When the record label behind Olivia Rodrigo, Elton John, and Kali Uchis collaborates with the conglomerate behind BTS, NewJeans, and Le Sserafim, the product is a new global girl group looking to revitalize the western girl group scene.
On August 16, 2024, about one month ago at time of writing, that group – named KATSEYE – released their debut extended play SIS (Soft is Strong), to the joy of their EYEKON fan club. Today, we’ll explore their formation and I’ll leave a review of this new release.
Who is KATSEYE? How Was KATSEYE Formed?
KATSEYE is a six-member girl group composed of members:
- leader Sophia Laforteza (21) of Manila, Philippines;
- Manon Bannerman (22) of Lucerne, Switzerland of mixed Swiss-Ghanaian descent;
- Megan Meiyok Skiendiel (18) of Hawai’i, U.S.A. of Chinese-Singaporean descent;
- Lara Rajagopalan (18) of Dallas, New York, and Los Angeles, U.S.A. of Tamil descent;
- Daniela Avanzini (20) of Atlanta, U.S.A. of Cuban-Venezuelan descent;
- and Yoonchae Jeong (16) of Seoul, South Korea.
The group was formed by a collaboration with HYBE Corporation of South Korea and Geffen Records of the United States through the X Factor-esque survival show Debut: Dream Academy. The show featured twenty talented young women representing every continent except Antarctica and was chronicled by the new Netflix docuseries, Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE.
I watched both the survival show and the docuseries as they came out and recommend the latter for anyone that is interested after reading this article or listening to the EP.
HYBE and Geffen set out to rejuvenate the girl group scene in the west and throughout the world with KATSEYE. Does this freshman extended play help them achieve that goal?
Reviewing SIS (Soft Is Strong): Formulating Virality and Harnessing Girlhood
The EP consists of five songs: “Debut” (2:03), *“Touch” (2:10), “My Way” (2:35), “I’m Pretty” (2:23), and “Tonight I Might” (2:37). None of the songs reach three minutes in length, totalling the album to a 11:44 runtime, perfect for commutes to school and our collective shortening attention spans.
SIS is currently (October 2nd) on the Apple Music Top 200 Albums chart in eighteen countries, with it debuting in the U.S. Billboard 200 at #119.
Song One: “Debut”
Written by: Grant Boutin, Omer Fedy, Ryan Tedder, Tyler Spry
“Debut” starts off with an addictive “la, la-la, la la-la la la” and immediately makes one thing clear: this is not going to be your average “me and my friends having fun” type of song where the singers just proclaim how cool they are and why everyone should envy them.
The lyrics proudly declare that the KATSEYE girls aren’t “flexing” and just trying to get the work done. They invite anyone who wants to join them or confront them to “check in at the gate and come through”.
The song is a brilliant start to SIS (Soft Is Strong) as it defines their independence and individuality, while also highlighting the strengths of the girls together and apart. I will say that the song took some time to grow on me, but once you get it – well, you get it.
I rate this opening song an 8.2/10, a solid song with addictive choreography that can empower anyone and everyone. (Side Note: The instrumental to “Debut” is currently a part of Target’s Halloween 2024 ad campaign, as of September 24th, 2024.)
Song Two: “Touch” – Main/Title Track
Written by: Blake Slatkin, Caroline Ailin, Jessica Porfiri, Magnus August Høiberg, Omer Fedi, Taka Perry
“Touch” is a song you may have already heard on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube from the crazy wave of virality it spawned. At the time of writing, almost 200,000 videos have been made using the official sound on TikTok, with the song in the Spotify Top 200 in thirteen countries and on the YouTube Music Trending page in four countries.
“Touch” also has good chances of breaking into the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, with it already doing so on the Billboard Philippines Hot 100. So what does this main track do to make it so popular worldwide?
Like “Debut”, the song’s hook and chorus are incredibly addictive, with a choreography put together with TikTok-era simplicity in mind from the beginning. The lyrics are also easy to follow, with each vocalist singing clearly.
Speaking of the singers, three members have gained praise for their “immaculate” vocal performances: Lara, Sophia, and Megan. Add that to the energetic dancing of Daniela, Yoonchae, and Manon and you have the perfect combination of the K-pop training system with American pop music.
