In late June,
the girl group KATSEYE launched their first song called “Debut.” A month later, they dropped another catchy tune, “Touch,” that’s now trending on TikTok. With one million Spotify listeners, their journey wasn’t quick. Geffen Records and HYBE put 20 girls through a rigorous K-pop training program to form KATSEYE, documenting it all for the Netflix show Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE, coming out on Aug. 21.
“The people that created BTS have this vision to take the ‘K’ out of K-pop and make it global,” says an expert in the trailer. About 120,000 hopefuls auditioned for The Debut: Dream Academy, but the standards were sky-high. Early in the clip, a choreographer tells the room: “You’re already good. I need you to be better.” The trainees felt the pressure, with one stating, “I think everyone is a threat,” and another adding, “I literally perform for my life each time I dance.” One trainee summed it up: “If I make the girl group, that’s when my life starts.”
KATSEYE members Manon, Sophia, Daniela, Lara, Megan, and Yoonchae were chosen from 20 contestants, narrowed down to 10 finalists, through a three-month audition process aired online. “The girls know they can be eliminated at any moment, for any reason,” another voice says in the trailer. Directed by Nadia Hallgren, who worked on the Michelle Obama documentary Becoming, Pop Star Academy showcases HYBE and Geffen’s “first global girl group.”
Before the series debuts, KATSEYE will release their EP SIS (Soft Is Strong) on Aug. 16, featuring “Debut” and “Touch,” along with new tracks like “My Way,” “I’m Pretty,” and “Tonight I Might.” The songs feature contributions from well-known artists like Ryan Tedder, Cashmere Cat, and Omar Fedi.
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“When we stepped into [his] studio, we got a little pep talk from him,” said Sophia about Tedder in a Teen Vogue interview. “He put each and every one of us in a head space that was just, ‘Go for it. You’re a star. Imagine you’re on the stage, and the whole crowd is there, and you’re singing to them.’ He really helped us tap into our artistry.”
