From the archives: KATSEYE on the importance of sisterhood and representation
In August 2024, I interviewed the girl group about their debut, and how they support each other through thick and thin
(Photo credit: Julian Song)
What a difference one year can make.
Back in August 2024, I hopped on a zoom call with KATSEYE, one day after the Netflix docu-series Pop Star Academy released on the streaming platform. While KATSEYE, formed under the reality competition show Dream Academy, officially made their debut two months prior, it was after this series that truly got people noticing the band.
Since my call with the group, KATSEYE’s star has only kept on rising. In April, the band shocked fans with the grungy, hyperpop track “Gnarly”—moving away from the bubbly and cute concept of their debut EP SIS (Soft is Strong). The girls attracted huge crowds during their Lollapalooza debut. And just about everywhere you went, you’d see KATSEYE’s faces attached to brands from Pandora, Jollibee to 5 Gum. Most iconic of all, KATSEYE’s Gap Jeans commercial won praise around the world, as the commercial celebrated a girl group that represented all cultures.
With 2025 being a breakout year for KATSEYE, the band has now landed two Grammy nominations, and are about to head on a sold-out North American tour.
Before the band’s Toronto stop on Tuesday November 18, I thought I’d share the full interview I did with KATSEYE just a year ago. There were certain details I had to cut for length in my original written story for RepresentASIAN Project.
Below, I chatted with the girls about sisterhood and why representation matters.
Conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Congratulations on the new EP! I wanted to break the ice by having you introduce yourselves and the unique roles you play in KATSEYE!
Sophia: I’m Sophia, and I’m from Manila, Philippines. We actually have individual dream charms. Mine is the Dream Anchor, and as the leader of KATSEYE, it kind of represents the stable core and grounds everybody through kindness and intelligence as we embark on this crazy journey .
Daniela: I’m Daniella. I’m from Atlanta, Georgia and my charm is the guardian shield. It signifies bold confidence. It symbolizes strength, and its purpose is to defend and protect us from the dangers and threats of the world.
Yoonchae: I’m Yoonchae. I’m from Seoul, South Korea and my dream charm is Soothing Shell. It provides gentle comfort to the other members.
Lara: Hi, I’m Lara. I’m from New York and LA and I’m the limitless key. So basically it represents opening and unlocking new opportunities and new doors for the group. I’m kind of the adventurous one, and I always push the group to expand and to keep trying new things.
Megan: I’m Megan, and I’m from Honolulu, Hawaii. My dream charm is the Dual Cherry. I bring the duality of a sweet but also tart kind of personality into the group. I bring the fun and the energy and the confidence.
Manon: I’m Manon and I’m from Switzerland. My dream charm is the Stellar Tiara which stands for elegance and royalty. It kind of represents my quiet confidence. Like auntie/big sister vibes to the group.
Your debut EP also has a dual meaning, SIS (Soft is Strong). Can you tell me about how that describes you as a group?
Daniela: SIS stands for soft is strong, and I think our whole EP really does showcase our sisterhood, our duality as KATSEYE and as individuals. How soft is literally strong, kind of like porcelain dolls. [They’re] very soft [in appearance] but also very strong and durable.
The songs in the EP, they represent us perfectly. Every song has a different meaning, and there’s some songs that are more stronger, and there’s other songs that are softer. “Touch” is one of our softer songs, for example, and “Debut” is one of our stronger songs.
Being a group over the last year, how has that helped you form a sisterhood and bond?
Sophia: It’s been such an amazing journey, like I spent so much time with these girls, and it’s so cool that we all are constantly reminding each other that we’re literally living our dream. And it’s so cool because it’s a good reminder for each other every time we’re going through, like, all these hours of rehearsals and all the struggles and communicating with each other. The best part about this group is that we’ve really made such an effort to always make things work and be there for each other. And I think that’s really what makes us sisters.
It’s so cool because my sisters are literally from all over the world! I never would have thought I would be in this kind of situation. We’re all so grateful.
You talked about how “Touch” is one of your softer songs. While “Debut” is a stronger song. What went around picking those two tracks as the singles for this EP?
Lara: I feel like “Debut,” we wanted that to be our first song because it’s our first statement as KATSEYE. Lyrically, that was what we wanted our first thing out in the world to be. It’s very bold, it’s very confident, and I feel like it shows the strength we have together as a group.
Then “Touch”, when we all first heard [it], we knew. We were gagged! We knew this is the one! But we felt like it needed to come second, because we wanted people to have a little taste of what we would bring to music.
What was it about “Touch” that felt so magic?
Manon: The first time we heard it, I remember just being like, “Oh my god. It’s so catchy!” It wouldn’t leave my head. I love the lyrics in it. It’s so relatable and very like girl power, and it’s just a feel-good song.
Lara: I also feel like the production on “Touch” is so fun. It’s so fresh and inspired by PinkPantheress. She’s such a big inspiration to us.
Your group gives me glimpses of girl bands of the past. Were there certain girl groups that you grew up feeling inspired by and still feel inspired by?