The song has even made its way to the Pitman Homecoming Parade with the Pan-Asian Heritage Society performing a routine inspired by the color guard shields to “Touch”.
“Touch” has clearly captured the hearts and minds of many and its relatable lyrics detailing a situationship’s all-too-familiar fizzling out are the icing on the cake that bring me to rate this EP’s main track a solid 9.0/10.
Song Three: “My Way”
Written by: “hitman”bang, Ali Tamposi, Amanda “Kiddo A.I.” Ibanez, Federico Vindver, John Byron, Slow Rabbit
This song epitomizes KATSEYE’s message of acceptance and vulnerability featured throughout the SIS extended play. The song was produced and written by HYBE’s chairman and producer behind BTS, TXT, and Le Sserafim (amongst other huge Korean artists), “hitman”bang (real name, Bang Si-hyuk).
The chorus of “My Way” delivers the story that even if you make mistakes, you did it your way, and you’ll learn the best way that you know how to.
The masterful production and vocals shown by all six members have thrust this B-side track into the ears of the masses, making it the most popular song off of the EP that wasn’t a standalone single release (like “Debut” and “Touch”).
These facts together make this ballad of teenagedom a significant listen and definitely one I’d recommend for a car playlist – just don’t speed with the “gas pedal like 95 flying eastbound, hands up, no slowing me down” as the song belts out.
I rate “My Way” an 8.5/10, higher than “Debut” because of its impactful message and beautifully crafted melodies.
Song Four: “I’m Pretty”
Written by: Amanda “Kiddo A.I.” Ibanez, Nicholas Gale, Richard Boardman, Sam Roman
“I’m Pretty” is even more vulnerable than the song before it. It documents putting a face on (literally) for the world to cover up that the person singing is “pretty sure” they’re “not done healing”.
In harmony, the girls croon about how they’re “pretty far from feeling pretty”, but have to look like they do for the world.
But regardless of its more obvious messaging, the song feels a little underwhelming, and is not helped by its length. Despite being the third longest song on the album, it feels fleeting and incomplete.
As such, I rate this song with great messaging the lowest rating of this article: 7.9/10. A message like this deserves a little bit more length.
Song Five: “Tonight I Might” (Explicit)
Written by: Caroline Pennell, Jason Gill, Justin Tranter
What’s an American pop EP without at least one explicit song? And what better way to end KATSEYE’s freshman release?
“Tonight I Might” describes the process of growing up where you reflect on the things that you didn’t do as a kid because of overthinking, fear of being different, or being seen as less than professional or intelligent.
This song is the perfect song for being in the car with your friends heading to a function or going out to dinner. They talk about getting high on life, pretending that people are their friends for convenience, and acknowledging that everyone doesn’t move the same way.
The most jarring part of the song that hits me personally is Manon’s line and Daniela’s verse after the first chorus:
“But it’s kinda fun to be somebody different on the same day.
I’m not the perfect example of someone ready to handle the kinda party required to go in fully inspired by…”
This song earned my full respect and attention, rating it a 8.2/10, the same as “Debut”.
The Final Tally
As a whole, SIS (Soft Is Strong) is a very cohesive and powerful extended play. KATSEYE and the team at HYBE x Geffen have worked very hard to put out this massive debut and they’re starting to see the rewards of all of that work.
Based on the EP’s strong message of being okay to not be okay and its relatability to the teenagehood that a lot of us have experienced, I rate SIS (Soft Is Strong) an 8.5/10, a true introduction to this great girl group.
HYBE x Geffen’s first attempt at a “global” girl group with members from representing every continent (except Australia and Antarctica) seems to be heading in a great direction at this moment.
Since releasing SIS, they’ve had the opportunity to meet fans in L.A., Seoul, Manila, and Tokyo, with theories from fans and locals (people who aren’t dedicated super fans, also known as casual listeners) that Geffen Records is planning on having the team open for the label’s biggest name: Olivia Rodrigo.
This is not going to be the last time the world hears the names KATSEYE, Sophia, Manon, Lara, Daniela, Megan, or Yoonchae. I’m excited to see what the six KATSEYE girls do in the future.