KATSEYE: Members, Age, Height, Songs and Latest News (2026 Guide)

KATSEYE is a six-member global girl group formed by HYBE and Geffen Records through the 2023 competition The Debut: Dream Academy. Members Sophia, Lara, Daniela, Manon, Megan and Yoonchae debuted in June 2024, and their 2026 EP WILD became their first No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Who is KATSEYE, and why does every pop fan seem to know the name? Maybe you first heard “Gnarly” on TikTok. Maybe you caught the group on Saturday Night Live this fall. Either way, KATSEYE has gone from a reality-show experiment to one of the busiest acts in pop in just three years.

This guide covers each member’s real name, age and height, plus the songs, awards and big moments behind the buzz. You will also find the latest on Manon’s and Sophia’s hiatuses and what the WILDWORLD Tour looks like right now.

KATSEYE Quick Bio / Wiki

KATSEYE Members and Real Names

KATSEYE is the group’s name, not a person’s. Sophia explained in an InStyle interview that it comes from chrysoberyl, the gemstone better known as “cat’s eye.” The stone’s glow shifts depending on the angle, much like the six members’ different personalities. The group was first planned as “Catseye.” Lara later suggested the K spelling, and the members liked its sharper look.

Meet the Six Members of KATSEYE

• Sophia Laforteza is the group’s leader and the member tied to the Philippines.
• Lara Raj performs under a shortened surname. Her full name is Lara Rajagopalan, and she is Indian American.
• Daniela Avanzini is the dance powerhouse, born in Atlanta and fluent in English and Spanish.
• Manon Bannerman is from Zürich, Switzerland, and her full name is reportedly Meret Manon Bannerman.
• Megan Skiendiel was born in Honolulu and trained in dance from a young age.
• Yoonchae Jeung is the youngest member and a native of South Korea.

KATSEYE Early Life, Education and Nationality

KATSEYE’s members arrived from very different places. That mix is part of why people call them a global girl group. Here is what each has shared publicly:

• Sophia began singing at age three. Her mother is Filipino musical theater actress Carla Guevara Laforteza. Sophia also appeared as a contestant on Family Feud Philippines in 2022.
• Daniela started competitive dancesport at three. She danced on America’s Got Talent in 2013 and later reached the top 10 on So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation in 2016.
• Megan grew up in Honolulu and trained in professional dance. Reports describe her as half Singaporean.
• Lara started acting and singing early. She appeared in a 2018 campaign video for the Obama Foundation’s Global Girls Alliance.
• Manon built an audience through short-form video and did modeling work in Switzerland.
• Yoonchae became a K-pop trainee in 2020 before joining Dream Academy.

Formal school details are mostly private, so this profile does not guess. What is clear is that their real “classroom” was HYBE and Geffen’s Los Angeles training program.

Nationality: The members are linked to the Philippines (Sophia), the United States (Daniela, Lara, Megan), Switzerland (Manon) and South Korea (Yoonchae).

Religion: None of the members has publicly discussed their faith in a way that is widely documented, so we leave it out.

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KATSEYE Parents and Siblings

Public details about the KATSEYE members’ families are limited, and that is by choice. Most of the six rarely name relatives in interviews. A few verified points stand out:

• Sophia’s mother, Carla Guevara Laforteza, is a known Filipino stage performer. Sophia has pointed to her as an early musical influence.
• Lara and Manon have spoken about their multicultural family roots. Lara is Indian American, and Manon has described a mixed European background.
• Daniela and Megan have mentioned family support in interviews, but without much detail.

We do not list names of siblings or other relatives here. The members are young, and several have asked for space around private topics. If more verified details become public, this section will be updated.

KATSEYE Boyfriends and Relationship Status

KATSEYE keeps romance out of the spotlight. No member has publicly confirmed a boyfriend, husband or engagement. Online rumors come and go, but fan edits and anonymous posts are not evidence. This profile does not assign partners to any member.

That privacy makes sense. Group members start out as trainees in a K-pop-style system, where schedules are packed with rehearsals, tours and promotion. Their public focus is music, dance and, lately, their health. We will update this section only if a member confirms something herself.

KATSEYE Members Age, Height, Weight and Physical Appearance

How Old Are the KATSEYE Members?

As of October 12, 2026, the members range from 18 to 24 years old. Birth dates below come from public member profiles. Two are reported dates and should be treated with a little caution.

How Tall Are the KATSEYE Members?

