Kait Dugan Global girl group KATSEYE made their way to the Big Apple for two stops on their highly-anticipated Beautiful Chaos tour. Selling out the Hammerstein Ballroom on November 21st, 2025, the show marked an extra special hometown visit for member Lara Raj as well as a reunion for the majority of the group’s parents.
Discovering KATSEYE: From TikTok to Global Stardom
Over the summer, after the tour announcement but before Lollapalooza, I became a fan of KATSEYE after seeing members Sophia, Lara, and Megan reenacting The Office’s stand-off scene casually on my TikTok FYP. Very quickly, “casual” turned into seeing @katseyeworld on every other scroll. “Gabriela” invaded my head, “Gnarly” invaded my car speakers, and KATSEYE became a new favorite group of mine.
Diving deeper into their lore after scrolling TikTok, I realized where I had seen them before – front and center on the home screen of Netflix. Aimlessly searching for a good show to distract me from my post-grad job search, I decided to watch Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE, the documentary comprised of footage from 2023’s The Debut: Dream Academy, the survival show made by Hybe x Geffen Records to build the next up-and-coming global girl group. I majorly felt for the girls during this documentary.
Between their two year training period away from family and friends, unawareness of the survival aspect of the competition, and just living as normal, complex teenage girls looking to pursue their dreams, it’s an addictive yet hard watch. The finale of the show led to the formation of the KATSEYE we know and love today. Members Sophia Laforteza, Manon Bannerman, Lara Raj, Yoonchae Jeung, Megan Skiendiel, and Daniela Avanzini, bandmates for over two years now, have since released two EPs: SIS (Soft is Strong) and BEAUTIFUL CHAOS, and started the BEAUTIFUL CHAOS tour in November.
Photos by Kait Dugan. Copyright © 2025 Kait Dugan ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
KATSEYE’s Identity and Fan Connection
I was completely unfamiliar with K-pop prior to KATSEYE. I had no clue what an ‘idol’ was, why photocards are given with albums and traded, and especially what a ‘bias’ is. Formed through K-pop ideology and training (explored deeper in Dream Academy), the girls do follow a similar lifestyle to K-pop groups led by Hybe, the multinational firm who created BTS and LE SSERAFIM. However, as a global girl group, the band has more freedom to express themselves as young women navigating through adulthood within their lyrics, choreography, and fan interactions.
Within KATSEYE, Manon, Lara, Daniela, Megan, Sophia, and Yoonchae all come from different backgrounds. Ages ranging from 17 to 23, born across the United States, South Korea, the Philippines, and Switzerland, with ethnicities ranging from Chinese-American, Indian-American, Cuban-Venezuelan, Swiss-Ghanian, Korean, and Filipino, the girls represent the world. Personal identity is a huge part of KATSEYE and their fanbase, the EYEKONS. Whether that be shown through ethnicity, nationality, or sexuality (Lara and Megan are openly queer), or socially, through personal interests and roles, the girls aim to show that by bringing differences together you become stronger. As a 22-year-old girl myself, it’s really inspiring to see six other girls around your age pursuing their dreams, just as I’m pursuing mine.
The KATSEYE girls spread messages of self-love, joy, confidence, and acceptance both on and off the stage. Taking to Weverse quite often, a fandom app created by Hybe to bridge connections between fans and idols, the girls share funny moments, BTS content, and oftentimes fan-made memes during their livestreams.
Photos by Kait Dugan. Copyright © 2025 Kait Dugan ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Experiencing KATSEYE Live at the Hammerstein Ballroom
Obvi, obvi… KATSEYE’s NYC Night 1 of the BEAUTIFUL CHAOS Tour was just as beautiful and chaotic as they are. The Hammerstein Ballroom was filled to the brim with EYEKONs, with a long line even forming at will call in hopes of more tickets being released for the entirely sold-out tour. Without an opener, the wait for KATSEYE’s 8:30 PM start time was filled with compilations of their music videos, including “Debut,” “Touch,” “Gabriela,” and “Gnarly.” A diverse crowd split between 20-somethings and young girls with their parents, sung every word to every song, ready for the real deal to come out. The beat of Gnarly blasted loudly as an indicator that it was finally showtime.
