In the music video for “ICONIC BY MISTAKE,” the members of LE SSERAFIM, ILLIT, and KATSEYE never lose their sense of humor, even under constant scrutiny. They kiss statues in graveyards, playfully pluck out their teeth, and strum guitars while roasting marshmallows before flames that seem ready to swallow an entire field. Behind this world of exaggeration, subversion, and chaos is director Cody Critcheloe. A music video director, photographer, and musician best known for his multimedia project SSION, Critcheloe spoke with us about the world he built for “ICONIC BY MISTAKE” and the aesthetic vision behind it.

You worked with KATSEYE before on "Touch" and "Gnarly," whereas this project is your first time working with LE SSERAFIM and ILLIT. What were your impressions of each of the three groups?
CODY CRITCHELOE: I'm a huge fan of all three groups. Each one brings a completely different energy to the collaboration. ILLIT felt like a natural fit within my aesthetic. They have this subtle, strange, whimsical quality that reminds me of the spirit of many '90s alternative rock music videos and the kinds of visuals I'm naturally drawn to. 

LE SSERAFIM have a fearless, rock-star energy that I also connected with, coming from a more rock-influenced background myself. And KATSEYE has this bold, charismatic confidence that's very POP. They aren't overly precious and individually have amazing senses of humor.

You have built an independent musical universe as SSION. From your perspective as both a musician and a director, how did you interpret the music in "Iconic by Mistake"?
CODY CRITCHELOE: The song itself has a sense of menace and bravado to it. The performances are rooted in confidence, rebellion, and challenging authority, so I wanted the visuals to carry that same energy but ultimately it's about aligning with the feeling of the music. Having spent years as a musician myself and building visual worlds around it, I feel a strong kinship with artists and producers. That's why I always try to honor the true spirit of a song—what it's doing beneath the surface rather than simply illustrating the lyrics.

The lyrics are very direct, so I saw a chance to approach the visuals in a more cryptic and unexpected way, creating a tension between what you're hearing and what you're seeing. That kind of contrast is always exciting to me. “Iconic By Mistake” makes me think of taking a dilemma and turning it into an advantage. There’s an aloofness to it—an irreverence that ultimately feels deeply confident. It suggests a kind of foolproof resilience, where things somehow work in your favor no matter what the world throws at you. The icon status isn’t chased; it happens almost accidentally, which is what makes it feel so powerful.

"Iconic by Mistake" appears to reflect the unique characteristics and narratives of each of the three groups. For instance, ILLIT’s scenes seem to reinterpret the “Sarangee Club” motif introduced in “Cherish.” What were you hoping to convey through these references to each group’s established identity and narrative?
CODY CRITCHELOE: That was part of the concept from the very beginning. I wanted the video to function as a shared universe where each group's identity remained intact, while still contributing to a bigger narrative. The tombstones for LE SSERAFIM, the wisdom teeth reference for ILLIT, and various visual callbacks for KATSEYE were all designed to feel familiar to fans while taking on a new meaning within the larger story. I wanted to reference motifs and ideas that each group had already established, but reinterpret them within the world of “Iconic by Mistake”.

Over the years, you’ve collaborated with artists such as Perfume Genius, Robyn, Yves Tumor, and King Princess, often exploring themes of mythology, belonging, contradiction, and the line between fantasy and reality. More recently, however, your work has increasingly intersected with K-pop through collaborations with KATSEYE, j-hope, and now “ICONIC BY MISTAKE.” How has your past work influenced the way you approach collaborations with K-pop artists?
CODY CRITCHELOE: I love working in K-pop. What I appreciate most is the level of care that goes into building a visual world around the music. There's a real commitment to lore, symbolism, Easter eggs, and a larger creative vision. That's something I naturally gravitate toward in my own work.

I also find it exciting that K-pop operates on such a global scale but never sacrifices taking oddball chances with visuals or music. It's an unexpected fit, but my instincts for surreal storytelling, mythology, contradiction, and world-building seem to translate really well within that ecosystem.

In the music videos you have produced, I often notice a technique of twisting specific myths to project reality. For example, "To Die in LA" mixed the clichés and fantasy of the city LA to paradoxically recreate the essence of the space itself, and "inherit," which you produced as SSION, exhibited glamour at its maximum in order to capture the empty underside of show business. What myths or realities of the entertainment industry did you seek to recreate in this video, and how did you intend to subvert those myths by connecting them to the concept of "mistake"?
CODY CRITCHELOE: The constant presence of officers, surveillance, and scrutiny throughout "Iconic by Mistake" serves as a loose metaphor for the entertainment industry. But the artists are in control throughout the entire video. Even when they're being watched, judged, or analyzed, they're never passive. What gives them power is their attitude. They're playful, aloof, and unfazed by the chaos around them. They're slyly aware they're being dissected, and instead of shrinking under that pressure, they turn it into authority. Every mishap ultimately works in their favor, reinforcing the idea that mistakes, accidents, and imperfections can become part of what makes someone iconic.