Daniela: Oh my gosh, so many! We have Destiny’s Child, Pussycat Dolls, Spice Girls, Blackpink, LE SSERAFIM, aespa...there’s so many.
You worked with producers like Ryan Tedder and Slow Rabbit on this project. What would you say are some things you learned in the recording booth with them?
Sophia: I feel like one of the biggest things that we really learned throughout the making of this EP was how the most important and effective thing to really make these songs hit is our own intention in the story that we want to tell. Because, we can enter that booth and just sing these songs and say the lyrics and all that, but they’re never gonna mean anything unless we give it meaning. And so, Ryan Tedder gave us all a second and a little talk beforehand. Like, “Girl, go for it!” He put us in a headspace where we could be like, “Okay, we’re artists. These are our songs. These are our lyrics.”
Speaking of sisterhood, something that really touched my heart is how you celebrated Yoonchae’s high school graduation by surprising her with a party. What did that mean for you, Yoonchae?
Yoonchae: I think it was so cute, I was so touched. I was also surprised…
Sophia: (laughs) We were being so suss!
Lara: She KNEW something was up.
Sophia: She was laughing at us, and we thought we were doing so good!
But I think that’s what it’s like to be in a family in some way. You’re all living together, but apart from your family. How has being together helped you through the challenges of being apart from your family?
Sophia: I think that was one of the biggest sacrifices that a lot of us had to make was moving away from home and not being able to see our family. I think all of us understood that we were going through that, and so stepping in for each other and really being there for each other was one of the things that I feel made us get through this a little easier.
And the best part too, is that the girls who do have some family here, like, they’re always inviting us over. Like, Lara’s parents and Megan’s too.
Sometimes, Dani’s mom will come over and take care of all of us as well. Once we joined this program, we were all like family. We only had each other. We also have so many people in the company who are just always taking care of us.
Megan, what do you guys do together in your downtime?
Megan: There was one time where me and my mom took all the girls to this Singaporean-Malaysian restaurant. I made them all order laksa and Hainan chicken rice. It was just a really fun day. And, I take them around. They go shopping [in] the malls because I also drive. I get to drive all the girls everywhere.
Since Dream Academy aired, we only got glimpses of the process of how you guys trained and became a group. But Pop Star Academy, the docuseries on Netflix, goes a little deeper and gives a more honest look at what it’s actually like.
What do you want people to know about the journey and growth that you guys have had as performers now that the series is out?
Lara: I feel like we really want them to see how hard we worked, because I think it was a lot of time compiling it to eight hours of footage. So, a lot more happened. And we want them to know how passionate I think we all truly are, and how much we actually did rely on each other. We hope that people are inspired watching it. Know that you just need to be consistent, work hard and you will achieve your goals.
Manon, I know you had some ups and downs during evaluations, especially when you got critical notes. How has that helped you grow?
Manon: I think at first, I was very new to this process. I didn’t know anything about K-pop, and I had to get used to it. You know, getting criticism and everything at first can be hard. But again, we always talk about how much we’ve grown through the process, and how much we’ve learned. And I think one of the main things I’ve learned is that, you can prove people wrong. If you get criticism, work harder and fix it.
Megan: I also think getting criticism and everything really built up our thick skin for the industry that we are going into. I feel like everything that we experienced through this program really kind of prepared us to what was gonna come for when we made KATSEYE. This industry is not easy.
(Photo credit: Julian Song)
Many girls right now probably would not have imagined seeing a group like KATSEYE. What does representation mean to you?
Manon: I think it means everything to us. That’s something we’re so proud of. We look so different and that’s something we all wanted to have when we were growing up. I feel like it’s just such a beautiful thing to know that young girls can look at us, at our group, and see themselves in us and really know that anything is possible. So we want to open up doors and encourage young girls to follow their dreams and show them that anything is possible.
Lara: I think that as an Indian girl and just as a South Asian in general, there hasn’t really been any South Asian artist, like pop star, in the media. And growing up, I always felt like that was my weakness. I felt like, because I was brown, I couldn’t do this, and it would hold me back. As I’ve grown up, I’ve learned it’s my superpower. I feel like representation is so important, especially for little kids growing up. It’s so important to be able to see someone that looks like you and have a role model and an idol that you can look up to.
Sophia: I feel exactly the same as Lara. Having Filipino representation anywhere makes us so proud because we don’t see it a lot, especially in this industry.
I remember the first thing they ever put out when they announced us in Dream Academy was all of us saying “dream” in our language. And I remember when people heard pangarap, which is “dream” in Tagalog, they were all like, “Was that Tagalog?” That’s what made me cry. I didn’t cry about this until I saw the comment that was, like, “Filipina fangirl here. I heard my language!” I started bawling. It was insane. I never thought it was gonna hit that hard.
Is there anything you’d like to achieve down the line as a group together?
Daniela: So many things that we would love to do. Tours! We would love to win awards. We definitely want to get to communicate with and see our EYEKONS up close and personal. It just makes us really excited for what’s to come in the future.
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