KATSEYE

KATSEYE don’t just break the mold — they’re making their own. The global girl group is the first of its kind, forged within the high standards and exacting specs of the K-pop system, but armed with the explicit goal of smashing through boundaries both cultural and creative. Ranging in age from 17 to 22 and coming from immensely different cultures, the six members of KATSEYE are: Daniela (Cuban/Venezuelan-American, from Atlanta, GA), Lara (Indian, from New York, NY), Manon (Ghanaian-Italian, from Zurich, Switzerland), Megan (Chinese-American, from Honolulu, HI), Sophia (Manila, Philippines), and Yoonchae (Seoul, South Korea). Together they represent an array of personalities, backgrounds, tastes, and talents — hence the name. Just as looking at a cat’s eye gem from various angles can reveal different colors and patterns, KATSEYE is never the same twice and all the more alluring because of it. Together, they create a prismatic, mercurial, and potent pop sound that thrives in the tension between softness and strength, polish and raw power, precision and rebellion — always shining, always evolving.

That duality fuels KATSEYE’s perfectly titled new EP, BEAUTIFUL CHAOS. The bold set explores the complexities of modern girlhood, and how the real and digital worlds often blur. It addresses issues they navigate daily, from the tensions that arise from six young adults living under one roof — as they have for the past three years, first in dorms while training and now in their own shared house — to the challenges of shaping meaningful identity in a digital age where reality is curated and authenticity fights the algorithm. After the world watched them compete and come together through HYBE and Geffen Records’ groundbreaking Dream Academy show and artist development program (and later, the Netflix docuseries, Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE), the idea of “beautiful chaos” felt oddly comforting. Something about cultivating connection, up close and afar, in a world that moves too fast. Wearing lipstick with armor. Embracing the unknown.

Bringing this vision to life meant expanding their creative circle. Returning collaborators like Justin Tranter (Selena Gomez, Chappell Roan) reinforced KATSEYE’s core chemistry, while fresh faces such as Andrew Watt (Lady Gaga, Jungkook), John Ryan (Sabrina Carpenter), and Kristin Carpenter (Nessa Barrett, JISOO) pushed them into new sonic territory. The members also sought a bigger say in shaping their direction. “We definitely had a lot more conversations than we did last time,” Sophia says. “We’re in the rooms now, talking about production, getting into logistics, and making sure that we’re bringing 100 percent of ourselves into the songs.” The result of that communication is music that’s vibrant, edgy, confident, and undeniably them.

Lead single “Gnarly” epitomizes the unbridled spirit of BEAUTIFUL CHAOS. It’s KATSEYE with the safety rails off, a hard-hitting club banger built on earth-quaking 808s, gritty rave synths, and a pugnacious attitude. The song’s irreverent lyrics capture a reckless, infectious energy — “Hottie hottie, like a bag of Taki’s, I’m the sh*t / Obvi obvi, they be tryna copy, I’m the sh*t” — and the girls’ audible mid-verse laughter is a side-effect of a similarly free-wheeling recording process. “We tried out so many different things,” Manon recalls. “There was one take where our producer suggested that we sing in British accents.” Lara adds, “We were all losing it in that session.”

For KATSEYE, that absurdity is part of an emphatic and needed next step in their evolution. “It feels authentic to us. We’re flexing. We’re cursing. We’re having fun. That’s who we are. It feels nice to be able to show more of that as we grow up with the EYEKONS,” Lara says, referring to the group’s dedicated fandom. Sophia chimes in: “Honestly, I want people to feel like we’re here for the vibes, that we can make people feel something with our music. You don’t always need to understand exactly what we’re saying… Just feel it with us and come along for the ride.”

KATSEYE’s own journey was years in the making. Auditions for the group began in late 2021, and from 120,000 hopefuls vying for a spot, they were among 20 finalists accepted to the Los Angeles-based training camp. The process was long and rigorous: dance rehearsals, vocal training, group missions, monthly evaluations, and a competition reality-show finale, all under the watchful eye of an online audience following their every move in real time. Dream Academy sharpened the group’s skills, deepened their resolve, and forged their sisterhood. When the final six were selected, they emerged as more than a band. “We are literally family,” Daniela says.

That bond was immediately apparent in KATSEYE’s first single, “Debut,” released in the summer of 2024. The punchy group mission statement doubled as a call for women to band together and own their confidence. “Every time I listen to that song, it reminds me of how hard we worked,” Yoonchae says. “Those memories and feelings are in there: the nervousness, the excitement.” Next came the dreamy, DnB-kissed “Touch,” revealing a sweet yet wistful side as they sang of moving on after heartbreak. Listeners were feeling it: “Touch” peaked at No. 22 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under, hit multiple global charts, and went viral when its choreo became a TikTok dance challenge. Those songs fed into KATSEYE’s debut EP, SIS (Soft Is Strong), their first exercise in duality where bops met ballads, and vulnerability and vigor were intertwined.

But if SIS was about finding their footing, BEAUTIFUL CHAOS is a big step forward. “Gabriela” plays like a Gen Z “Jolene” — a side-eye warning wrapped in hip-swaying rhythms — while Daniela delivers the group’s first Spanish verse. Cheeky lyrics and sugary textures mix on “Gameboy,” which Manon describes as the big sister of “Touch.” The anthemic “Mean Girls” chooses grace over drama — “It’s basically killing people with kindness,” Megan explains. Meanwhile, “M.I.A” serves up the high energy with a hard-hitting beat — a fitting backdrop for asserting one’s self-worth. For Lara, the song’s haunting chords recall the Indian music she heard growing up. “When I heard it, I was gagged,” she says. Each member leaves her mark, their influences colliding and blending into something ever-shifting and greater than the sum of its parts.

BEAUTIFUL CHAOS may revel in the mess, but it’s the clearest picture of who KATSEYE is as a group and the force that they’re becoming. As they look ahead, they seek to measure success not by stats, sales, or awards, but by the mark they leave behind. “We want KATSEYE to be timeless and to have lasting influence,” Lara shares. “Not just for now — we want forever.”