HYBE and Geffen Records' joint girl group KATSEYE has unquestionably joined the ranks of the global top tier. They are showing prominence across several objective measures of popular appeal and musical influence and are being praised as "opening a new era of pop."
On the 16th, according to Spotify, the world's largest music streaming platform, KATSEYE (Daniella, Lara, Manon, Megan, Sophia, Yoonchae) recorded 30,003,843 Spotify monthly listeners in the latest tally (Aug. 18–Sep. 14).
Fewer than ten K-pop stars in history have surpassed 30 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Only two K-pop groups have exceeded 40 million, a level that ranks them among the top artists worldwide across both genders. Direct comparisons are difficult, but given that KATSEYE has only just entered its second year since debut, this is a more meaningful indicator.
KATSEYE has shown explosive growth. Their Spotify monthly listeners, about 8.19 million during activities for their debut EP SIS (Soft Is Strong) (Aug. 15–Sep. 11, 2024), topped 10 million earlier this year. After their second EP, BEAUTIFUL CHAOS, released in June, sparked a wave of popularity, their listeners surged into the 25 million range. And in just one month this time, they gained another 5 million.
As KATSEYE's stature rises, various offers of collaboration are pouring in. Having dominated stages at Lollapalooza Chicago this summer and Japan's Summer Sonic 2025, they on this day confirmed they will perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival next April. It's a sweep of large-scale festivals often called the "dream stage."
Foreign media are noting KATSEYE's steep rise. Vogue Australia said, "KATSEYE's leap symbolizes a new era of pop that transcends music, fashion and culture. They are becoming a blueprint for how girl groups and popular culture as a whole should be reconfigured."
KATSEYE's strong performance on major global music charts is also drawing attention. Their second EP, BEAUTIFUL CHAOS, which reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200, has spent 11 consecutive weeks on the chart, and the track "Gabriela" climbed to No. 57 on the Hot 100 (Sept. 20 issue), marking the group's highest position on that chart. The song also reached No. 45 on the U.K. Official Singles Top 100 (Sept. 12–18), marking six consecutive weeks of upward movement.
KATSEYE is a group realizing the globalization of K-pop methodology led by HYBE chairman Bang Si-hyuk. They were formed through the global audition project Dream Academy, which drew 120,000 applicants worldwide, and debuted in the U.S. last June based on HYBE America's training and development (T&D) system. They will hold a special performance at the Grammy Museum on the 18th and embark on their first solo North American tour in November.
Bloomberg spotlighted KATSEYE as a global girl group representing diversity and inclusion, noting recently that "their growth proves that Bang Si-hyuk's original global pop star design method, which has endlessly evolved since introducing BTS, is still effective."
[Photo] HYBE Labels
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