What is next for KATSEYE to get a true breakout moment?

So, KATSEYE… if you’re in this subreddit, there’s a good chance you know who they are! If you don’t - KATSEYE are a 6-member girl group under HYBE, described as the ‘first global group’ with members from the USA, Switzerland, the Philippines & South Korea. KATSEYE were formed as part of the Netflix series Pop Star Academy.

When the Grammy nominations were announced, I was very surprised to see them nominated for Best New Artist - especially since the Recording Academy has a tendency to not reward girl groups. I was even more surprised to see “Gabriela” in Best Pop Duo/Group Performance - I don’t think anybody predicted that!

The very fact that they have gotten two nominations already, at just over a year since they became a group, is actually very impressive. Whilst “Gabriela” has been slowly rising on Billboard and has done well on radio, and “Gnarly” was a viral moment - they still have yet to have that big breakout hit which takes them to the next level.

I definitely think their identity as a global group does have a big impact on their reach. I feel like a lot of girls (and guys of course) can relate to them, since they have a unique element of all being from different countries or cultures. It’s really important to make young people feel seen and KATSEYE definitely achieve that. I do think this global appeal had an impact on their Grammy noms, because Academy members likely also related to this.

The girls are very talented and vocally, Lara and Sophia are very very talented (not that the others aren’t!). However, many fans have been critical of recent songs. For example, an unreleased song that they have been performing on tour called “Internet Girl” went viral for the wrong reasons - the lyrics are beyond corny. It just feels like their talents are almost being wasted through the ‘brain rot’ music, and it would be nice to see songs which really cater to them. “Gabriela” was a good start but even that feels too safe considering it was a demo from Little Mix, then, Rita Ora, and then Anitta before finally being given to KATSEYE.

So - what do you think needs to happen in terms of their sonic direction for them to have longevity?

I personally think HYBE should pay attention to the positive reception of the viral GAP advert to Milkshake and give us some more songs that lean pop-R&B/hip-hop. But without the super corny lyrics and lazy production choices. I can totally see them succeeding with songs similar to Tate McRae’s “Sports car”, Ariana Grande’s “motive” or Doja Cat’s “Like That” - they just need the right sound and they’ll definitely get a major breakout moment. Also, I liked how they gave Daniela a solo in Spanish on “Gabriela” - it would be a really good move to do something similar with the other girls and their cultural languages! For example, a Bollywood inspired song for Lara would be great.