The 2024 MAMA Awards took place last November in Los Angeles. For the first time in the major year-end K-pop ceremony’s 25-year run, the event took place in the United States. For this symbolic milestone, HYBE’s multinational girl group KATSEYE, themselves based in the US, put on a special performance alongside the LA Rams Cheerleaders. Following an energizing cheerleading showcase by the culturally diverse coed team, one made even more exciting with drums, a stadium organist, whistles, and chants, KATSEYE took to the stage with their very first song, “Debut.” The performance included a dance break where each member put their special talents on display in conjunction with the cheerleading squad. They next performed “Touch,” where the LA Rams Cheerleaders spelled out “KATSEYE” with their pompoms in a visually striking tableau. The combination of KATSEYE, a US-based group with culturally diverse members from a variety of different countries, and cheerleading—a piece of quintessentially American culture—shows where the girl group, and where K-pop as a whole, are at today. “What we wanted to show through this performance was diversity,” says Son Sung Deuk, executive creator for HxG, a label jointly operated by HYBE and Universal Music Group’s Geffen Records. The energy that comes out of a diverse mix of races and genders resonates with an important part of what KATSEYE is all about.” The group’s performance at MAMA encapsulated how the “K-” that prefixes K-pop is expanding to embrace more and more places, cultures, and values.
As HxG’s first collaboration on a global group, KATSEYE was born out of a vision to integrate the strengths of the K-pop training system into the US market. According to Jay Ihn, head of creative production at HxG, the aim was to create “an entirely new type of artist—one distinctly different from existing idol groups that no one’s ever seen before.” It was a unique process right from the outset, with culturally diverse members from places as far apart as Korea, the US, the Philippines, and Switzerland selected through the global audition program The Debut: Dream Academy. “We created a global girl group, so of course where they are from is part of the story,” Mitra Darab, president of HxG, says. “Having a multicultural group breaks down so many barriers and brings people together.” Beginning right from its lineup, KATSEYE embodies the sense of diversity that defines our modern world. KATSEYE’s training and development (T&D) phase, where they really got their start, not only defined the group’s identity but also marked the first step toward broadening K-pop’s reach. Ihn notes that, while the “core philosophy of the K-pop training system,” which “aims to identify and maximize the natural potential of artists,” remained unchanged, adjustments to aspects “including long-term mental care and other guidelines” were made “in careful consideration of the cultural diversity among the trainees and their varied experiences prior to joining the project,” which helped “with KATSEYE, as global artists, greatly broadening their perspectives and viewpoints as well as with communicating with authenticity.”
For KATSEYE member Daniela, who had her first brush with K-pop when she was 14, training alongside the rest of the group “taught me the importance of balancing individuality with unity. I also leaned on my group members for support. Having them by my side made the journey feel less isolating.” Having all come from different cultural backgrounds, the group members found K-pop became a platform for mutual understanding among themselves. Meanwhile, for the production team, the balance between “individuality” and “unity” that Daniela found was a driving force behind building the girl group. “The fact that each member has their own distinct personality and charm, plus star power that’s clear as day, is both KATSEYE’s strength and their secret weapon, but it made capturing the group’s shared identity difficult at first,” Son, the executive creator, says, but adds that “the fact that the group is made up of a collection of such different people is directly connected to who KATSEYE is, which is why we wanted to showcase that in their performance of ‘Debut.’ The hope was to convey how they’re unified but simultaneously have their own energies and are cool in their own ways.” “Debut” was, appropriately enough, their debut single, and “when the group members first heard it, they said it sounds like KATSEYE,” Head of Creative Production Ihn recalls. “We thought of it as the perfect track to introduce KATSEYE and who they are. It’s energetic, bold, familiar yet unique, and shines even brighter when performed with choreography.” KATSEYE started from a point of diversity and progressed through a process of blending those individual personalities into a K-pop framework, then moved toward making music that could show off their unique combination of “individuality” and “unity.” The approach allowed “Debut” to incorporate both K-pop’s synchronized choreography and a tough image reminiscent of Western girl groups like the Spice Girls or the Pussycat Dolls. The song “Touch,” meanwhile, which rocketed KATSEYE to number eight on TikTok’s list of the top-10 artists in the US for 2024 and raised their profile in the country, represents the group’s uniquely balanced blend of K-pop and Western pop. When it came time to choreograph the song, they “tried to keep the performance simple to naturally bring out how radiant and charming the members of the group are, unlike what’s typical of K-pop choreography today,” Son explains. Ihn similarly remarks how the “song appeals to both K-pop and general pop listeners. We had high expectations given that the synergy between the irresistible dance moves, catchy music, and visual elements make it a sure-fire success for short-form video,” adding that they’re “not paying any special attention towards finding a balance between Western and K-pop when choosing or writing songs. The focus is on how the underlying character, performance, and promotion of each song off their albums can serve to showcase KATSEYE even better.” Rather than choosing sides between K-pop and Western pop, the music is centered around expressing KATSEYE, who comfortably occupy a space somewhere in between.
