# Do the Dance (빌려온 고양이)
**Do the Dance** (Korean: 빌려온 고양이; romanized Billyeoon Goyangi, literally "a borrowed cat") is a song by the South Korean girl group ILLIT (아일릿), released on June 16, 2025 as the title track of the group's third mini album, bomb, under the label BELIFT LAB[1](https://osen.co.kr/article/G1112575985) • [2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwrZPCKLs2E). Built on a [French house](https://www.edgepedia.org/french-house) beat, the track is framed around the excitement and awkwardness of a first date, and its Korean title takes the name of a Korean idiom that compares a shy, out-of-place person to a borrowed cat[1](https://osen.co.kr/article/G1112575985) • [3](https://kbizoom.com/illit-%EB%B9%8C%EB%A0%A4%EC%98%A8-%EA%B3%A0%EC%96%91%EC%9D%B4-do-the-dance-lyrics-meaning-and-song-credits/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | June 16, 2025; title track of ILLIT's third mini album bomb; label BELIFT LAB[1](https://osen.co.kr/article/G1112575985) • [2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwrZPCKLs2E) |
| Korean title | 빌려온 고양이, "borrowed cat", an idiom for someone shy, awkward, or out of their element in an unfamiliar setting[3](https://kbizoom.com/illit-%EB%B9%8C%EB%A0%A4%EC%98%A8-%EA%B3%A0%EC%96%91%EC%9D%B4-do-the-dance-lyrics-meaning-and-song-credits/) |
| Genre and theme | French house; the flutter and awkwardness of a first date[1](https://osen.co.kr/article/G1112575985) |
| Sample | "Yuga Naru Dasso" (Elegant Escape), an instrumental from the 1989 anime film The Five Star Stories[4](https://kpophit.com/review-do-the-dance-by-illit-kpop-review/) |
| Length | 3:09[5](https://songtell.com/illit/billyeoon-goyangi-do-the-dance) |
| Chart peaks | No. 98 on Billboard Global Excl. U.S. and No. 181 on the Global 200; parent album bomb debuted at No. 171 on the Billboard 200[6](https://www.soompi.com/article/1758455wpp/illits-bomb-debuts-on-billboard-200-following-u-s-release) |
| Music video | Directed by Zac Dov Wiesel, creative director Serian Heu; more than 76 million views on HYBE LABELS' channel[7](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=negtrQu5mTA) |
## Title and meaning
The Korean title comes from the proverb 빌려 온 고양이같이, "like a borrowed cat", which describes someone who is unfamiliar with a situation and so tense that they do not act like themselves[1](https://osen.co.kr/article/G1112575985). According to BELIFT LAB, the song tells the story of a person who makes mistakes on a first date with someone they like and becomes increasingly dazed, like a borrowed cat, but who does not want things to end there and expresses affection by asking, "let's dance together" (Do the Dance)[1](https://osen.co.kr/article/G1112575985). The lyrics center on the racing heart, flushed cheeks, and clumsy missteps of early romance, and the subtitle works as a counterpoint to the title, urging the listener to shed self-consciousness[3](https://kbizoom.com/illit-%EB%B9%8C%EB%A0%A4%EC%98%A8-%EA%B3%A0%EC%96%91%EC%9D%B4-do-the-dance-lyrics-meaning-and-song-credits/). A central line asks, "But why am I so awkward? I become a borrowed cat" (근데 왜 뚝딱대, 빌려온 고양이가 돼)[8](https://lyricstelling.com/lyrics/billyeoon-goyangi-do-the-dance-illit/).
The two-language title carries a deliberate contrast. Commentators have noted that the [Korean name](https://www.edgepedia.org/korean-name) evokes quiet, frozen shyness while the English subtitle, "Do the Dance", is playful and expressive, reflecting the two sides of the narrator's feelings[9](https://www.hallyukstar.com/2025/06/17/illit-do-the-dance-meaning-korean-idiom/). The song also uses cat-themed onomatopoeic lyrics such as "꿍실냐옹" and "둠칫냐옹", and a post-chorus of "Do"s and "Da"s that mimics the nervous stuttering of young lovers[10](https://music.bugs.co.kr/album/4121023?wl_ref=list_tr_07_ar) • [11](https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/illit-bomb-ep-review-3870065).
## Music and production
The song is based on the French house genre, a choice BELIFT LAB described as carrying the excitement and freshness of a first date[1](https://osen.co.kr/article/G1112575985). Its instrumental samples "Yuga Naru Dasso" (Elegant Escape), an instrumental piece from the 1989 anime film [The Five Star Stories](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-five-star-stories), blended with modern house beats[4](https://kpophit.com/review-do-the-dance-by-illit-kpop-review/). The critic Puah Ziwei of NME described the result as a revved-up, foot-stomping eurodisco beat and called the track ILLIT at their energetic best[11](https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/illit-bomb-ep-review-3870065).
Production and songwriting credits include the producers "hitman" Bang and FRANTS, with lyrics by a team that includes ILLIT's own Yunah and HUH YUNJIN[3](https://kbizoom.com/illit-%EB%B9%8C%EB%A0%A4%EC%98%A8-%EA%B3%A0%EC%96%91%EC%9D%B4-do-the-dance-lyrics-meaning-and-song-credits/) • [8](https://lyricstelling.com/lyrics/billyeoon-goyangi-do-the-dance-illit/). The track runs 3:09[5](https://songtell.com/illit/billyeoon-goyangi-do-the-dance). A Snail's House remix was released on June 27, 2025 on the digital EP 빌려온 고양이 (Do the Dance) (Remixes)[12](https://artiscore.co.kr/songs/61604).
