7 Things to Know About Katseye
The one-of-a-kind girl group has been catapulted to mainstream success following their debut.
If you’ve been scrolling on social media within the past year, you’ve definitely heard of Katseye. A Los Angeles-based girl group, Katseye, styled 'KATSEYE,' has taken the K-pop world by storm since their meteoric rise to fame following their debut single, aptly titled “Debut” in June.
Described as a global girl group, Katseye is composed of six members - Sophia, Manon, Daniela, Lara, Megan, and Yoonchae. Unlike many K-pop groups, Katseye is multinational, with members from all over the world. In just a short amount of time, they’ve proven to be a force to be reckoned with in the world of K-pop and the mainstream sphere. Now that Katseye is forging its path as the next biggest girl group, get to know the members and how the group came to be.
Meet The Members
Katseye consists of six multicultural members: Sophia Laforteza, Meret Manon Bannerman, Daniela Avanzini, Lara Rajagopalan, Megan Meiyok Skiendiel, and Jeong Yoonchae. Lara, Sophia, Daniela, and Manon were the first Indian, Filipina, Latina, and Black artists respectively to be signed under Hybe, a South Korean entertainment company.
Sophia is the leader of the group, Lara is the main vocalist, and Yoonchae is positioned as “Maknae,” a Korean word that means the youngest member of a K-pop group. Yoonchae is also the only member who was born and raised in Korea.
They were formed through the reality show The Debut: Dream Academy.
Hybe and Geffen Records launched global online auditions to select 20 candidates who would compete for a spot in the group in November 2021. Talent reality show The Debut: Dream Academy was created in collaboration with the record labels and ran for 12 weeks. It premiered on September 1st, 2023, and concluded on November 17th, 2023, with the announcement of the winning six-member girl group, Katseye.
Their group name is inspired by the gemstone chrysoberyl
In an interview with InStyle last month, lead member Sophia shed light on the origins of their group name, namely the role that gemstone “chrysoberyl” played in it. “Our group name, Katseye, is actually inspired by the gemstone Cat's Eye. And depending on the viewer's perspective, you can see a different view of the gemstone. You see different colors, and that basically represents each and every one of our talents and our different backgrounds. We are all very different girls with our own charms, personalities, where we come from, and what we represent.”
Their official fandom name is Eyekons
Through the South Korean entertainment app for fans, Weverse, Katseye fans were invited to be part of the selection process for choosing the official fandom name. The fandom name “eyekons” was officially announced by the group themselves via Twitter on April 11th, 2024.
They were named one of ‘12 Girl Groups to Watch in 2024’
A month before their formal debut this June, Teen Vogue named Katseye one of twelve girl groups to watch.
They were featured in a Netflix series this year titled Pop Star Academy: Katseye.
Released on August 21st, the docu series was directed by Nadia Hallgren and chronicled the group’s formation process and the preparations that went into the release of their debut EP.
They just released a remix to their chart-breaking single ‘Touch’ with Tomorrow X Together's Yeonjun.
Following much speculation from the eyekons, Katseye released a teaser for a remix of their hit single on Twitter. The remix was released on October 11th, featuring Yeonjun of K-pop boy band Tomorrow x Together (TXT).