In "ICONIC BY MISTAKE," the members are often aware that they are being watched, they still make their own choices. For instance, LE SSERAFIM falls into the pit, ILLIT playfully pull out their teeth, and KATSEYE throws corn to start a fire. These choices are not logical; they sometimes appear radical, even grotesque. I am curious about the atmosphere you aimed to visually recreate through these actions and images that break expectations to induce both humor and discomfort.
CODY CRITCHELOE: One of the biggest priorities was making sure the girls felt like they had agency within the video. That was important to me and all three teams from the start. I wanted the girls in situations that felt exaggerated, strange, and occasionally grotesque, but always with a sense of humor. The key is that it's tongue-in-cheek… They're never victims of the absurdity—they're in control of it and having fun with it. That playfulness keeps the imagery from feeling purely dark or grotesque.

I love bringing irreverence and subversion into my work. Sometimes it's more subtle, but with Iconic by Mistake it felt natural to push things further. I wanted the video to feel dark and ominous, even though many of the ideas could easily be interpreted as pure camp. To create that sense of darkness and unease, it was important for me to develop a visual language that pushed against traditional camp aesthetics.

The aesthetic approach you've described seems to differ from the conventional K-pop visual language, which often focuses on presenting artists in a polished and conventionally beautiful way. What new aesthetic did you hope to explore through this music video, and at the same time, what aspects of K-pop's appeal did you want to preserve?
CODY CRITCHELOE: What I love most about K-pop is the depth of the storytelling—the lore, the symbolism, and the layers that give fans something to interpret and decode.
That's what I wanted to preserve above all else. Visually, I wanted to push against more conventional beauty standards. Each of the girls has her own unique beauty, so I felt confident presenting them in a less polished, more unexpected way. There's a freedom in that. It allows them to feel more playful, more human, and more expressive.

I think it's healthy to challenge beauty conventions. More often, it’s the imperfections—the rough edges, the unexpected moments—that make something feel alive. Hopefully, on some subconscious level, that gives people permission to feel a little more liberated from convention too.

“Iconic by Mistake” is filled with chaos, yet what ultimately emerges from it is a sense of solidarity. The music video opens with ILLIT joining in the song started by LE SSERAFIM and ends with all three groups gathered around a campfire. What do you think the theme of solidarity in “Iconic by Mistake” ultimately represents?
CODY CRITCHELOE: For me, it's captured most clearly in the final campfire scene. After all the chaos, everyone ends up together. It's surprisingly simple, endearing, and a little bit funny. In America we'd jokingly call it a "kumbaya moment." Beneath all the spectacle and absurdity, there's a feeling of connection and shared experience.

After the final campfire scene, the arrival of the police cars suggests that the narrative may be looping back to its beginning. This structure can be read as reflecting the cyclical nature of reality, but it can also be interpreted as suggesting an endless form of resistance—or a joyful sense of solidarity—rooted in the members’ agency throughout the video. What is your take on these two interpretations?
CODY CRITCHELOE: I think both readings are valid. The video operates on a kind of dream logic where there isn't really a beginning or an end. It loops back on itself and becomes this endless collection of moments. Whether that feels like a cycle you're trapped in or a cycle you're actively reshaping is up to the viewer.

Finally, looking back on the project, were there any particular moments or experiences that remain especially memorable to you?
CODY CRITCHELOE: Working in Korea is always inspiring and genuinely means a lot to me. What stood out across all three teams was how invested they were in the tone and spirit of the project. Everyone was focused on making the strongest video possible, and there was a real sense of collaboration throughout.

I’d like to give a huge shout-out to the Korean production company AMBIENCE, who I had the pleasure of working with again following our collaboration on “Gnarly.” They always go above and beyond, helping bring incredibly ambitious ideas to life. I've also become really close with Humberto(Humberto Leon, Creative Director of KATSEYE), Joao(João Moraes, Visual Director of KATSEYE) and Jay(Jay Ihn, SVP and Head of Creative Production at HYBE x Geffen Records (HxG)), who I really appreciate and respect. They're also the people who brought me into the K-pop world in the first place.

The dedication of the crews in Korea is incredible, and it's one of the many reasons I love working there so much. I'm really happy with how the “Iconic by Mistake” music video turned out, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity. I believe in the finished product, and I feel like that will translate to the fans and everyone who sees it!