KATSEYE height varies by member. Netflix’s Dream Academy profiles in 2023 reportedly listed:

Some newer fan databases list Megan and Yoonchae a bit taller, around 169–170 cm. These numbers are reported, not official, and members may have grown since 2023.

Weight and Appearance

There are no reliable, confirmed weight figures for the KATSEYE members. We do not publish guesses, because they can be wrong and can feed unhealthy comparisons.

Their look is easier to describe. KATSEYE leans into Y2K fashion: low-rise denim, crop tops and archival pieces. Creative director Humberto Leon has said he draws on art, film and history instead of copying pop trends. He has used early-2000s style icons as references and works cultural touches into each look. Examples include a bindi for Lara and waist beads for Manon.

KATSEYE Before Fame: The Dream Academy Journey

Before there was a KATSEYE, there was a very long audition process. In 2021, HYBE and Geffen Records launched a worldwide search for a new girl group. Auditions took place in South Korea, the United States, Japan and the United Kingdom in 2022. More than 120,000 people applied, and 20 contestants made it into The Debut: Dream Academy.

Those 20 trainees spent about a year in Los Angeles learning in the Korean idol-trainee style. That meant daily vocal and dance work plus weekly missions. The competition ended on November 18, 2023, with Sophia, Lara, Yoonchae, Megan, Daniela and Manon chosen as the final six.

Fans saw much of this up close. Netflix’s docuseries Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE, directed by Nadia Hallgren, premiered on August 21, 2024. It showed the nerves, the long rehearsals and the pressure of building a group from scratch. This is why many fans feel they “grew up” with KATSEYE.

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KATSEYE Career: From Debut to a No. 1 Album

2024: “Debut,” “Touch” and SIS

KATSEYE debuted on June 28, 2024, with “Debut.” The music video was filmed in Medellín, Colombia. Next came “Touch” on July 26. It is a drum-and-bass-flavored R&B track, and it took off after its dance went viral on TikTok in September 2024. It reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.

The five-track EP SIS (Soft Is Strong) followed on August 16, 2024. It debuted at No. 119 on the Billboard 200 and topped the Emerging Artists chart. The group also released “Flame,” the theme for Netflix’s animated series Jentry Chau vs. the Underworld.

2025: “Gnarly,” “Gabriela” and Grammy Nominations

“Gnarly” arrived April 30, 2025. Reaction was mixed, but the attention was huge, and it became KATSEYE’s first Billboard Hot 100 entry. “Gabriela,” co-written with Charli XCX, followed with a telenovela-style video and a cameo from Jessica Alba. It climbed to No. 21 on the Hot 100.

Beautiful Chaos arrived June 27, 2025, and debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. In November 2025, KATSEYE earned Grammy nominations for Best New Artist and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (for “Gabriela”). Their first headline tour, the Beautiful Chaos Tour, sold out all 16 North American dates.

2026: WILD, Coachella and No. 1

The year opened with “Internet Girl” in January, which drew polarized reactions. “Pinky Up” arrived April 9, one day before the group’s Coachella debut. On May 25, KATSEYE won all three awards they were nominated for at the 2026 American Music Awards. In June they released “Iconic by Mistake” with HYBE labelmates LE SSERAFIM and ILLIT.

Their third EP, WILD, arrived August 14, 2026, led by “Pinky Up,” “Animal” and “Hootie Frutti.” It became KATSEYE’s first No. 1 on the Billboard 200, which trade coverage described as the biggest girl-group debut on the chart since 2008. It also reached No. 2 in the UK. Critics were split, though. NME’s review called the EP’s direction uncertain, while fans streamed it heavily.

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Are Manon and Sophia Still in KATSEYE? Hiatus and What’s Next

Yes, both are still members, but both are on break. The facts as of October 12, 2026:

• Manon Bannerman began a temporary hiatus on February 20, 2026, to focus on her “personal health and wellbeing.” She does not appear on WILD. No return date has been announced.
• Sophia Laforteza announced a temporary hiatus on August 7, 2026, saying she was prioritizing her mental health. On October 8, HYBE × Geffen said she will rejoin group activities in the first week of January 2027. She will miss the North American WILDWORLD Tour and promotion for the rest of this year.
• The current lineup is Daniela, Lara, Megan and Yoonchae. The quartet made KATSEYE’s Saturday Night Live debut on the Season 52 premiere in late September, performing “Animal” and “Hootie Frutti.”

