Meet KATSEYE, The Newest Global Girl Group Taking the World by Storm

Many legendary girl groups have stepped into the limelight and have gifted the world with songs that would be labeled as “iconic” today. From ‘90s girl groups Spice Girls, who gave us the timeless dance-pop classic "Wannabe,” and Destiny’s Child, who infused R&B into girl group music with tracks like “Say My Name” and “Lose My Breath,” to the 2010s vocal powerhouses Little Mix and Fifth Harmony, girl groups have significantly shaped pop culture and music and have consistently pushed boundaries and set trends.

In Asia, K-Pop has been one of the driving forces for Asian girl groups to emerge on the global scene. Take, for example, Girls’ Generation who shook the world with their bubblegum-pop hit “Gee;” 2NE1, the “I Am the Best” hitmakers who pioneered the girl crush music and concept in K-pop; or the recent generations’ BLACKPINK who dominated global charts (and even the fashion industry) with their bold and fierce music; and TWICE who charmed the world with their diverse discography and intense choreographies.

Now, what happens when we mix Western musical influences and K-Pop's clean-cut performances?

Enter KATSEYE, the newest girl group that’s all the rage right now. Formed under the collaboration of HYBE, the K-Pop agency that birthed mega-popular boy group BTS, and American record label Geffen Record, whose artists include pop stars, such as Olivia Rodrigo and Camila Cabello, KATSEYE is pegged to be the next big girl group to take on the global stage.

The Beginning of it All: ‘Dream Academy’

With the goal of “forming an international group based on K-Pop methodology,” HYBE and Geffen Records announced their partnership in 2021 and launched an audition for a global girl group venture. The online and offline auditions saw over 100,000 hopefuls, who came from various parts of America, Europe, and Asia.

Those who passed the auditions then underwent training under the two labels’ supervision, which is patterned after the training system of K-Pop. This training system involves practicing with the help of dance and vocal coaches, among others, and getting graded through evaluations held every month or so.

In 2023, they launched the reality survival show, “The Debut: Dream Academy,” which featured 20 contestants — most of which were recruited from the auditions and have been HYBE and Geffen’s trainees for the past two years. These contestants participated in performance challenges to test their skills and star factor and determine the six members who would take the spot in the girl group. They were also evaluated based on fan voting via fan platform Weverse, along with scores from executives from the HYBE x Geffen collaboration.

Although the show concluded in 2023, Netflix released a docuseries just last August titled, “Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE.” The documentary, which showcased the story of making KATSEYE, how the survival show’s contestant went through rigorous K-Pop training, and introduced trainees who did not make the cut (plus a dash of sizzling drama), earned mixed reactions from netizens and became a hot topic on social media.

Ultimately, six trainees were picked to form KATSEYE in a live finale show in November last year. The group then made their debut in June 2024 with their first single, “Debut.”

Meet The Members

KATSEYE is a six-member group with members Sophia, Manon, Lara, Daniela, Megan, and Yoonchae. Read on to get to know the girls!

Sophia Laforteza

Known throughout the competition as the trainee with well-rounded talents, Sophia, 21, is the group’s leader and one of its lead vocalists. She was the survival show’s first-place winner with the highest number of votes (if you watched her performance in the “Buttons” mission, you’ll get it!) and carries her Filipina pride with her hardworking attitude and vocal prowess. Music also runs in Sophia’s blood, as she is the daughter of Filipina TV and musical actress Carla Guevara Laforteza.

Manon Bannerman

Manon, 22, who finished the show in sixth place, was born in Switzerland and has Swiss, Italian, and Ghanaian ethnicity. Prior to joining KATSEYE, she worked as a model and was popular on social media because of her star quality, which can be attributed to her angelic visuals. Fun fact: aside from singing and dancing, she also has a talent for painting and songwriting!

Lara Rajagopalan

With unique vocals and confidence like no other, Lara, 18, made it into KATSEYE after finishing in second place. Born in 2005, Lara is an American national with an Indian ethnicity. A fashionista, she is also known for her impeccable sense of style. Like Sophia, she also has a family member who is in the music industry — her sister, Rhea Raj, a singer-songwriter based in America.

Daniela Avanzini

Representing the Latinas is Daniela, 20, who has a Venezuelan-Cuban background. She finished the competition in third place through her spectacular dancing skills and stage presence, which captured the hearts of “Dream Academy” audiences. Before KATSEYE, she also joined the 13th season of the American reality dance competition “So You Think You Can Dance?” and earned 10th place.

Megan Skiendiel

Another all-rounder from the group is Megan, 18, who finished the show in fifth place. Although she hails from Honolulu, Hawaii, Megan is of Chinese and Singaporean descent, so she can also speak a bit of Cantonese. She has also worked as a model, participating in runways and magazine shoots, and has also appeared in TV shows, including the Disney TV show “Sydney to the Max.”

Jeong Yoonchae

Yoonchae, 16, is the only Korean member of KATSEYE. She’s the group’s youngest member, but her talents are not to be overlooked! She came in fourth place because of her youthful charm, but also because of her ability to perform fiercer songs! Prior to joining the group, she had also trained in other South Korean entertainment agencies, which honed her talent in the K-pop craft.

Music and Reception

KATSEYE made an explosive debut with the single, “Debut,” a dance-pop track that evokes empowerment and confidence — a perfect song to introduce America’s next big girl group. As of this writing, it has already garnered 6.7 million views on YouTube and over 10 million streams on Spotify, proving their massive popularity even after just a few months since they debuted.

However, their follow-up single, "Touch,” was an even bigger hit. Since its release in July, the track already has over 30 million streams on Spotify and 12 million views on YouTube. It has also become a viral dance challenge on TikTok and entered major music charts in New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, and South Korea.

The group has also released their first extended play, “SIS (Soft Is Strong)," on Aug. 16, which includes “Debut” and “Touch” as well as B-side tracks “My Way,” “I’m Pretty,” and “Tonight I Might.” The album has since peaked at the 119th spot on the US Billboard 200 and 27th place on South Korea’s Circle chart, among others.

The formation of KATSEYE is one that will definitely go down in the history books, not only because it is a collaboration of two major music labels but also because of their artistry that combines the magic of girl group pop music and the charm of K-pop performance, plus the diversity that the group gives. This is just the beginning for KATSEYE; we can’t wait to see how they will dominate the music industry!

Curious about KATSEYE? Follow them on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and TikTok to get to know the girls, or stream their music on YouTube and Spotify.