All you need to know about KATSEYE, the girl group from Netflix’s ‘Pop Star Academy’ series

By now you may have heard the catchy tune that goes, “But you been so out of touch, touch, touch, touch, touch // Thought about you way too much, much, much, much, much” somewhere on your TikTok or Instagram feed.

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The song is certainly an earworm, and the group behind it is all the rage right now. So if you’re looking to know what the hype is about, check out this beginner’s guide to KATSEYE, the global girl group from Netflix’s Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE.

The group’s making was shown in a YouTube and Netflix docuseries

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The Netflix series titled Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE an eight-episode reality show that documents the making of the girl group we now know as KATSEYE. Twenty girls from different countries and of varying ethnicities participated in the year-long training and competition process, with hopes of debuting in the final lineup.

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Prior to the drop of the Netflix show, the girls were on a series called The Debut: Dream Academy, which premiered on 1 September, 2023.

A project by two major entertainment companies

KATSEYE is the result of a collaboration between U.S. record label Geffen Records and K-pop entertainment company HYBE, which houses groups like BTS, SEVENTEEN, and LE SSERAFIM. The two major players in the entertainment industry joined hands to produce a group that’s got the best of both worlds—tested formulas from the K-pop and U.S. music industry.

They have released five songs so far

KATSEYE’s debut album, Soft Is Strong (SIS), has a total of five songs—”Debut”, “Touch”, “My Way”, “I’m Pretty”, and “Tonight I Might”.

Since their debut on 28 June, the group has been actively promoting their music. Their first stage was at KCON LA, and they’ve since gone on to perform on Good Morning America and Korean music shows such as M Countdown, Show! MusicCore, and Music Bank. All six members also travelled to Manila, Philippines to appear on a TV programme called It’s Showtime.

KATSEYE has six members

After an intense (and emotional) three-step elimination process, the group debuted with a final lineup consisting of six members. In order of their final ranking starting from first place, the members are: Sophia Laforteza, Lara Rajagopalan, Daniela Avanzini, Jeong Yoon Chae, Megan Skiendiel, and Manon Bannerman.

Sophia is the leader

Sophia Laforteza was ranked first place in the final round of competitions, and also holds the title as the leader of KATSEYE. The artist is was born on 31 December 2002, and speaks both English and Tagalog fluently. Her talent and stage presence must be hereditary, because this star is the daughter of Filipina singer and actress Carla Guevara.

Lara was first runner-up

Born on 3 November, 2005 and ethnically Indian, Lara Raj knows how to speak some Tamil, though English is her first language, which doesn’t come as a surprise given that she’s from America.

A quick scroll down her Instagram feed reveals that she was part of Michelle Obama’s campaign for Global Girls Alliance in 2018.

Daniela was on dance programmes

A dancer from the get-go, Daniela Avanzini made it to the top 10 lineup in So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation, and auditioned for America’s Got Talent season eight.

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She also performed a cha cha routine on the Queen Latifah Show with her dance partner Yasha in 2013 when she was nine years of age. Daniela was born on 1 July 2024.

Yoon Chae is the youngest

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At just 17 years old, Yoon Chae is the youngest in the group. She was born on 6 December, 2007, and is the only South Korean in the team. She graduated high school in June of 2024, just weeks before KATSEYE made their official debut.

Megan’s mother is Singaporean

Megan Skiendiel’s birthdate is on 10 February, 2006, making her the same age as fellow member Lara. While her hometown is Honolulu, Hawaii, the artist has Singaporean blood in her, thanks to her Singaporean Chinese mother. She speaks English, a little French, and is learning Cantonese and Mandarin. Before her stint as an idol, however, Megan was a fashion model for some time.

Manon

The oldest of the team, Manon Bannerman, was born on 26 June, 2002, in Zürich, Switzerland. Her father is from Ghana while her mother is Swiss-Italian, and she speaks English and Swiss German. In episode two of Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE, it was revealed that the casting director discovered her through social media and slid into her DMs to get her on the show.

This article was originally published in Harper’s Bazaar Singapore.