By Elizabeth Fitzpatrick
Features Editor
With hit songs “Gnarly” and “Touch” that have recently trended on TikTok and a recent performance at Lollapalooza, KATSEYE is taking the world by storm. KATSEYE is an international girl group that borrows heavily from K-pop music while blending music genres. The group was formed from a competition known as Dream Academy, which is documented in the Netflix docuseries “Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE.”
According to Grammy, from 120,000 applicants, the competition was narrowed down to 20 contestants who went through a rigorous training program. They competed in three rounds that tested dance, vocal, and teamwork skills. The six finalists formed KATSEYE: Manon from Switzerland, Sophia from the Philippines, Yoonchae from South Korea, and Daniela, Lara, and Megan from the United States.
In their EPs “SIS (Soft is Strong)” and “BEAUTIFUL CHAOS,” KATSEYE celebrates themes of confidence and empowerment. While the single “Gnarly” from “BEAUTIFUL CHAOS” has been polarizing due to its absurdity and over the top lyrics, according to Teen Vogue, the song still became a Billboard Hot 100 hit.
KATSEYE’s music has trended on TikTok, particularly “Touch,” with many fans learning the choreography of the songs. Thanks to their Dream Academy training, KATSEYE excels at fun and dynamic choreography.
“I’m a big sucker for good choreography and KATSEYE is so good at that,” junior Juliana Santiago said.
While the Dream Academy clearly allowed for the group’s rise to stardom, there is much controversy over how the contestants were treated on the show. The training is known to be intense, and several of the contestants were minors.
“Once you know the kind of environment that they were brought up in, you kind of get this idea of like, they are working these girls to the bone,” senior Jaya Basu said.
Still, KATSEYE will not be overshadowed by rocky beginnings. Instead. they continue to grow and develop their music. The group has embraced their individuality since the end of the training program.
“As much as we love to try new things, every single one of us is true to ourselves, and we always make sure that we’re confident and we feel good,” Sophia said in an interview with Teen Vogue. “I want to be loud about it … It means a lot when somebody embraces their culture, especially their Philippine culture and their heritage,” she said.
Truly an international group, the members come from a variety of backgrounds and each embraces their culture in their individual style. Lara has also spoken openly about being part of the LGBTQ+ community and Manon has shared her experience growing up in Switzerland, where she was often the only Black girl in her class. KATSEYE’s confident celebration of diversity has really resonated with fans.
“I really enjoy that Katseye doesn’t only have one genre of music and I also enjoy that they are a global girl group. All of them have a different ethnicity and they present that always,” Santiago said.
With a strong fanbase and a wide variety of inspirations, it will be interesting to see how KATSEYE continues to develop their music. KATSEYE is available to listen to on Spotify and Apple Music.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Photo Caption: KATSEYE is currently touring across United States.