HYBE's new girl group Katseye set to debut

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HYBE's new girl group Katseye set to debut

Published: 19 Nov. 2023, 13:27 Updated: 19 Nov. 2023, 18:20

YIM SEUNG-HYE
yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr

The final six members of HYBE's new girl group Katseye are unveiled during the ″Live Finale″ show in Los Angeles on Friday. [HYBE]

HYBE’s highly anticipated new girl group is finally set to debut under the name Katseye, the agency announced Saturday.

The band's six members were finalists of the agency’s intense 12-week global audition program, “The Debut Dream Academy.” They were unveiled during a live event, “Live Finale,” in Los Angeles on Friday night. The members are Sophia from the Philippines; Lala, Megan and Daniela from the United States; Manon from Switzerland and Yoonchae from Korea. According to HYBE, the final members were determined by a combination of early and real-time votes during the finale event and the evaluators’ scores.

HYBE, the K-pop agency behind BTS and NewJeans and Geffen Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, have been working together to launch a new girl group through a global audition program that began airing on YouTube, Weverse and Japanese streaming service Abema on Sept. 1. The program featured 20 girls who were selected out of more than 120,000 applicants from around the world.

Manon was the last girl to be called during “Live Finale” and became the final member of the six-member Katseye.

“I’m still processing it,” she said in tears. “I think I just want to say, believe in yourself.”

Scenes from ″Live Finale″ of HYBE and Geffen's global audition program, ″The Debut Dream Academy,″ held live in Los Angeles on Friday. [HYBE]

Daniela also said during the show that she’s “beyond grateful for this amazing opportunity to be standing here with these beautiful girls, and thank you so much to everybody for making my dream become a reality.”

A video featuring Bang Si-hyuk, chairman of HYBE, and John Janick, chairman and CEO of IGA, was played just before announcing the final member.

“The reason you can shine here at this stage is because of the passion and effort you showed in each mission,” said Bang. “The love and support you received from all over the world was amazing, and your performances have allowed you to connect with global fans. I feel very proud of all the contestants, you should congratulate yourself for getting this far, and we will continue to support your journey in the future.”

Scenes from ″Live Finale″ of HYBE and Geffen's global audition program, ″The Debut Dream Academy,″ held live in Los Angeles on Friday. [HYBE]

Janick congratulated the contestants and said, “As you stand on the threshold of the next chapter, remember, this is just the beginning. Keep dreaming big, and keep being yourself. We are proud of each and every one of you.”

HYBE said the girls will get right into preparing for their debut. A docuseries of the whole audition process will be released on Netflix next year.

To find out more about Katseye, visit Celeb Confirmed!

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]