Last year, K-pop giant Hybe and Geffen Records announced the six members selected to be part of their first global girl group KATSEYE.
Billed as an international group, with final members hailing from America, the Philippines, South Korea and Switzerland, the group was created using K-pop artist development methodologies through the audition program The Debut: Dream Academy.
Now, nine months after it was announced that Daniela, Lara, Manon, Megan, Sophia and Yoonchae were selected for the global group, KATSEYE has released their first EP SIS (Soft Is Strong) and is the focus of new Netflix docuseries Popstar Academy: KATSEYE.
It’s been a whirlwind few months for the members of KATSEYE, who range in age from 16 to 22. The group released their first single in June, fittingly titled “Debut,” a powerful and youthful pop track, before releasing their second single “Touch,” a catchy yet chill pop song, in July.
“Our debut was absolutely amazing. It couldn’t have gone better,” Daniela tells The Hollywood Reporter. “We were so excited to finally come out with music and show the world who we are as KATSEYE, and we’ve just been working so, so hard on this album.”
KATSEYE gave their first live performance as a group last month during KCON L.A.’s third-night concert. The girl group, who already performed like seasoned veterans, is seemingly still in disbelief over the performance. “We will literally never forget [that moment],” Sophia gushes.
“It’s literally one of the best days of our lives because that was our first live performance as KATSEYE,” the 21-year-old continues, explaining that the group worked hard to get into the right headspace for the performance by trying things rehearsing with fake cheering sounds.
“We all felt really present. We were able to focus, and we could see the faces of all the fans” Sophia says. “We all worked so hard that we were able to enjoy the moment. I feel like it was really revealing [as] to why we work so hard, and why we do all of these hours, so that we could really, we were very present.”
KATSEYE performing on stage at their El Rey Theatre fan event in Los Angeles.
Rahul Bhatt
“We really wanted to give the best first impression and the best performance that we could have possibly given,” Lara adds. “We wanted to show people, with even the documentary, all the training that we did, everything that has led up to this moment, that we mean business, and we’re here to stay.”
The group performed for their fans at their first fan event on Tuesday. They had the chance to see their supporters in a more intimate setting, which was a big milestone for them. “It was really meaningful for us,” Yoonchae, the youngest of the group at 16, explains.
The docuseries, which was released on Wednesday, gives a behind-the-scenes look at the training the members went through, even before Dream Academy. “[The documentary] is very intense. It’s very emotional. I think I cried every single episode, but it is a great documentary,” Daniela says.
When asked if reliving the moments of Popstar Academy made them see moments in a new life, the group shows a behind-the-scenes look at how their teamwork is going. Sophia emphasizes that KATSEYE is so close and communicates with one another.
“Coming into this, knowing that a documentary is coming out, and even before we saw it, we all told each other, ‘That was us two, three years ago. We were babies going through this insanely intense, insane, intense process,’” she adds. “We’ve grown so much as members of KATSEYE and as sisters that nothing is going to shake how we are right now.”
Their debut EP SIS (Soft Is Strong) features five songs, including “Debut” and “Touch.” However, the slower, sweet track, “My Way,” fitting for an end-of-movie montage. The lyrics, “Like a firework showin’ up over your town / Even if it all burns out / I did it my way,” seem to be a favorite amongst the group.
Sophia, Lara, Yoonchae, Megan, Daniela, and Manon hug onstage as HYBE X Geffen Records reveal final members of KATSEYE.
ivien Killilea/Getty Images for HYBE x Geffen Records
Daniela emphasizes that she relates heavily with the song, particularly her lyrics “Thick hair / Big curls and they all stare / Yeah, I tried to fit in your box of pink Barbie dolls / Found I still couldn’t win them all.”
“I was always a new girl, and I was always trying to fit in. I never had a group of girlfriends ever, and nobody really accepted me for the way I was, so I did try to change up my looks and how I acted,” the 20-year-old says. “Looking back, I’ve learned that that shouldn’t be the case and that I need to be myself and embrace myself, embrace my natural curly hair. I think I made the group because of who I am, and I need to truly embrace that.”
Megan is also drawn to the song. “The lyrics tell all of our stories together so beautifully and specifically. ‘Never want to do what I’m told / Even if I mess it all up and make a million mistakes,’ I feel like that’s always been my life motto,” the 18-year-old says, saying she has always wanted to learn her own lessons. “Just growing up and being a girl, you just want to learn your own mistakes and learn your own way of life,” she adds.
KATSEYE has several musical inspirations including Beyoncé (Manon) and M.I.A. (Lara). “My dad used to call me Beyoncé. I was so obsessed,” Manon laughs, saying she loves to watch the Grammy-winning artist’s Netflix documentary Homecoming. “As a new artist, it’s so inspiring, and it gives me a lot of motivation. Her work ethic is unmatched, and she does great things. That’s why she’s been relevant in the industry for so long.”
Lara cites M.I.A’s impact on music as why she counts the singer as an influence. “As a brown girl, she was kind of the first South Asian artist in the media that was able to really make an influence,” the 18-year-old adds. “She really helped me find my confidence and to be unapologetically myself and not always have to be pretty, just being myself and being raw.”
Looking towards the future, KATSEYE has a clear vision for themselves and how they want the world to see the girl group. “One of our big, big things is that we want to show our diversity,” Manon explains. “I think it’s such a beautiful thing about our group that every young girl can look at our group and see herself in us because we’re so diverse and different.”
The 22-year-old adds: “We always wanted to have that growing up, so it just feels like a dream living that out.”