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A literal step back: new K-pop group GOT the beat’s debut song Step Back draws fan backlash for its lyrics about ‘silly girls’

  • Seven-member supergroup’s debut causes controversy, with the lyrics to their song Step Back seen by fans as a setback for women’s representation in pop music
  • References to ‘silly girls’ grate especially with fans. One South Korean music critic suggests the lyrics be rewritten before the song is released for streaming

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GOT the beat, a new K-pop supergroup, debuted on January 1 with a song called Step Back. Its lyrics prompted a fan backlash. Photo: SM Entertainment
Tamar Herman

On January 1 a new K-pop group, GOT the beat, debuted with the song Step Back, and some people feel it is a bit of a step back musically.

A seven-member project group launched by Korean pop music label SM Entertainment, and reportedly the first of several groups planned under the GOT umbrella – GOT being an acronym for Girls On Top – GOT the beat features solo singer BoA and members of Girls’ Generation, Red Velvet and Aespa.

The seven women are considered not only popular K-pop stars, but icons each in their own way.

GOT the beat performed for the first time during a label-wide SM Entertainment New Year’s Day concert, unveiling Step Back. A video of the performance was later shared online.

Many fans have expressed excitement at seeing so many top-tier SM Entertainment stars come together in a group, but the lyrics of Step Back caused some consternation online, as fans felt they mark a literal step back in the way women are presented in pop music.

The song is ostensibly a narrative of a woman telling another to back off from a man she’s interested in, and seems stereotypical and anti-feminist despite the seemingly empowering nature of the group’s title.

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