KATSEYE raises an interesting question from the start: Is it a K-pop group or an American pop group?
Sophia, Daniela, Megan, Manon, Lara, and Yoonchae come from different cultural backgrounds, are largely based in the United States, and perform primarily in English. Yet the way they were selected, trained, and developed as a group has deep roots in the K-pop industry.
KATSEYE was created through a partnership between HYBE, the South Korean entertainment company that grew globally alongside BTS, and Geffen Records, one of the established names in the American music industry. The project applied elements of the artist-development system refined by Korean entertainment companies over decades to a multicultural group designed for an international audience from the beginning.
Within a few years, that experiment had moved from global auditions and a Netflix documentary to TikTok, the Billboard Hot 100, and two Grammy nominations.
HYBE and Geffen Set Out to Build a Different Kind of Girl Group
The story began in 2021, when HYBE and Geffen, part of Universal Music Group, announced a partnership to develop a global girl group based in the United States.
The two companies brought different strengths to the project. HYBE had extensive experience with the selection, training, and development systems associated with Korean idol groups, while Geffen brought its knowledge of artist development, promotion, and distribution within the American music market.
The goal was to build a multicultural group for an international market from the beginning, using elements of the K-pop training model as part of that process.
More than 120,000 applicants participated in the global auditions. After a lengthy selection process, the field was narrowed to 20 contestants who would eventually be introduced to the public.
From Dream Academy to Netflix: How KATSEYE Was Formed
In 2023, the 20 contestants were introduced through The Debut: Dream Academy, a global audition project distributed primarily through YouTube and Weverse.
The contestants completed vocal, dance, and performance missions while professional evaluations and international fan voting gradually reduced the field.
What viewers saw through Dream Academy, however, represented only part of the process. Before and during the competition, the contestants spent long periods training together under a system influenced by K-pop trainee development. Vocal and dance skills mattered, but so did coordination, discipline, and the ability to perform as part of a unified group.
In November 2023, the final lineup was announced: Sophia, Daniela, Megan, Manon, Lara, and Yoonchae.
A year later, the story behind their selection reached a much wider audience.
In 2024, Netflix released the documentary series Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE, offering a closer look at the training, evaluations, competition, and relationships among the contestants. For many international viewers who had never followed Dream Academy, the documentary became their introduction to KATSEYE and the unusual process behind the group.
Cultural diversity had been part of the project from the beginning. The six members brought different national, family, and cultural backgrounds into a group that had been conceived from its earliest stages for an international audience.
SIS (Soft Is Strong) and the Rise of “Touch”
KATSEYE officially debuted in June 2024 with the single “Debut.” Their first EP, SIS (Soft Is Strong), followed that summer with five tracks: “Debut,” “Touch,” “My Way,” “I’m Pretty,” and “Tonight I Might.”
The EP introduced KATSEYE’s early identity, but “Touch” became the song that pushed the group far beyond the audience that had followed them since Dream Academy.
Its short, recognizable chorus and choreography were well suited to TikTok and other short-form platforms. Dance challenges helped introduce KATSEYE to listeners who knew nothing about the HYBE-Geffen project or the competition that had created the group.
By then, KATSEYE’s unusual position was becoming easier to see. The precision of the performances, intensive training, and emphasis on group coordination reflected familiar elements of K-pop, while the group’s music and promotion were developing directly within the American pop market.
Beautiful Chaos: From “Gnarly” to “Gabriela”
The next stage showed a group willing to move between very different sounds.
In April 2025, KATSEYE released “Gnarly,” a more aggressive and experimental track than the accessible pop of “Touch.” Initial reactions were divided, but the discussion surrounding the song also increased its visibility. “Gnarly” eventually became KATSEYE’s first entry on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Gabriela” followed with another change in direction, incorporating Latin pop influences and giving the group’s multicultural identity a more visible place within its music and presentation.
Both songs appeared on KATSEYE’s second EP, Beautiful Chaos, released in June 2025.
The shift from SIS was noticeable. The first EP had introduced the group through relatively accessible pop, while Beautiful Chaos expanded its musical range and allowed KATSEYE to experiment with less predictable styles.
From Dream Academy to the Grammys
KATSEYE reached another major milestone at the 2026 Grammy Awards.
The group received two nominations: Best New Artist and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Gabriela.” KATSEYE also performed “Gnarly” as part of the Best New Artist showcase.
They did not win either category, but the nominations showed how quickly the project had developed. In November 2023, the six members had just been selected through the final stage of a global audition project. A little more than two years later, KATSEYE was appearing among the nominees at one of the world’s best-known music awards.
That progression also made it increasingly difficult to describe the group simply as an “American version of K-pop.”
Its training system has clear Korean roots, while its music, primary market, and multicultural lineup occupy a much broader global pop space.
From SIS to WILD: Three Stages in Two Years
KATSEYE’s development can also be followed through its three EPs.
SIS (Soft Is Strong) introduced the group in 2024 and found its breakout moment with “Touch.” Beautiful Chaos broadened the group’s sound in 2025 through songs such as “Gnarly” and “Gabriela.”
On August 14, 2026, KATSEYE released its third EP, WILD. The five-track project includes “PINKY UP,” “Animal,” “Hootie Frutti,” “Bel Air,” and “That Way,” continuing the group’s rapid musical development after its first two projects. KATSEYE official store — WILD
Taken together, the three releases show how quickly KATSEYE has moved away from being associated with a single song or formula. In just two years, its catalog has moved from the lighter pop of its early releases toward more experimental production and a broader musical identity.
KATSEYE and the Globalization of the K-Pop System
For many years, the globalization of K-pop largely meant watching groups created and trained in South Korea build audiences in Japan, the United States, Latin America, Europe, and other parts of the world.
KATSEYE represents another stage in that development.
Parts of the system built by the Korean entertainment industry — global auditions, intensive training, synchronized performance, group development, and carefully constructed visual presentation — were applied to a project based in the United States. The members were selected internationally, and the group was designed from the beginning to move across different markets and cultures.
That is why the question of whether KATSEYE should be classified strictly as K-pop or American pop does not have a particularly simple answer. Musically, the group operates largely within international pop. In the way it was created and developed, the influence of the K-pop model is unmistakable.
Its story now connects HYBE and Geffen, Dream Academy, Netflix, TikTok, three EPs, the Billboard charts, and the Grammys.
KATSEYE shows that K-pop’s international influence can extend beyond music, choreography, and visual trends. It can also be found in the way a new generation of pop artists is selected, trained, and developed.
With WILD, that experiment has entered its third musical chapter.
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