"KATSEYE's 2026 will be an even more surprising year. Please look forward to all our upcoming stories."
HYBE and Geffen Records' global girl group KATSEYE, fresh off their North American tour "The BEAUTIFUL CHAOS," said this as they wrapped up their tour. In just a year and a half since debut, they have shown steep growth that justifies their confidence as they challenge for a Grammy. Here we look back at KATSEYE's dazzling trajectory in 2025, during which they stood out across music, fashion and culture.
■ 'Gnarly'-'Gabriela' hit major charts worldwide
KATSEYE captured global music fans' attention in April with the experimental sound and bold performance of the digital single 'Gnarly' (날리). The song opened the storm by ranking 52 on the U.K. Official Singles Top 100 (May 9) and 90 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 (June 21). In June, KATSEYE released a Latin pop track, 'Gabriela' (가브리엘라), and began a fierce run of popularity. The six members (Daniela, Lara, Manon, Megan, Sophia, Yoonchae) showcased sensual charms and mature vocal abilities. 'Gabriela' reached No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 (Nov. 22), No. 38 on the Official Singles Top 100 (Oct. 18) and No. 10 on Spotify's Weekly Top Songs Global (Oct. 3), marking KATSEYE's highest chart positions to date. Their second EP, BEAUTIFUL CHAOS, which included both songs, reached No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard 200 (July 12).
■ outstanding musical ability combined with team identity amplifies cultural impact
As a 'performance artist,' KATSEYE also stood out. They performed at Lollapalooza Chicago in the U.S. in August and at Summer Sonic 2025 in Japan, drawing attention with overwhelming stage capability. In November and December they held their first solo North American tour, 'The BEAUTIFUL CHAOS,' thrilling fans. Originally planned for 13 shows in 13 cities, the tour added shows in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles due to fan support, and all 16 shows sold out. Meanwhile, an online craze erupted over KATSEYE's campaign with U.S. apparel brand GAP, 'Better in Denim.' The campaign video, which featured the group coordinating with 30 dancers to R&B star Kelis' hit 'Milkshake,' was praised for highlighting the diversity and energy of KATSEYE, whose members are of multiple nationalities. GAP CEO Richard Dickson even mentioned the campaign during the company's second-quarter earnings announcement, boasting of its positive impact on brand power.
■ 'KATSEYE' dominates major global platforms such as Google, YouTube and TikTok
KATSEYE's presence was clearly confirmed in year-end reviews of various major global platforms. In Google's 'Year in Search 2025,' KATSEYE ranked No. 2 in the U.S. 'Trending Musicians' category. They were also included in YouTube's annual Global Culture & Trend Report 2025 list of 'Trending Topic US.' KATSEYE was the only artist to appear on that list, which compiles social and cultural issues. On TikTok, KATSEYE was named one of the 'Global Artists of the Year.' According to TikTok, videos related to KATSEYE accumulated more than 30 billion views during the measurement period, and over 12 million pieces of user-generated content used their music — figures higher than those for global pop stars such as Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande.
■ Grammys take notice of KATSEYE... major U.S. media also show strong interest
The Grammys underscored KATSEYE's remarkable achievements. KATSEYE was nominated in two categories at the 68th Annual GRAMMY Awards, to be held Feb. 1 next year: Best New Artist and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Best New Artist is considered one of the Grammys' 'big four' major categories. ABC News noted that it is rare for a girl group to be nominated in major Grammy categories and called it even more unusual for a multinational global girl group to receive a nomination. CNN reported that 'the Grammys have proved that KATSEYE is having a banner year.'
■ HYBE's 'multi-home, multi-genre' strategy... validates K-pop methodology
KATSEYE's achievements go beyond a single group's success and also validate the effectiveness of the 'multi-home, multi-genre' strategy promoted by HYBE chairman Bang Si-hyuk. Billboard, in a recent article titled Making K-Pop in the U.S.: Meet The HYBE America Team Behind KATSEYE, New Boy Group & More, explained that the success of the multiracial, multicultural group KATSEYE is symbolic evidence that K-pop can pioneer new directions in the U.S. Billboard described HYBE's move as not simply creating another pop group but as a narrative that presents a new success model expanding K-pop's boundaries in the 21st-century global music industry.
[photo] provided by HYBE Labels
[OSEN]