The WILDWORLD Tour opened September 1 in Dublin. The North American leg starts October 13 in Miami and ends November 27 in Mexico City, with a stop at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on November 21. Megan also dealt with an ankle injury in August, which led the group to cancel a set at a festival.

What comes next depends on the members’ wellbeing, so no one should expect a fixed timeline. Fans have mostly responded with support. For now, the focus is the tour, the new music and Sophia’s January return.

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KATSEYE Social Media Presence

KATSEYE lives where Gen Z lives. Their official links, including Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Spotify, are collected at katseye.world. HYBE’s fan platform Weverse is also where major announcements, such as the October 8 statement, appear first.

• Dance content is the engine. “Touch” blew up through a TikTok dance challenge, and the group posts choreography videos with each release.
• TikTok named KATSEYE its Global Artist of the Year for 2025, citing more than 30 billion views.
• Google ranked them No. 2 on its U.S. “Trending Musicians” list for 2025.
• The EYEKONS fandom is highly active. Fans organize listening parties, including a Mumbai event for WILD.
• Press appearances build the brand. Before WILD, the group spoke with NPR, cooked for Vogue’s “Now Serving” series, shopped for sneakers with Complex and appeared on a Jake Shane podcast.

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KATSEYE Net Worth and Achievements

What Is KATSEYE’s Net Worth?

There is no verified, public figure for KATSEYE’s net worth. A group’s earnings are shared with a label under contracts that are not public.

Revenue is also not the same thing as net worth. Online estimates swing wildly, so we do not repeat them. What can be said is that their income streams are real: streaming, a sold-out 2025 tour, a 27-city 2026 arena run, merchandise and brand deals.

Brand Partnerships

KATSEYE’s fashion appeal has led to deals with Gap, Fendi, Coach, Glossier, Pandora, Lush, Jollibee, Laneige and Matrix. Their Gap “Better in Denim” ad from August 2025 reportedly passed 400 million views in under two weeks. They also appeared in a State Farm ad during Super Bowl LX in February 2026.

Key Achievements

• WILD reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (August 2026).
• Beautiful Chaos debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 (2025).
• Two nominations at the 68th Grammy Awards: Best New Artist and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
• Three wins at the 2026 American Music Awards.
• Performances at Coachella 2026 and the SNL Season 52 premiere.

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KATSEYE Legacy and Impact

KATSEYE is still young, but its influence is already visible. The group is built on a simple idea: American pop songs, performed by singers trained with K-pop discipline. That mix has opened doors for a new kind of global pop act. According to coverage of the group, the lineup includes the first Indian, Filipina, Latina and Black artists signed to HYBE.

Their fashion matters too. Y2K looks, bold denim ads and creative director Humberto Leon’s art-driven styling have made KATSEYE a fashion story as much as a music story.

The picture is not all praise. Some songs, like “Gnarly” and “Internet Girl,” drew mixed or polarized reviews. Critics have asked whether viral hooks sometimes outweigh musical depth. Still, the chart results, the awards and the tour crowds suggest the group is connecting with a large audience. Their next chapter, with Sophia’s return in January 2027, will show how well they handle growth and pressure.

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KATSEYE Notable Works

KATSEYE Hobbies

Group-wide hobbies are not documented, but these interests are publicly reported:

• Practicing and refining choreography (Daniela’s dance roots go back to age three)
• Writing and producing music (Lara wrote and produced “Unloveu,” a WILD bonus track)
• Cooking favorite foods, as seen in a Vogue “Now Serving” appearance
• Sneaker shopping and fashion styling
• Exploring cities and local food on tour

KATSEYE Interesting Facts

• The name comes from the cat’s-eye gemstone (chrysoberyl), and Lara suggested the K spelling.
• More than 120,000 people applied; 20 reached Dream Academy and six became KATSEYE.
• “Debut” was filmed in Medellín, Colombia.
• “Gabriela” was described as a modern twist on Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.”
• The group sold out all 16 dates of its 2025 North American tour.
• Their 2026 documentary film, KATSEYE: WILD HEARTS, played in about 1,700 cinemas across more than 60 countries.
• The KATSEYE fandom name is EYEKONS.

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Conclusion

KATSEYE’s story is still being written. In three years, this global girl group went from a Netflix-documented experiment to Grammy nominations, award-show wins and a No. 1 album.

They have also faced real challenges, including two member hiatuses, injuries and mixed reviews. How they navigate Sophia’s January 2027 return and Manon’s uncertain timeline will shape their next era.

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