HYBE Labels introduced a new girl group, Katseye, which features members of multi-national ethnicities. The group introduced themselves to the world through the “Debut” single’s music video, which surpassed over 2.4 million views within three days of release.
The K-pop label’s new group was formed from the survival reality show The Debut: Dream Academy. Twenty participants joined the survival program, and six rookies made it to the final lineup of the show.
The survival reality show was a collaboration of HYBE Labels and Geffen Records. So interested participants from the United States could also apply to fulfill their K-pop debut dream.
Hybe’s new K-pop group: Who are Katseye members?
HYBE Labels’ new girl group, Katseye, has six members: Sophia, Manon, Daniela, Lara, Megan, and Yoonchae. The group created a buzz online by delivering a refreshing concept with their first official single, “Debut.”
The most striking feature of Katseye is its multi-national lineup. Fans speculate that BTS‘ home company, HYBE, is determined to reign on the global music charts. Hence, a group where many artists of different ethnicities will come together seems like a winning formula.
The group’s name also pays tribute to its members’ diversity. As per the label, the cat’s eye shows various colors depending on its direction, much like each of the members, who are all different in their cultural backgrounds but united as one under KATSEYE, ready to show their power together.
So, let’s look at Katseye members’ profiles, who are set to bring a new change to the K-pop world one song at a time.
Sophia Laforteza
The leader of Katseye is Sophia, who ranked first in the survival show Dream Academy. The 22-year-old rookie hails from the Philippines. The K-pop star’s biggest inspiration is BTS V. She also looks up to Le Sserafim’s Huh Yunjin.
Sophia’s biggest strength in the group is her ability to manage everyone together. As the group leader, she brings everyone together and decides what’s best. She is also the ‘chef’ of the group.
Manon Bannerman
The 22-year-old rookie performer Manon ranked sixth in the debut lineup. She has a mix of ethnicities from her parents. Her father is from Ghana, and her mother is Swiss-Italian. Manon’s role model is Beyoncé. She also looks up to Billie Eilish.
Manon’s biggest strength in the group is her multilingual skills. She can speak Swiss-German (her first language), German, English, and French. In addition to singing and dancing, Manon has a passion for songwriting.
Daniela Avanzini
American rising star Daniela Avanzini placed third in Dream Academy’s debut lineup. The 20-year-old rookie star is multilingual and speaks English and Spanish. Her biggest inspirations are Carti and Lil Uzi Vert. Like Manon, Daniela also has a mix of ethnicities. She is Venezuelan-Cuban.
Before applying for Dream Academy, the rookie star ranked 10th in the 13th season of So You Think You Can Dance? She also stood second in the Super Kids Europe international competition. Daniela’s biggest strength in Katseye is her deep knowledge of different sorts of dance. She has learned Afro-Cuban, Afro-style dance, cha-cha-cha, and salsa.
Lara Raj
The Indian-American rookie star Lara Raj snagged second place in the Dream Academy debut lineup. The 19-year-old Katseye member can speak English and Tamil. Her most prominent role models in the K-pop industry are BTS Jimin and Enhypen’s Niki.
Along with singing and dancing, Lara loves producing music. The singer wishes to collaborate with Rihanna, Britney Spears, Timbaland, BTS Jimin, Pharrell Williams, and M.I.A. Before debuting with Katseye, Lara participated in Michelle Obama’s Global Girls Alliance campaign video.
Megan Skiendiel
One of Katseye’s youngest members is Megan Skiendiel, who came in fifth place. The 18-year-old Chinese-Singaporean-American star considers Blackpink Jennie and BTS Jimin her biggest idols.
Before debuting with Katseye, Megan worked as a fashion model. She has previously walked in Paris and LA’s fashion week for high-fashion couture shows. As part of Katseye, the songstress wants to collaborate with Beyoncé, Lana Del Rey, Danja, Blackpink, and Drake.
Yoonchae Jeong
The only Korean member of Katseye is Yoonchae Jeong, who ranked fourth in the finale of Dream Academy. Yoonchae is also the youngest member of the group. The 17-year-old K-pop rookie star looks up to BTS and Blackpink Jennie as her idols.
Before auditioning at HYBE Labels, Yoonchae passed the auditions for CJ E&M in 2020. She revealed that BTS’ impact inspired her to join the K-pop industry. Yoonchae believes that Katseye can significantly grow in the next five years and achieve numerous goals that they have set.
Meanwhile, Katseye has started promoting their first single, “Debut.” After the official music video, fans will also see a special group performance video on July 8 at 11 a.m. ET, 8 a.m. PT and July 9, 12 a.m. KST.
