KATSEYE Makes HYBE's K-pop Globalization Ambition Come True

From an experimental group following HYBE president Bang Si Hyuk's globalization strategy, KATSEYE is rising to become a new icon, bringing K-pop to a new page.

KATSEYE has achieved many outstanding achievements despite only debuting for a year - Photo: HYBE

According to Hankook Ilbo , just one year after their debut, HYBE's global girl group KATSEYE is making a strong mark on the international music market.

From performing on Lollapalooza in the US, entering the Billboard 200 chart, to being nominated at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMA), KATSEYE is opening a promising new direction for K-pop.

HYBE's ambition to globalize K-pop

KATSEYE is the first global girl group formed through a collaboration between HYBE (Korea) and Geffen Records (USA) applying the "K-pop method" initiated by HYBE president Bang Si Hyuk.

The group officially debuted in June 2024, formed through the global audition program The Debut: Dream Academy, attracting more than 120,000 contestants and millions of global votes through the Weverse platform.

The group had to go through rigorous auditions like regular K-pop groups to win a debut spot - Photo: HYBE

Unlike the traditional way, KATSEYE is not trained in Korea and then "exported" abroad.

Instead, the K-pop training and production system is brought directly to the US, with contestants trained, evaluated, and debuted according to the Korean model but with an international market in mind from the start.

The six members from the US, South Korea, Switzerland and the Philippines, aged 16-22, are typical representatives of the multi-national, English-speaking, globally minded Gen Z generation.

In an interview, president Bang Si Hyuk once said that after BTS and Seventeen, HYBE needed a new direction to overcome the saturation of the K-pop market.

KATSEYE is HYBE's experimental group - Photo: HYBE

With KATSEYE, he chose a strategy of localizing K-pop combined with digital technology to create a group that is suitable for the world while still maintaining the spirit and standards of K-pop.

Therefore, the group became HYBE's first experimental step with the ambition to turn K-pop into G-pop, which is global pop music with K-pop genes.

KATSEYE's impressive track record

According to Chosun , the one-year-old group KATSEYE has created a series of achievements that even veteran groups must respect. Among them, the group's debut album SIS entered the Billboard 200.

Riding on the momentum, in June 2025, KATSEYE returned with the album Beautiful Chaos, which quickly reached number 4 on the Billboard 200 chart, and maintained the ranking for 5 consecutive weeks (as of August 9).

KATSEYE's international digital music achievements make many groups wary - Photo: HYBE

Both songs Gabriela and Gnarly entered the Billboard Hot 100. In the UK market, the group also entered the UK Official Chart with significant rankings on both albums and singles.

On August 3, KATSEYE had a successful performance at Lollapalooza Chicago - one of the largest music festivals in the world. With more than 85,000 spectators in attendance, this is considered one of the biggest stages ever for a rookie girl group.

Notably, the group's first tour in North America with 16 shows in 13 cities is also quickly "sold out". Not stopping there, KATSEYE received a nomination at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards and was named in Bloomberg's Pop Star Power Ranking, ranked 12th.

KATSEYE turns HYBE's ambition into reality in just one year - Photo: HYBE

Not only making their mark with music, KATSEYE also created a "fever" with the documentary Popstar Academy: KATSEYE on Netflix. After 5 months of release, the film attracted more than 3.1 million views, becoming one of the most favorite K-pop content on the global platform.

Chosun commented that KATSEYE's success is a positive sign at a time when K-pop is gradually declining. HYBE's "K-pop method" can completely produce international groups with the spirit and standards of K-pop without having to start in Korea.

"KATSEYE is still in the K-pop system, but their music is going beyond familiar limits. In particular, they possess performance power that few K-pop groups can match," music critic Lim Hee Yoon commented.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/katseye-bien-tham-vong-toan-cau-hoa-k-pop-cua-hybe-thanh-su-that-20250818162018191.htm