Katseye (pronounced "cat's eye"; stylized in

all caps In typography, text or font in all caps (short for "all capitals") contains capital letters without any lowercase letters. For example: All-caps text can be seen in legal documents, advertisements, newspaper headlines, and the titles on book co ...

) is a

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring two or more women in music, female singers who generally vocal harmony, harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female p ...

based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, California. The group is composed of six members: Manon, Sophia, Daniela, Lara, Megan, and Yoonchae. With members from the Philippines, South Korea, Switzerland, and the United States, it is often described as a "global girl group". Katseye was formed through the 2023 reality show ''

Dream Academy ''The Debut: Dream Academy'' is a talent competition reality show created as an international collaboration between record labels Hybe and Geffen Records aimed at creating a global girl group. The fan-interactive project involves 20 female can ...

'', a collaboration between

Hybe Corporation Hybe Co., Ltd. (; stylized as Hybe Corporation; commonly known as simply Hybe) is a South Korean multinational entertainment company established in 2005 by Bang Si-hyuk as Big Hit Entertainment Co., Ltd. The company operates as a record l ...

and

Geffen Records Geffen Records (formerly The David Geffen Company from 1980 to 1992 and Geffen Records Inc. from 1993 to 2004) is an American record label, founded in late 1980 by David Geffen. Originally a music subsidiary of the company known as Geffen Pi ...

. They debuted in June 2024 with the single "Debut", which was followed by their breakthrough single "

Touch The somatosensory system, or somatic sensory system is a subset of the sensory nervous system. The main functions of the somatosensory system are the perception of external stimuli, the perception of internal stimuli, and the regulation of bo ...

". They released their first

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

(EP), ''

SIS (Soft Is Strong) ''SIS (Soft Is Strong)'' is the debut extended play (EP) by girl group Katseye. It was released by Hybe UMG and Geffen Records on August 16, 2024. The EP is supported by two singles preceding its release—"Debut" in June and "Touch" in July. B ...

'', later that year. In April 2025, they released " Gnarly" which, despite receiving mixed reactions on release, earned the group their first entry on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Their second EP, ''Beautiful Chaos'', is set for release in June 2025.

Name

In an interview with ''

InStyle ''InStyle'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine founded in 1994. It was published in the United States by Dotdash Meredith, and started originally as a brand extension of ''People (magazine), People'' before carving out its own ide ...

'', the group leader, Sophia, explained that the group's name was inspired by the gemstone

chrysoberyl The mineral or gemstone chrysoberyl is an aluminate of beryllium with the formula Be Al2 O4. The name chrysoberyl is derived from the Greek words χρυσός ''chrysos'' and βήρυλλος ''beryllos'', meaning "a gold-white spar". Despit ...

, popularly known as cat's eye. The gemstone's ability to reflect different colors at various angles were chosen to represent the members' varied personalities, talents, and multinational backgrounds. The group's name was originally intended to be "Catseye," but during an interview with LA radio 102.7 KIIS FM, Daniela revealed that Lara suggested changing the spelling to "Katseye" and the group eventually agreed, saying that the new spelling "looked cooler".

History

2021–2023: Pre-debut activities and formation

In November 2021,

Hybe Hybe Co., Ltd. (; stylized as Hybe Corporation; commonly known as simply Hybe) is a South Korean multinational entertainment company established in 2005 by Bang Si-hyuk as Big Hit Entertainment Co., Ltd. The company operates as a record lab ...

and

opened their applications for a girl group with "contestants from around the world" as part of the joint venture Hybe x Geffen Records. With auditions held across South Korea, the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom in 2022, the partnership aimed to create a group that will "transcend national, cultural, and artistic boundaries". In an interview with the ''

Korea JoongAng Daily ''Korea JoongAng Daily'' () is the English edition of the South Korean national daily newspaper '' JoongAng Ilbo''. The newspaper was first published on October 17, 2000, as ''JoongAng Ilbo English Edition''. It mainly carries news and feature ...