## Music video and performance
The official music video, released on HYBE LABELS' YouTube channel on June 16, 2025, was directed by Zac Dov Wiesel with Serian Heu as creative director[7](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=negtrQu5mTA). It follows the five members, Yunah, Minju, Moka, Wonhee, and Iroha, from a small village to a large city with an amusement park, on a rollercoaster-like journey toward a boy they have fallen for at first sight[10](https://music.bugs.co.kr/album/4121023?wl_ref=list_tr_07_ar). The choreography includes cat-themed highlight sections, a "cat stretch dance" and a "nyang-nyang dance", built around the group's signature hand-point choreography designed for short-form video[10](https://music.bugs.co.kr/album/4121023?wl_ref=list_tr_07_ar). The video passed 76 million views on the HYBE LABELS channel[7](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=negtrQu5mTA).
## Commercial performance
Following the album's U.S. release, bomb debuted at No. 171 on the Billboard 200, ILLIT's third entry on that chart, and at No. 2 on the World Albums chart[6](https://www.soompi.com/article/1758455wpp/illits-bomb-debuts-on-billboard-200-following-u-s-release). In its second week on Billboard's global song charts, "Do the Dance" ranked No. 98 on Global Excl. U.S. and No. 181 on the Global 200[6](https://www.soompi.com/article/1758455wpp/illits-bomb-debuts-on-billboard-200-following-u-s-release). On Billboard Korea's Global K-Songs chart the song entered on December 3, 2025, peaked at No. 54, and charted for 22 weeks[13](https://www.billboard.co.kr/charts/artists/1317/?src=billboard-korea-global-k-songs). On Spotify it had accumulated 191,873,971 streams as of October 16, 2026[14](https://www.kworb.net/spotify/artist/36cgvBn0aadzOijnjjwqMN_songs.html).
## Reception
Reviews were mixed to positive, with praise concentrated on the production. The Bias List rated the song 8.25 (grade B), crediting its energetic French house beat and robust, string-accented instrumental while criticizing the muted hooks and the absence of a climax or development[15](https://thebiaslist.com/2025/06/16/song-review-illit-do-the-dance/). NME highlighted the song's "magical, girlish energy" and its stuttering post-chorus[11](https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/illit-bomb-ep-review-3870065). The Korean review site IZM noted the French house rhythm, a chorus resembling the group's earlier "Tick-tack", and the Japanese animation score quotation, alongside vocals that sit more comfortably in a lower range than the group's earlier work[16](https://www.izm.co.kr/posts?id=33456).
## References
1. [아일릿, 또 빠져드는 중독성..'빌려온 고양이 (Do the Dance)', OSEN](https://osen.co.kr/article/G1112575985)
2. [빌려온 고양이 (Do the Dance), official audio, YouTube (BELIFT LAB)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwrZPCKLs2E)
3. [ILLIT – 빌려온 고양이 (Do the Dance) Lyrics, Meaning and Song Credits, KbizoOm](https://kbizoom.com/illit-%EB%B9%8C%EB%A0%A4%EC%98%A8-%EA%B3%A0%EC%96%91%EC%9D%B4-do-the-dance-lyrics-meaning-and-song-credits/)
4. [[Review] "Do The Dance" by ILLIT – Kpop Review, KPOP HIT](https://kpophit.com/review-do-the-dance-by-illit-kpop-review/)
5. [Billyeoon Goyangi (Do the Dance) by ILLIT, Songtell](https://songtell.com/illit/billyeoon-goyangi-do-the-dance)
6. [ILLIT's "bomb" Debuts On Billboard 200 Following U.S. Release, Soompi](https://www.soompi.com/article/1758455wpp/illits-bomb-debuts-on-billboard-200-following-u-s-release)
7. [ILLIT (아일릿) '빌려온 고양이 (Do the Dance)' Official MV, HYBE LABELS, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=negtrQu5mTA)
8. [Billyeoon Goyangi (Do the Dance) Lyrics: ILLIT (2025), LyricsTelling](https://lyricstelling.com/lyrics/billyeoon-goyangi-do-the-dance-illit/)
9. [ILLIT กับข้อความที่ซ่อนใน "Do The Dance", Hallyu K Star](https://www.hallyukstar.com/2025/06/17/illit-do-the-dance-meaning-korean-idiom/)
10. [bomb/아일릿(ILLIT) 앨범 소개, Bugs!](https://music.bugs.co.kr/album/4121023?wl_ref=list_tr_07_ar)
11. [ILLIT – 'Bomb' EP review, NME](https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/illit-bomb-ep-review-3870065)
12. [빌려온 고양이 (Do the Dance) (Snail's House Remix), ARTISCORE](https://artiscore.co.kr/songs/61604)
13. [ILLIT(아일릿) chart history, Billboard Korea Global K-Songs](https://www.billboard.co.kr/charts/artists/1317/?src=billboard-korea-global-k-songs)
14. [ILLIT - Spotify Top Songs, kworb.net](https://www.kworb.net/spotify/artist/36cgvBn0aadzOijnjjwqMN_songs.html)
15. [Song Review: ILLIT – Do The Dance, The Bias List](https://thebiaslist.com/2025/06/16/song-review-illit-do-the-dance/)
16. [Neo Music Communication IZM, 아일릿 'bomb' 리뷰](https://www.izm.co.kr/posts?id=33456)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Compositions and songs › Asian-pop and non-Western popular songs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license