“K-pop-style training pushes you to give your best every single day,” KATSEYE member Megan explains, reflecting on what the group has discovered through K-pop. “It’s not just about improving our skills but also about understanding how much effort goes into every detail of what we do. That mindset of always striving for excellence has shaped how we approach everything, on and off stage.” In the docuseries Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE—which, as of August 26, 2024 was in Netflix’s top 10 for viewers in places including Canada, France, Denmark, and Singapore—the group members work to fully understand K-pop and their fellow contestants, who come from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. While audition shows for K-pop groups have become commonplace, presenting the entire journey—competition, conflict, camaraderie, and growth—with the kind of honesty captured through a documentary lens on a global streaming service is something new altogether. “We thought it was an amazing opportunity to share with the world a glimpse of what it takes to be in a girl group—the dedication, the adversity, the sisterhood, the evaluations, the progress, the setbacks,” President Darab explains. “In the end, we all agreed this is a documentary and we have to show the good moments as well as the challenging ones.” Seeing the K-pop audition process within the frame of a Netflix docuseries offered audiences, K-pop fans and otherwise, moments that felt simultaneously familiar and groundbreaking. And throughout the journey, both the KATSEYE members and the audience members find connections to K-pop in their own ways. “We wanted to convey an image of sisterhood, and like real sisters, there is adversity and forgiveness as well as support,” Darab adds, summing up the entire documentary. The journey the KATSEYE members took on the way to their debut started with a group of girls, all from different backgrounds, coming together and getting on the same page in a special environment that encouraged them to open up to each other quickly and discover the sense of “sisterhood” shared between their multinational members. “We developed our sisterhood by spending so much time together,” Megan says of the endeavor. “Working toward the same goals really brought us closer. The K-pop approach to training definitely played a big part in that. To us, ‘group’ and ‘team’ mean being there for each other no matter what. It’s about knowing we’re stronger together than we are individually and that every person has something unique to contribute. We’re more than just a team—we’re family.”
Playing on the theme of sisterhood, KATSEYE’s debut album is titled SIS (Soft Is Strong). “The six members of the group each come with their own cultural backgrounds and personal histories that gives them each a very different kind of appeal and brings authenticity to KATSEYE’s music,” Ihn, the creative production head, explains. “They’ve come far to achieve their dreams—adventurers forging a new path the likes of which no one’s ever taken before. They’re soft like running water but possess an unyielding, unbreakable strength” that comes from each of the girls and served as the inspiration for the message behind the album. The track “My Way” encapsulates themes of “girlhood,” reflecting “their rebellious younger years, struggles with appearance in their school years, and longing to grow up quickly,” according to Ihn. “A lot of inspiration comes directly from the group members when developing the concept for their albums or working on their songs. There’s no limits on the material—it could be one of their recent interests, something they want KATSEYE to show off on the next album, or a movie they really enjoyed.” The result is an album that naturally reflects everything the girls went through to become KATSEYE and their individual senses of self having gone through the K-pop training regimen.
When the KATSEYE members eye each other’s meals in their “What’s in our Lunchbox?” video, their eager “we should try it!” says it all. “We really enjoy trying each other’s country’s food,” group member Yoonchae notes, echoing that same excitement for the unfamiliar. “By experiencing each other’s food, we not only learn new things but also naturally learn about each other’s cultures.” The sentiment extends to clothing, with the girls dressed in hanbok in their “Happy Chuseok” video to mark the major Korean holiday. Lara, who is Indian American, adds her own touch with a bindi on her brow and accessorizes her braided hair the Korean way. She explains how she loves “the fact that I get to celebrate Indian culture through our art as KATSEYE and I get to put parts of the culture onto a very large, global platform. I always wanted to see South Asian representation in music growing up, but didn’t, and I think that each one of us is uplifting people of our color, race, and even just people who resonate with us. That’s so important to us.” Behind the scenes of the shoot, “the group members admired the beauty of their traditional hanbok, hair accessories, and other accessories like norigae, taking selfies and asking Yoonchae, who’s Korean, about hanbok, all the while complimenting each other on their appearances,” Hayan Park, the project manager overseeing KATSEYE’s content under HxG, says of the fun atmosphere. “Diversity is both an important aspect of the present and part of KATSEYE’s identity. The group members are very accustomed to sharing and respecting each other’s cultures, so rather than drawing special attention it, we make sure it comes across naturally in their content.” The diversity and unity KATSEYE has shown since their debut and into the release of their album started with “the vision to take the principles of K-pop and expand the business by creating a group that could change culture,” HxG President Darab says, adding simply, “We feel we are doing that with KATSEYE. So many people can see themselves in the girls and feel represented in a way they might not have felt before.”