'', Hybe founder

Bang Si-hyuk Bang Si-hyuk (; born August 9, 1972) is a South Korean music executive, record producer and songwriter who is a founder the record label Big Hit Music and the chairperson of HYBE Corporation. One of the 50 wealthiest people in South Korea acco ...

expressed his intentions to promote the resultant group to the American market. From over 120,000 applicants, twenty contestants were selected to compete in the reality show ''Dream Academy'', which determined the six-member lineup of the girl group through a series of "missions". Prior to the series premiere, the contestants were trained for a year in

, California, through methods prevalent in the Korean idol trainee system. Premiering on August 19, 2023, the competition concluded on November 18, with Sophia Laforteza, Lara Rajagopalan, Yoonchae Jeung, Megan Skiendiel, Daniela Avanzini, and Manon Bannerman being selected to form the girl group Katseye.

2024–present: ''SIS (Soft Is Strong)'', ''Pop Star Academy: Katseye'', and ''Beautiful Chaos''

Katseye's formation and preparation for their debut EP were serialized in the documentary ''Pop Star Academy: Katseye'', which premiered on August 21, 2024. Distributed by

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

, the documentary was directed by

Nadia Hallgren Nadia Hallgren is an American filmmaker, director, and cinematographer known for her documentary work. She rose to prominence by directing and producing the 2020 documentary, '' Becoming,'' which captures the former First Lady Michelle Obama's b ...

. Their branding, image, and stylistic direction, encompassing makeup, fashion, and wardrobe, have been managed by

Humberto Leon Humberto Leon (born June 7, 1975) is an American fashion designer, retailer and creative director, working in partnership with Carol Lim. He is currently the creative director for the Los Angeles based girl group Katseye, aiding in the group's ...

, who serves as the group's long-term

creative director A creative director is a person who makes high-level creative decisions; oversees the creation of creative assets such as advertisements, products, events, or logos; and directs and translates the creative people who produce the end results. Creat ...

. The release of the group's first

was set for August 2024, following the release of two singles in June and July. For the EP, Katseye collaborated with several songwriters and producers, including

Ryan Tedder Ryan Benjamin Tedder (born June 26, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder, frontman, and lead vocalist for the pop rock band OneRepublic, while also serving as a prolific cont ...

and

Omer Fedi Omer Fedi (; born 25 March 2000) is an Israeli record producer, songwriter and musician from Tel Aviv. He has co-written or produced songs such as " Mood" by 24kGoldn, " Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" by Lil Nas X, " Unholy" by Sam Smith, and ...

. The first of the two singles for the EP, "Debut", was released on June 28, with a music video filmed in

Medellín Medellín ( ; or ), officially the Special District of Science, Technology and Innovation of Medellín (), is the List of cities in Colombia, second-largest city in Colombia after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia Departme ...

, Colombia, directed by Gregory Ohrel. The single is an upbeat

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

track that explores themes of confidence and sisterhood in reference to the members' bond as a group. It was met with a lukewarm response commercially, with the music video for the single receiving 2.33 million views in three days, underperforming the viewership of music releases of Korean acts in a similar timeframe. The second single, "

", was released on July 26. The melodic drum and bass R&B track discusses the "complexity of love" and deviates from the sound of "Debut", emphasizing the members' vocals. The single ranked at number 22 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

chart and entered the ''

Billboard Philippines ''Billboard Philippines'' (also shortened as ''Billboard PH'') is a Philippine music and entertainment media brand and magazine owned by Modern Media Group, serving as the local edition of the ''Billboard'' magazine. It publishes news, video ...

'' Hot 100 chart. "Touch" attained further success after its choreography went viral as a dance challenge on the video-sharing platform

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

in September 2024. The full EP, titled ''

'', was released on August 16. With five tracks, the EP debuted at number 119 on the ''

Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists. Sometimes, a rec ...

'' as Katseye landed atop the

Emerging Artists The Emerging Artists is a music chart released weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine listing the most popular developing musician, music artists. The chart uses the same formula as the all-encompassing Artist 100, ''Billboard'' Art ...

chart. In support of the EP, the group embarked on an Asian tour, which began in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, South Korea, on September 12. Megan would refrain from touring from September 21, owing to her back injury. On November 14, Katseye released "Flame", the theme song for the

animated series ''

Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld ''Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld'' is an American animated supernatural-action television series created by Echo Wu and produced by Netflix Animation and Titmouse, Inc. The series was released on December 5, 2024, on Netflix, and is set in a Texa ...