It’s really quite special to see KATSEYE perform live. While KATSEYE’s songs are a fun listen on their own, the live performance and choreographic nature of their concerts bring a whole other quality to their image as music artists. To me, every member is an all-rounder in KATSEYE. While they all have their preferred niche, (dancing for Daniela and Megan, singing for Lara and Sophia, etc.) each member looks effortlessly professional and confident on stage, ready to nail their choreography and verses. While this quality came from years of rigorous training, even before their formation in Dream Academy, there is something about being on a stage performing that just looks right on KATSEYE. Starpower might be the best word to describe that feeling, and they all have it.
Rising from a lift within their raised stage design, the silhouette of the KATSEYE members had the crowd in shambles. The screaming was loud, the smiles were big, and then Manon hit her first “La” of Debut. The eager fanbase clearly came to play in New York City, singing the notes back even louder than a microphone could allow. Bursting into their well-rehearsed choreography, the girls descended the stairs to the main stage level, mentally-prepping for the Debut dance break, which debuted at MAMA 2024. And just… seeing that live? Manon’s hair flip? Sophia lifted in the air? Megan’s split? Yoonchae’s move (that went viral to Accelerada)? Enough said. Beautiful start to the night.
During the SIS era, they also performed “Tonight I Might”, where Daniela instructed the crowd to sing her verse with her, a moment fans adored because you really have to think to follow along, or it might just not make sense. “I’m not the perfect example of someone ready to handle the kind of party required to go in fully inspired but” has become a staple meme in the EYEKON community since SIS, one that everyone in the crowd sang at the top of their lungs.
The set was a stunning mix of electronic, computer inspired graphics and live visuals. Between different KATSEYE eras/outfit changes, never-before-seen footage from Dream Academy and online fan interactions that appeared on screen. Going back to the Y2k computer of it all, KATSEYE performed one unreleased new song called “Internet Girl” (also referred to online as “EAT ZUCCHINI”). Remember, this was only tour stop number 4. The girls (and myself!) were shocked to find that nearly all of the EYEKONS already knew the lyrics and full choreo. It’s an addictive watch on TikTok.
Photos by Kait Dugan. Copyright © 2025 Kait Dugan ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
KATSEYE’s Iconic Moments and Closing
Having just celebrated two years of KATSEYE, the group’s two EPs can’t really compete with a 1.5 hour long setlist. And for that, we received something special.
I never thought we’d get to hear Dream Academy (DA) songs again from the KATSEYE girls. Act 2 of their set consisted of a three song DA medley of “Girls Don’t Like,” “Dirty Water,” and “All The Same.” While the members are grateful for the unforgettable experience of forming a girl group, they’ve mentioned that they “went through it” and that the journey was difficult mentally. From public backlash and threats made towards current members, to constant comparison and difficult treatment during the show’s taping, Dream Academy was certainly not all fun and games. Although they’ve been candid about this treatment—which I found difficult to watch during Pop Star Academy on Netflix—I admire that the girls can reflect positively on parts of the experience: building their friendship, supporting each other, and growing their talents together.
Other iconic moments included the end of “M.I.A,” where Lara and Manon tend to get a bit PG13, as shown at Lollapalooza here. However, it was kept quite PG between them in NYC… Manon later said “I wasn’t about to do all that in front of my mom” and that is so fair! To make up for it, the girls slipped in a cheeky fake kiss when the stage lights dimmed.
The dance breaks exceeded all expectations. During the “Gnarly” dance break, Megan was practically flying through Lara’s legs, while in “Gabriela,” Dani showcased her comprehensive Latin Ballroom training, effortlessly salsa-ing with her partner. Meanwhile, Sophia and Yoonchae brought their usual charm to “Timelapse,” with Sophia dancing giddily around the platformed stage and Yoonchae beaming as she sang in Korean, her first language.
Ending with “My Way,” a song that highlights how far KATSEYE has come while embracing their newfound fame, the global girl group’s first New York show came to a close. The room was vibrating with EYEKONs registering what they saw take place in front of them as the Hammerstein Ballroom emptied for the night.
As I said previously, KATSEYE’s songs are a fun listen, but their live performances are life-changing. If you’re interested in the future of girl groups, you’re looking at it. Talented in every aspect of performance, the next global girl group has come to play. And who knows, they might just win Best New Artist at the Grammys…if we’re lucky.
If any information in this coverage is incorrect or needs to be fixed, please email PCD Editor at jessica@postconcertdepression.com. Thank you!
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