What happens when you take the K out of K-Pop? Well, that K becomes KATSEYE, the newest global girl-group that’s about to blow the world away!
With the intent of marrying the K-Pop genre with the Western music industry, HYBE (the company that BTS built) and Geffen Records (who manages artists such as Olivia Rodrigo and Camila Cabello), the two labels decided to try something different: training and developing a group of artists from around the world the K-Pop way. It was only in November when, after a nail-biting 12-week survival show, did HYBE and Geffen Records debut KATSEYE. And now, KATSEYE has just dropped their very first EP, SIS (Soft Is Strong).
KATSEYE are a group of six women from different walks of life and from all corners of the world. There’s Sophia, Lara, Daniela, Yoonchae, Megan, and Manon.
Sophia’s the leader of KATSEYE, hailing from the Philippines, who grew up singing and performing after being inspired by her own mother who is an actress that starred in several Broadway shows. Lara, a New Yorker of Indian descent, had a similar childhood of singing, dancing, and performing, and became the group’s wildcard when she got casted. On the other hand, Daniela, a Columbian-Venezuelan from L.A., was a professional child dancer, having competed in America’s Got Talent and Dancing With The Stars. Yoonchae, the youngest member from South Korea, trained to be a K-Pop idol for around two years before starting her journey to train for KATSEYE. Then there’s Megan, the Chinese-American dancer and singer who models on the side (and appeared at a Paris fashion show at one point!). And finally, Manon from Switzerland, who’s raw star power opened the door for her training, eventually growing into one of the groups most impressive singers and dancers.
But before the six members formed KATSEYE, they were actually in a group of twenty trainees who were coached and trained for almost two years before the final six were chosen. HYBE and Geffen held auditions from around the world, with an estimate of 120,000 aspirants vying for a slot in the twenty. There were trainees from Japan, Brazil, Belarus, and even Slovakia who were all flown. The trainees then lived together in boarding house and were trained day and night in song and dance, for an average of 8 hours a day. The program was also tailored for each individual to focus on their weak points, such as issues with synchronization, energy, charm, and even star power. Trainees were even critiqued over the smallest of details that most audiences wouldn’t see, such as an outstretched arm or a small wrist movement.
The Netflix documentary Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE dives even deeper into their training regimens, covering the evaluations, selection processes, injuries the ladies sustained during trainings, and even their mental health (at one point, a therapist was hired for the trainees). Trainees weren’t given a lot of information about the end goal either. For months, they would be training, and were expecting the final six members would be chosen at some point in time. But they weren’t aware that they would eventually become contestants for a survival show, with their talents showcased to the world and global audiences having to vote for their favourite girls. They were even asked which of the girls they’d like to debut with, prompting a lot of tears when the results were revealed after having to choose amongst the girls that they’ve formed a sisterhood with over the months of training and living together. One of the contestants, who was a fan-favourite and a favourite of the HYBE and Geffen Records executives, even threw in the towel, changing the dynamics of the whole show.
With dreams realised, there were also dreams that were crushed, and dreams that were renewed. But those two years would prove to be a priceless and unforgettable experience for the trainees and for the eventual members of KATSEYE.
In the survival show Debut: The Dream Academy, the trainees-turned-contestants had to rehearse for three missions over twelve weeks, with eliminations happening after each mission. There were global voting rounds as well as evaluations by the executives, until the competition culminated into a final live performance with the top ten, after which the final six were chosen to debut. Lives were changed, to say the least.
It was a long and arduous journey for KATSEYE, and nine months after their debut, they drop their debut EP SIS (Soft Is Strong). Featuring five tracks, KATSEYE becomes one of the most diverse groups of artists to start their musical journey. And there will be even more to expect!
