"Animal" is a song by girl group Katseye. It was released on July 24, 2026 by Hybe UMG and Geffen Records as the second single from their third EP Wild (2026). It was produced by Omer Fedi and Blake Slatkin, both of whom wrote the song with Ed Sheeran and Johnny McDaid. It reached number one in Australia and the top ten in Singapore, Flanders, New Zealand, the Philippines, and on the Billboard Global 200.
Background On July 20, 2026, Katseye announced that they would release "Animal", the second single for their third EP, Wild, on July 24. The announcement was accompanied by a teaser depicting the members wearing suits in an office building, with the word "freaky" written on member Megan Skiendiel's red nails. They hosted an official countdown event on YouTube, just moments shortly before its premiere.
On July 28, Ed Sheeran revealed that he first reached out to Katseye after listening to "Gnarly" during the previous year, noting that he was a fan and expressed interest on collaborating with the group. He then shared a behind-the-scenes clip on social media showing the song's creation process. Skiendiel also mentioned that they first heard about the song when they met Sheeran at the 2025 NRJ Music Awards, stating they were "fully in" and describing the experience of working together as "so great and we couldn't be happier with how it turned out."
Composition The song has been commonly described as a pop song, influenced by "throwback R&B", with a "flirtatious" theme. Lyrically, it explores the contrast between one's professional persona in public, and their uninhibited nature literally behind closed doors. The production also includes plucky acoustic guitars. It runs at a tempo of 150 BPM (beats per minute). It is written in the key of C-Minor with a 4/4 time signature.
Critical reception Euphoria Magazine regarded the song as suitable for "car radio as easily as a festival stage" without compromising the "vocal chemistry" of Katseye and also praised its emotional impact, noting that although the song uses a common theme, the group "sells it through sheer vocal conviction rather than lyrical originality". Larisha Paul of Rolling Stone considered it one of the group's best songs, describing it as "catchy and spirited enough to not come across as predictable", and attributed the song's quality to Ed Sheeran's songwriting. Nylon named "Animal" one of the best songs released that week, with Jillian Giandurco writing that the track "feels like a return to form for Katseye: no gimmicks, no rage bait, just a straightforward, solid pop song." Alex Harris of Neon Music called it "their strongest pop single yet", drawing comparisons to "Toxic" by Britney Spears and their previous single "Gabriela".
Music video The music video was released alongside the song. It was directed by Cody Critcheloe, who had previously worked with the group on music videos for notable hits such as "Touch", "Gnarly" and "Iconic by Mistake". The plot begins with Katseye performing before a conference room of male business executives, who are played by the members, and are initially unimpressed with their performance. After witnessing their headshots being torn apart, the group frantically searches a packed closet for the perfect outfit in a chaotic sequence, possibly in fear of rejection. Actress Demi Moore then observes them, rejects their choices and offers her own fashion advice. She tells them to "get Wild", after which the Katseye members' suits quickly transform into sparkly outfits and start dancing once more, this time to success.
Usage in media "Animal" was used in promotional material for the 2026 Marvel Studios film, Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Credits and personnel Credits are adapted from Apple Music.
Katseye – vocals Omer Fedi – songwriter, guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, background vocals, drum programming, producer, engineer Blake Slatkin – songwriter, keyboards, drum programming, background vocals, producer, engineer Ed Sheeran – songwriter, guitar, background vocals Johnny McDaid – songwriter Aaron Steele – drums Nick Lobel – engineer Bryce Bordone – engineer Serban Ghenea – mixing engineer Bart Schoudel – vocal producer, engineer Chris Gehringer – mastering engineer Will Quinnell – assistant mastering engineer Robby De Sá – vocal recording engineer John Hanes – immersive mixing engineer, immersive mastering engineer Yang Ga – immersive mixing engineer
Charts
Weekly charts + Chart (2026) Peakposition Australia (ARIA) 1 Bulgaria Airplay (PROPHON) 8 Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard) 13 Canada Hot AC (Billboard) 40 Croatia International Airplay (Top lista) 1 France (SNEP) 107 Global Dance Radio (Billboard/WARM) 71 Greece International (IFPI) 14 Hong Kong (Billboard) 15 Hungary (Editors' Choice Top 40) 13 Israel (Mako Hitlist) 76 Italy Airplay (EarOne) 11 Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard Japan) 12 Latin America Anglo Airplay (Monitor Latino) 9 Latvia Airplay (LaIPA) 5 Lithuania (AGATA) 27 Malaysia (IFPI) [Select 2026 Week 32] 11 Malaysia International (RIM) 6 Malta Airplay (Radiomonitor) 17 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) 10 Nigeria (TurnTable Top 100) 61 North Macedonia Airplay (Radiomonitor) 2 Norway (IFPI Norge) 34 Panama Streaming () 111 Philippines (IFPI) [Select 2026 Week 32] 12 Portugal (AFP) 37 Romania (Billboard) 22 San Marino Airplay (SMRTV Top 50) 11 Serbia Airplay (Radiomonitor) 6 Singapore (RIAS) 2 Slovenia Airplay (Radiomonitor) 17 South Africa Airplay (TOSAC) 1 South Korea Download (Circle) 63 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) 19 Taiwan (Billboard) 15 United Arab Emirates (IFPI) 13
Monthly charts + Chart (2026) Peakposition Belarus Airplay (TopHit) 34 CIS Airplay (TopHit) 5 Estonia Airplay (TopHit) 5 Latvia Airplay (TopHit) 57 Lithuania Airplay (TopHit) 2 Moldova Airplay (TopHit) 29 Panama Streaming (PRODUCE) 160 Romania Airplay (TopHit) 15 Russia Airplay (TopHit) 12 Ukraine Airplay (TopHit) 76
Release history + Region Date Format Label Various July 24, 2026 United States July 28, 2026 Contemporary hit radio Italy August 7, 2026 Radio airplay EMI
References