By AJ Mun
Staff Writer
Beginning way back in 2022, new trainees were brought into talent agencies Hybe and Geffens “pop academy,” a place meant to form the world's next global girl group. The goal of the academy was to take these young women and train them in dance, vocal and stage presence skills, so that they may rise above the competition and take the performance industry by storm.
After completing their training and being chosen to form Katseye, the group made its official debut, with a single release of “Debut” in June 2024. Since then, they have released an EP titled “SIS: Soft Is Strong” in August 2024, and a second EP “Beautiful Chaos” in June 2025.
Katseye has quickly risen in popularity, that's undeniable, but fans (called eyekons) have been begging across social media for Hybe and Geffen to allow the girls to either write their own music, or receive better songs from the labels in general. With their latest release of “Internet Girl,” containing the lyric “eat zucchini,” many believe that the group is capable of so much more.
My personal theory is that they’re being marketed towards a younger audience, and thus some of their songs aren’t to be taken the most seriously. While I understand that point of view, these are talented young women who have gone through Avengers-level performance training and deserve to be given material fitting for them.
As much as I personally love “Internet Girl,” I much prefer some of their more mature songs such as “M.I.A” or “My Way.” Both songs showcase a range of talent all the while keeping it clean and yet mature for a range of audiences.
Recently, Katseye member Lara Raj has released a snippet of a song that she and her fellow member Megan Skiendiel had worked on in the past that features a hyperpop vibe, similar to Charli XCX. Upon this snippet being released, fans have been begging the labels to let them produce and write their own music.
Even if we look back at some of their missions that they had done during their time at Dream Academy, “Confident” by Demi Lovato and “Buttons” by The Pussycat Dolls, both show just how powerful Katseye could be with the right combination of choreography and music.
As we’ve seen from their recent Grammy’s performance, the dance ability is there, and is only rivaled by Tate McRae in the current pop industry. That being said, though they can dance, who thought it would be a good idea for Katseye to sing the lyrics “fried chicken, gnarly” in front of the recording academy? The worst part about it, was that they have other songs that showcase their vocals more, such as “Gabriela.”
Was the performance entertaining? Yes. Did it show what powerhouses they could truly be? Not at all. It’s just a waste of years of training to have them performing such juvenile pieces. The girls clearly crave more just as much as the fans do, their labels just need to get it together.
They are no longer the 16-year-olds who came into Pop Academy bright-eyed and innocent. These are talented women who deserve to be taken seriously. Given their training, anyone could see that they could be the next, if not bigger, than The Pussycat Dolls, and definitely Fifth Harmony.
All we can do is hope that the labels are listening to the fans and that when it comes time for Katseye to drop an album, it gives us everything we want and need. Now that would be gnarly.