One important item in the KATSEYE toolkit, and one of the ways the final lineup was voted on during The Debut: Dream Academy, was fan engagement. “It starts with the fans and developing a genuine relationship with them,” Darab says, stressing “the importance of having fans be part of the journey in helping create the group.” As HxG introduced K-pop’s core concepts into the US music market, she says, a fan-centric style of communication remained the most critical element. Close interaction between artists and their fans is one of the core tenets that makes K-pop unique, and KATSEYE is no exception, embracing that culture as they communicate with their fans, EYEKONS, through their weverse community and other social media. Fans can even experience a more intimate kind of chat with the artists by paying for weverse DM. And it’s clear that communication is important to the group: The girls call each other “sisters” and their fans their “best friends.” And those fans “are who we do almost everything for,” KATSEYE member Sophia says. “We chat with them all the time, post for them, and always want to spend time with them. Just like besties.” Fellow KATSEYE member Lara feels similarly. “Every time I interact with EYEKONS, I feel extremely safe,” she explains. “It’s always genuinely a good time,” Lara says, adding she hopes they feel “loved by us. They are so important to us and I just want to put it out there that EYEKONS are genuinely cool!” K-pop is taking on new approaches as it expands both geographically and culturally. At the same time, fans and artists alike are absorbing not just K-pop content but the genre’s distinct fan culture as well.
Last November, KATSEYE celebrated the first anniversary of their formation with a livestream on weverse titled “Happy First KATSEYE Day!” Fans from all around the world sent in their congratulations, which Project Manager Hayan Park says were “reviewed while editing the video, and there messages sent in showing support in lots of different ways from fans of all different genders, ages, and cultures. A significant number of them said they felt their own culture, ethnicity, or country was being represented through the group members, and that it inspires and gives them courage to see themselves reflected in the group.” Park adds that she wants “to once again say thank you to everyone around the world for their support and congratulatory words.” The sentiment is captured by Missy Paramo, senior program manager of T&D, in the group’s “1 Year Reunion” video, where she addresses the girls and explains how for “all six of you, the story is so different, but that’s what makes it beautiful.” KATSEYE member Manon agrees. “I think it’s such a beautiful thing about us,” she says. “I always say this, but I’m so proud that anyone can look at our group and see themselves in us. Our mission is to truly represent all the girls out there and I’m so proud to be a part of this.” K-pop may have got its start in one particular place, but it’s now brought together a group of “sisters” of all different nationalities, cultures, and ethnicities—and connected them as well with countless people all over the world who have discovered a renewed sense of confidence thanks to the group. We’re in a new world now where the culture can no longer be defined by the idea of the “K-” prefix—but one where, seen through a new lens, the “K-” has fused everything together to create something new.
An article in issue 58 of the Korean Creative Content Agency’s Korean wave trend report, Hallu Now, says that, “looking back, we see the history of K-pop is a history of expansion,” and it certainly seems to apply to the path KATSEYE has forged. Everything about the group—their diverse cultural backgrounds, the medley of different genres in their music, the vastly different personalities of its members—proves they push the boundaries beyond all limits, shows how far K-pop has grown, and reveals just how much new frontier there is left to explore. Yoonchae, who never stepped foot in the US until she came for KATSEYE, “can honestly say that stepping out of my comfort zone and debuting in the US was one of the best decisions I’ve made.” In other words, everything about how the group was formed and debuted has been a continuous journey through uncharted waters. It’s a whole new group, promoting themselves with a documentary that shatters expectations and choosing to do music and choreography that are at once K-pop and distinctly not—not to mention that the group members come from completely different backgrounds. “KATSEYE’s diversity serves as both the essence of their brand and a source of endless creative inspiration,” Ihn, the creative production head, explains. “Musically speaking, it also functions as a positive differentiating feature, creating limitless potential for experimentation no matter the genre, lyrics, harmony, or rhythm. And that will resonate with a broader range of global consumers, allowing KATSEYE to become a keystone that can represent them.” KATSEYE has turned the definition of K-pop on its head, becoming the group that opens up a whole new “K-world” by, paradoxically enough, mixing and matching a diverse set of values. Just like they sing in “My Way” off SIS (Soft Is Strong), “I did it my way.”