KATSEYE: Who is the 'global girl group' from BTS's company that is climbing the charts?

KATSEYE, a global girl group formed by BTS's company — Photo: Disclosure

In fact, if you were to imagine a formula for success for a girl group, it would probably be something like KATSEYE. They have K-pop-style songs and music videos; they were formed on reality shows, like One Direction and Little Mix; they are singers from diverse backgrounds, appealing to different audiences; and they scored an unlikely hit that took TikTok by storm. Meet KATSEYE:

KATSEYE was formed between 2023 and 2024 by the reality show “Dream Academy”, created by Hybe (mega k-pop company, responsible for BTS) in partnership with Geffen Records, the North American label that launched Olivia Rodrigo.

More than 120,000 girls between the ages of 15 and 21 applied for the reality show. The show followed the selection process, following classic K-pop standards: a grueling training process, including dance, singing, and performance routines. The performances were posted on YouTube and TikTok, and the girls "saved" in each round were decided by public vote.

In addition to the reality show, a filmmaker captured the most emotional side of the group's formation in the documentary "Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE." This gave the public a glimpse into the members' personal lives, as they explored their own personal journeys as artists.

Manon, Sophia, Daniela, Lara, Megan and Yoonchae were selected by the reality show, announced in November 2023. The group also marks the first Indian (Lara), Filipino (Sophia), Latina (Daniela) and Black (Manon) artists to have a contract with Hybe.

"This is the first time an American girl group will make American pop music, but trained to do the crazy choreography of K-pop," Daniela described to "i-D" magazine.

The artists also strengthened their bonds with fans as they began to open up more about their personal lives. Lara recently came out publicly as queer, followed by Megan, who came out as bisexual.

Despite already having some attention, KATSEYE didn't have any major hits in 2024. It wasn't until 2025 that the tide turned, and the group went from promise to success.

“They say you can describe everything with just one word,” sing the members of Katseye in “Gnarly” (a word that is purposefully difficult to translate, but which means something like “sinister,” in both a good and bad sense).

Released in April, "Gnarly" is strange, and perhaps that's why it was the group's biggest hit. Over a frenetic, metallic, hyperpop-style sound, the singers' voices are sometimes distorted, or they sing lines that barely make sense.

In fact, it was the hit that finally launched the group after almost a year of trying (for a group funded by a K-pop company, an eternity). The video has already accumulated over 63 million views, and the dance became a trend on TikTok.

The success of "Gnarly" was followed by "Gabriela," a pop/R&B song with Latin influences. It's another effort to show that the group incorporates facets from various places; in fact, fans believe that "Gabriela" was already recorded and discarded by Anitta years ago. The track features Charli XCX as one of its composers, and this week, it was among the 50 most-streamed songs on Spotify Global.

All of this catapulted the group to rapid success and a much-talked-about show at Lollapalooza Chicago. According to India's Rolling Stone, the performance broke the attendance record for a daytime show, attracting an estimated 85,000 people.

The group is also set to embark on a sold-out North American tour in November.