KATSEYE

Biography

KATSEYE is a global girl group based in Los Angeles, California, formed through the reality competition show "The Debut: Dream Academy." This collaboration between HYBE and Geffen Records aimed to create a girl group that transcends national and cultural boundaries. The group is composed of six members from diverse backgrounds: Manon, Sophia, Daniela, Lara, Megan, and Yoonchae.

Formation and Debut

The members of KATSEYE were selected from over 120,000 applicants who auditioned for "The Debut: Dream Academy." Twenty contestants underwent an intensive K-pop training and development program in Los Angeles for a year before the show premiered. The competition concluded on November 18, 2023, revealing the final six members. The group officially debuted on June 28, 2024, with their first single, "Debut." Their journey to debut was chronicled in the Netflix docuseries "Pop Star Academy: Katseye."

Members

The six members of KATSEYE bring a variety of nationalities and cultural influences to the group, including from the Philippines, South Korea, Switzerland, and the United States. The lineup consists of:

• Sophia Laforteza: The leader of the group, hailing from the Philippines.
• Manon Bannerman: A member from Zurich, Switzerland.
• Daniela Avanzini: An American member from Atlanta, Georgia.
• Lara Rajagopalan: An American member from Los Angeles, California.
• Megan Skiendiel: An American member from Honolulu, Hawaii.
• Yoonchae Jeong: The youngest member, from Seoul, South Korea.

Music and Career

Following their first single, KATSEYE released a second pre-debut track, "Touch," on July 26, 2024, which gained significant viral attention. Their debut EP, "SIS (Soft Is Strong)," was released on August 16, 2024, and entered the Billboard 200 album chart at number 119. This marked them as the first global girl group to achieve this feat. In April 2025, they released the single "Gnarly," which earned the group their first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. The group's music is described as pop, drawing inspiration from K-pop's performance style while singing in English. They have cited artists like Spice Girls, The Pussycat Dolls, and Le Sserafim as musical influences.