''. On March 7, 2025, Katseye was added to the lineup of Wango Tango 2025, scheduled for May 10. On March 19, they were added to the lineup of

Lollapalooza Lollapalooza () is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, with Chicago becoming its permanent location beginning in 2005. Music genres i ...

in Chicago, scheduled for August 3. Katseye released a new single, " Gnarly", on April 30. The song was released as the first single from their upcoming second EP, ''Beautiful Chaos'', scheduled for June 27. On June 6, Katseye released a remix of "Gnarly" featuring American rapper

Ice Spice Isis Naija Gaston (born January1, 2000), known professionally as Ice Spice, is an American rapper and songwriter. Born and raised in the Bronx, New York City, she began her musical career during college in 2020, after meeting record producer ...

Endorsements

In September 2024, Katseye made their first

New York Fashion Week New York Fashion Week (NYFW), held in February and September of each year, is a semi-annual series of events in Manhattan typically spanning seven to nine days when international Fashion design, fashion collections are shown to buyers, the pres ...

attendance at the Spring Summer 2025 show for the American fashion company

Coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

, which in turn placed them in several promotional endorsements and content for the brand's released collection. Subsequently, Katseye were featured in Coach's collaboration campaign with the South Korean streetwear brand Matin Kim, which launched a line of

ready-to-wear Ready-to-wear (RTW)also called ''prêt-à-porter'', or off-the-rack or off-the-peg in casual useis the term for garments sold in finished condition in standardized sizes, as distinct from made-to-measure or bespoke clothing tailored to a partic ...

clothing exclusively for Japan, South Korea, and

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

. '' Interview Magazine's'' editor-in-chief

Mel Ottenberg Mel Ottenberg (born 1976) is an American wardrobe stylist and the editor-in-chief of ''Interview'' magazine. From 2011 to 2019, he worked as Rihanna's stylist and has styled numerous other high profile musicians, actresses, and celebrities. In 20 ...

describes Coach, known for its blend of both "punkish and preppy" styles through denim looks, as a perfect match for Katseye's own brand. In April 2025, Katseye was featured in

Fendi Fendi Srl () is an Culture of Italy, Italian luxury goods, luxury fashion house producing fur, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, fragrances, eyewear, timepieces and accessories. Founded in Rome in 1925 by fashion designers Edoardo Fendi and ...

's Fendi For Yourself campaign, launched in celebration of the brand's 100th anniversary. The campaign highlighted two of Fendi's most popular handbags, the

Baguette A baguette (; ) is a long, thin type of bread of French origin that is commonly made from basic lean dough (the dough, not the shape, is defined by French law). It is distinguishable by its length and crisp crust. A baguette has a diameter ...

and the Peekaboo, both regarded as cultural symbols within the fashion industry. Katseye appeared for the campaign alongside

Nara Smith Nara Aziza Smith ( Pellmann; born 27 September 2001) is a South African-German model and influencer. She is known on her social media accounts for short cooking videos in which she prepares meals from scratch while wearing extravagant clothing a ...

Yuqi Song Yuqi (, ; born September 23, 1999), known mononymously as Yuqi, is a Chinese singer-songwriter, dancer and record producer. She is a member of the South Korean girl group I-dle, which debuted as (G)I-dle under Cube Entertainment in May 201 ...

, and model Jordan Daniels. The campaign also marked the group's first public appearance with new dark-colored hairstyles, following promotions for their extended play ''SIS (Soft is Strong)''. Megan was noted for debuting pink-dyed bangs, in contrast to her previously orange

hime cut The is a hairstyle consisting of straight, usually cheek-length sidelocks and frontal fringe. The rest of the hair is usually worn long and straightened. The style is thought to have originated, or at least become common, in the Imperial cour ...

. In May, Katseye partnered with

Glossier Glossier is a beauty brand founded by Emily Weiss in 2014. It started as an online-only company, building on the popularity of the beauty blog ''"Into the Gloss"''. Glossier was one of the first direct-to-consumer beauty companies when it launched ...

to launch the brand's first lip oil product line titled 'Lip Glaze'. The collaboration featured six tinted oils, each shade corresponding to one of the group’s members. The product was marketed as a hybrid formula combining "the shine" of a gloss with "the hydration" of a lip oil. Speaking on the collaboration, group member Manon described it as "a dream come true," adding, "we’re all such makeup girlies and I feel like we all grew up using Glossier". The partnership was positioned as a way to align the brand with a

Gen Z Generation Z (often shortened to Gen Z), also known as zoomers, is the demographic cohort succeeding Millennials and preceding Generation Alpha. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1990s as starting birth years and the early 20 ...

audience. In the same month, the group launched a collaboration with

Urban Outfitters Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN) is a multinational lifestyle retail corporation headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Operating in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, select Western European countries, Poland, the United Arab Em ...

