KATSEYE

International girl group KATSEYE are known for their hooky, dance- and R&B-infused pop, inspired by K-pop groups Le Sserafim and BlackPink, as well as classic pop outfits like Pussycat Dolls and Spice Girls. Winners of the 2023 reality competition Dream Academy, they debuted in 2024 with the SIS (Soft Is Strong) EP, followed by 2025's Beautiful Chaos.

Based in Los Angeles, KATSEYE came together in 2023 while members Sophia Laforteza, Lara Raj, Yoonchae Jeong, Megan Skiendiel, Daniela Avanzini, and Manon Bannerman were all contestants in the online reality competition show The Debut: Dream Academy. A partnership between Hybe and Geffen Records, Dream Academy, which premiered in August 2023 and ran until November, brought together performers from across South Korea, the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom in a Korean idol trainee-style competition to form a group. Along with their time on Dream Academy, KATSEYE were subsequently featured on the Netflix documentary Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE. In August 2024, they released their debut EP, SIS (Soft Is Strong), which found them working with a handful of songwriter/producers, including Ryan Tedder, Blake Slatkin, Cashmere Cat, and others. Anchored by the singles "Debut" and "Touch," the EP charted on the Billboard 200 and reached the Top 50 in both the U.K. and South Korea. The kinetic banger "Gnarly" arrived in April 2025 as the lead single off their sophomore EP, Beautiful Chaos. Upon release, the set hit the U.S. Top 4 and the South Korean Top 10. ~ Matt Collar