KATSEYE
KATSEYE is a six-member global girl group assembled by HYBE and Geffen Records through the 2023 survival series 'Dream Academy,' which auditioned tens of thousands of hopefuls worldwide before settling on a multinational lineup. Built to fuse the rigor of K-pop's idol-training system — synchronized choreography and concept-driven eras — with the melodic instincts of American and British pop, the group broke through on the 2024 EP 'SIS (Soft Is Strong)' and the 2025 set 'Beautiful Chaos,' whose single 'Gnarly' became their first Billboard Hot 100 entry. Their music moves between airy R&B, melodic drum and bass, and maximalist dance-pop, positioning them as a deliberate bridge between Seoul's training studios and Western radio.
KATSEYE have named the Pussycat Dolls among their influences, and critics place the group in that lineage of choreography-forward, sass-driven dance-pop. You hear it in the strutting attitude and tightly drilled group routines, where a taunting, come-and-get-it delivery rides a hard dance beat.
listen forPlay the Pussycat Dolls' 'Don't Cha' and then KATSEYE's 'Gnarly' — both build the hook around a bratty, taunting kiss-off delivered over a hard-strutting beat, the vocal daring you to keep up.
As a HYBE-affiliated act, KATSEYE emerged from the same idol-training pipeline as label sibling Le Sserafim, whom they cite as an influence, and share its emphasis on razor-precise choreography and genre-blurring pop. You hear the kinship in KATSEYE's crisp, dance-locked arrangements and their taste for drum-and-bass-inflected pop.
listen forThrow on Le Sserafim's 'Antifragile' and then KATSEYE's 'Touch' — both wrap breathy, syncopated vocal hooks around a skittering, bass-heavy groove engineered to snap to choreography.
KATSEYE cite the Spice Girls as a model for the modern girl group — a handful of distinct personalities packaged as a single pop force, trading lines so every member gets a moment. It surfaces in KATSEYE's playful, character-forward songs, where individual voices swap off across a big, singalong hook.
listen forCue the Spice Girls' 'Wannabe' before KATSEYE's 'Gabriela' — both are cheeky, personality-driven pop built on a chant-along chorus and a rotating cast of voices, more attitude and fun than polish.