, where they performed live at the "UO Haul" event in

SoHo SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, New York, on May 20, showcasing their single "Gnarly". Additionally, the group released an exclusive neon blue

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...

edition of their EP ''Beautiful Chaos'', limited to 3,000 copies, for pre-order through Urban Outfitters.

Public image

Katseye has cited

The Pussycat Dolls The Pussycat Dolls were an American girl group and dance ensemble, founded in Los Angeles, California, by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995 as a neo-burlesque troupe. At the suggestion of Jimmy Iovine, Antin decided to take the troupe mainstrea ...

Spice Girls The Spice Girls are an English girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Mel B ("Scary Spice"), Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"), Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"), Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"), and Victoria Beckham ("Posh Spice"). They have sold over 10 ...

, and

Le Sserafim Le Sserafim ( ; ; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed by Source Music, a sub-label of Hybe Corporation, Hybe. The group consists of five members: Sakura Miyawaki, Sakura, Kim Chaewon, Huh Yunjin, Kazuha, and Hong Eunchae. ...

as musical influences. In an interview with the British magazine ''

i-D ''i-D'' is a British biannual magazine dedicated to fashion, music, art, film and youth culture. The magazine was launched in 1980 by Terry Jones, originally as a hand-stapled fanzine it has since evolved into a glossy publication. In 2023 the ...

'', Daniela described Katseye as the first American girl group "to make American pop music but trained to do the crazy choreography of K-pop". Manon also noted the diversity of the group's line-up, with Lara, Sophia, Daniela, and herself as the first Indian, Filipina, Latina, and Black artists respectively to be signed under Hybe. Prior to the group's debut, ''

Teen Vogue ''Teen Vogue'' is an American progressive online publication, formerly in print, launched in January 2003, as a sister publication to '' Vogue'', targeted at teenage girls and young women. Like ''Vogue'', it included stories about fashion and ...

'' named Katseye as one of twelve "Girl Groups to Watch in 2024". Described as Katseye's "fashion fairy godfather", creative director

states drawing inspiration from young

Devon Aoki Devon Edwenna Aoki (born August 10, 1982) is an American model and retired actress. Aoki's film roles include '' 2 Fast 2 Furious'' (2003), ''Sin City'' (2005), '' DOA: Dead or Alive'' (2006) and ''Mutant Chronicles'' (2008). Early life Aoki gr ...

, early

Milla Jovovich Milica Bogdanovna Jovović; ; ( ; born December 17, 1975), known professionally as Milla Jovovich (), is an American actress and former fashion model. Her starring roles in numerous science fiction film, science-fiction and action films led th ...

, and

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977) is a Colombian singer-songwriter. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Latin Music", she has had a Cultural impact of Shakira, significant impact on the ...

for the image and appearance of certain members of the group. "Without

tokenizing Tokenization may refer to: * Tokenization (lexical analysis) in language processing * Tokenization in search engine indexing * Tokenization (data security) in the field of data security * Word segmentation * A procedure during the Transformer ...

them", Leon cites the appreciation for the group's multiculturalism and backgrounds as a forerunner for their image. He also states drawing inspiration from art, film, and fashion rather than solely musical influences. On October 29, 2024, Katseye shared content from a photoshoot featuring themselves in costume as the titular fairy characters of the animated television series ''

Winx Club ''Winx Club'' is an animated television series co-produced by Rainbow S.p.A., Rainbow and, later, Nickelodeon. It was created and directed by Italian animator Iginio Straffi. It premiered on 28January 2004, becoming a ratings success in Ita ...

'' for the year's Halloween, earning a spot on ''Teen Vogue'''s list of "The Best Halloween Celebrity Costumes of 2024".

Members

Adapted from Katseye's official website. * Manon * Sophia – leader * Daniela * Lara * Megan * Yoonchae

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

Soundtrack appearances

Videography

Music videos

Filmography

Reality shows

Live performances

Festivals

TV performances

Other events

Accolades

Awards and nominations

Listicles

Notes

References

External links

* {{Hybe Corporation Musical groups established in 2024 Musical groups from Los Angeles American girl groups American pop girl groups American dance girl groups American vocal groups American musical sextets Hybe Corporation artists Geffen Records artists Teen pop groups Dance-pop groups Electropop groups Musical sextets