Katseye

Katseye (pronounced "cat's eye"; stylized in all caps) is a girl group based in 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, the sextet is often described as a "global girl group".

Katseye was formed through the 2023 reality show Dream Academy, a collaboration between Hybe Corporation and Geffen Records. They debuted in June 2024 with the single "Debut", which was followed by their breakthrough single "Touch". They released their first extended play (EP), SIS (Soft Is Strong), later that year.

Name

Logo used prior to debut.
In an interview with InStyle, the group leader, Sophia, explained that the group's name was inspired by the gemstone chrysoberyl, 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;" the group eventually agreed, saying that the new spelling "looked cooler".

History
Pre-debut activities and formation

In November 2021, Hybe and Geffen Records 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, Hybe founder Bang Si-hyuk 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 Los Angeles, 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) and Pop Star Academy: Katseye

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, the documentary was directed by Nadia Hallgren. Their branding, image, and stylistic direction, encompassing makeup, fashion, and wardrobe, have been managed by Humberto Leon, who serves as the group's long-term creative director.

The release of the group's first extended play 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 and Omer Fedi. The first of the two singles for the EP, "Debut", was released on June 28, with a music video filmed in Medellín, Colombia, directed by Gregory Ohrel. The single is an upbeat pop 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, "Touch", 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 Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart and entered the Billboard Philippines Hot 100 chart. "Touch" attained further success after its choreography went viral as a dance challenge on the video-sharing platform TikTok in September 2024.

The full EP, titled SIS (Soft Is Strong), was released on August 16. With five tracks, the EP debuted at number 119 on the Billboard 200 as Katseye landed atop the Emerging Artists chart. In support of the EP, the group embarked on an Asian tour, which began in Seoul, 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 Netflix animated series Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld.

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 in Chicago, scheduled for July 31–August 3.