Girl groups have been a fan favorite spanning from groups like the Spice Girls and The Pussycat Dolls to Little Mix and Fifth Harmony – creating empowering feminist music for many to enjoy. There is now a company that is integrating new ways to create such groups.
In 2005 HYBE, a Korean entertainment company, was founded as a Big Hit Entertainment Co., LTD. by Bang Si-Hyuk. This marked the beginning of a long road of success for various K-pop groups. Groups like BTS, founded in 2013, and Blackpink, founded in 2016, are examples of this. K-pop stands for Korean pop music, a genre that originated in South Korea that blends various different music styles. K-pop groups stand out from other music groups because of their vibrant visuals, synchronized choreography, and strong idol fan culture. HYBE, an entertainment company, acts as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and concert production company, and music publishing house.Â
Essentially, HYBE selects trainees that they find to have star quality and start to train them in vocals, dance, and other industry related training. From there, they cut down the number of trainees until they find their desired group, creating the next group, and giving them a huge platform.Â
In November of 2021, HYBE opened up auditions for Dream Academy. The project was officially announced in August of 2023, revealing that the auditions were a part of a global talent competition and survival show as a joint effort between HYBE and Geffen Records to create a Global Girl Group.Â
Twenty candidates from all over the world were selected over time and they began training and going through various different auditions and training sessions. Girls were cut from the program throughout the process for various reasons. The girls were unaware that this process would become a survival show until it was announced in 2023. The fan-interactive project involved twenty female candidates from around the world competing in three “missions” to test their artistry. Eliminations occurred after each mission, leaving ten contestants to compete in the finale, where the group’s final members were decided.
On November 18th 2023, on the live finale of “The Debut: Dream Academy”, the final six members of the new global girl group, “Katseye” was announced. This included Sophia Elizabeth G. Laforteza (22), Meret Manon Bannerman (23), Daniela Avanzini (21), Lara Rajagopalan (19), Megan Meiyok Skiendiel (19), Jeong Yoonchae (17). Each member has a different nationality background: Sophia being Filipino, Manon being Swiss, Daniela being American-Latina, Lara being Indian-American, Megan being Chinese-Singaporean-American, and Yoonchae being Korean.Â
This global girl group is bringing attention to many different cultures and countries. These girls are empowering to many young women across the world and a huge inspiration. Katseye has thirty-eight songs out right now, the most popular being Gnarly, Gabriela, and Touch. The group has grown into one of pop’s most-watched newcomers, winning their very first MTV VMA award for Push Performance of the Year for “Touch.” Recently, Katseye partnered with Gap on a campaign titled “Better in Denim.” The advertisement went viral because the campaign showcases individuality and the ways in which we express ourselves through clothing. There were no better representatives than this diverse, global girl group!Â
Katseye is paving a new road for groups like these ones and encouraging diversity and following your dreams!