songs from the first episode, but they’re also very straightforward. I’d say “I DO” by G-IDLE is a good description of how Kitty feels about Yuri, but then also about Min-Ho later (even though she won’t admit it). We should’ve seen the signs, eh? Anyway, Kitty’s yearning for Yuri, despite the latter being so in love with Julianna, is super sweet, and obviously, she doesn’t want to be jealous, but it is the inevitable fate of the one that gets left behind, no? 

“Vengeance” By BIBI

If I thought “I AM” was an obvious piece to the puzzle, then “Vengeance” is essentially the whole picture. Of course, the real meaning of this song has nothing to do with the show; everybody knows this is a “Bad B*tch” anthem, so it does make it an obvious choice to hint at who the villain is on the show. It’s like using Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy.” Straightforward and classic. I will admit it adds a layer of “super cool” to the show and makes Stella look like the perfect villain right from the start. Also, who doesn’t love some BIBI, eh? 

“Fearless” by LE SSERAFIM 

I honestly can’t think of a more perfect song for when Kitty, Praveena, and Min-Ho go to find Kitty’s mum’s time capsule. They are on a heist, so of course they’d go with a song called “Fearless.” But also this song is the embodiment of Kitty; it’s young and frilly while simultaneously having a seriously strong message for the younglings (yes, I do love it). Also, one listen and you’re going to be stuck with it for the rest of the year, just like your desperation for Min-Ho and Kitty to get together, no? 

“Drama” By Aespa 

I think this one is the funniest end-credit song on the entire show. Episode 7 ends with Aespa’s “Drama,” which honestly is like if a song could be “fan cast,” if you know what I mean. Yet again, I’m sure the Korean lyrics have nothing to do with the plot of the show, but it’s the perfect song to get played when Stella reveals her true colors to Min-Ho. Of course, this is a moment of a lot of drama, and it’s also when Kitty admits to having fallen for the guy too, so what better than to hear “I bring, I bring…all the dra-ma-ma-ma.” Yes, I know you’re singing it too now. 

“XO (Only If You Say Yes)” by ENHYPEN 

You can’t make a show called XO, Kitty and not play the song “XO” by ENHYPEN. Yes, I know the song came out way after the first season of the show, but come on now, this is a match made in heaven, a one true pairing, like some of us might say Min-Ho and Kitty are? But leaving our preferences for who we want Kitty to end up with aside, let’s talk about this song for a second. It honestly just plays for like half a second at the opening credits of the final episode of the season, and it’s just so perfect it could be a regular on the show, you know? Yeah, I don’t think it actually means anything because the show cuts to Q after the song plays, even though the series is called XO, Kitty. Disrespectful mates, but we do love Q, and we do love to see him talk about Jin, so we’ll forgive it. 

Anyway, this was just an excuse for me to look up some of the K-pop songs I hadn’t heard or some of the ones I really love. I hope you enjoyed this read, and I’d love to know what you thought of this season and which songs were your favorites on the show! 

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