AILSA CHANG, HOST:
This has been a big year for the girl group KATSEYE.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
KATSEYE: (Singing) Pinky up, up. Pinky up, up.
CHANG: They performed on some of the world's biggest stages - most recently, Governor's Ball in New York.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
KATSEYE: (Singing) Fancy is a frequency, a mind of delusion, philosophy.
CHANG: They've taken home three trophies at the American Music Awards and released viral hits like "Pinky Up" and "Internet Girl."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "INTERNET GIRL")
KATSEYE: (Singing) Haven't you heard? I'm the internet girl. Every picture of me is, oh, my God, it's her.
CHANG: And while they were in New York, Sophia Laforteza, Lara Raj, Daniela Avanzini and Jeung Yoonchae stopped by our bureau to talk with me.
This is Ailsa...
SOPHIA LAFORTEZA: Hi.
CHANG: ...Chang.
DANIELA AVANZINI: Hey.
JUENG YOONCHAE: Hey.
CHANG: Can you guys hear me?
AVANZINI: Yes.
LAFORTEZA: Yes.
LARA RAJ: Yes.
YOONCHAE: Yeah.
CHANG: Hi. Oh, my God.
Member Megan Skiendiel could not join us because she was sick that day. And KATSEYE's sixth member, Manon Bannerman, well, she was absent for a different reason. In February, she went on hiatus, sparking lots of speculation about her future in the group. Here's Sophia, the group's leader.
LAFORTEZA: We continue to support her and make sure that she's continuing to work on her well-being. It is difficult, you know, to continue something that you've built with all the six girls. We really have been through a lot.
CHANG: Can fans expect Manon to come back? I mean, do you know if she will?
LAFORTEZA: I can definitely say that she still is currently on that hiatus, and we want the fans to know that Manon does love you guys so much.
CHANG: KATSEYE launched back in 2024 after competing on a reality show called "The Debut: Dream Academy," which was the brainchild of Geffen Records, an American label, and Hybe, a South Korean entertainment company. KATSEYE is often described as a global girl group, with members from all different backgrounds like Filipina, Korean, Swiss Ghanaian, Tamil, Cuban Venezuelan and Chinese Swedish. So I asked, what does it mean to them to be part of a global girl group?
LAFORTEZA: It does start with a lot of us coming from different places and having different cultures...
CHANG: Yeah.
LAFORTEZA: ...And taking the best parts of how they do it in the K-pop system but also out here in the West. And, you know, it's really exciting to have that shared dream and shared goal.
CHANG: And it's a glimpse of what the future could look like.
LAFORTEZA: Oh, yeah. Definitely. We're taking a lot of bullets from this experience but...
RAJ: Yes, we are.
LAFORTEZA: We really are. It is a lot of pressure to represent your culture.
CHANG: Yeah.
LAFORTEZA: And it comes with a lot of responsibility that we take very seriously.
CHANG: Can someone explain, like, how much the privilege has also become a burden and sometimes has made KATSEYE a target?
RAJ: I - this is Lara. I definitely would not say burden. We have become this, like, emblem of representation...
LAFORTEZA: Yeah.
RAJ: ...I would say. It just - it's come with a lot of pushback, I think, from a lot of, A, there are (ph), like, people or cultures that are not ready to see that. I think...
CHANG: Yeah.
RAJ: ...From people expecting certain things out of us, expecting us to look a certain way, dress a certain way...
CHANG: Well, that's what I wanted to...
RAJ: ...Our music to sound a certain way.
CHANG: ...Ask about because, I mean, let's just talk about your onstage presence. You know, it's - frankly, it's really sexy. Like, you guys are not shy...
RAJ: Yes.
CHANG: ...About bearing your midriffs, wearing short shorts or short skirts, celebrating your physicality. And you have gotten some pushback on that.
RAJ: Yes.
CHANG: And it reminds me of when, like, pop stars such as Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera were coming up years ago...
LAFORTEZA: Yeah.
CHANG: ...How they had to defend the way they dressed or what they sang about, in a way that, frankly, men never had to. So now that the...
RAJ: Right.
CHANG: ...Spotlight is on all of you, what do you make of the way women are scrutinized on stage versus men?
LAFORTEZA: We love to display a lot of our own confidence and embracing ourselves, especially choosing what we decide to wear, what we decide to do on stage. A lot of that does just come from our own expression as artists, and it's the same thing for Britney and Christina.
CHANG: Yeah.
LAFORTEZA: You know, they want to show the confidence in their sexuality, in their femininity and all those things. And the way that people take it, a lot of the times, that's out of our control. But all we can do is continue to show that we're unfazed by certain things that people say 'cause those are sort of the, quote-unquote, "bullets" that I was talking about. It's like, a lot of the things we face are rankings that make no sense to us. Like, why would our beauty be ranked when we're all from different places and have such different features.
RAJ: Different standards...
CHANG: Right.
RAJ: ...And - yes.
LAFORTEZA: All these things...
CHANG: Totally.
LAFORTEZA: ...Like, we don't have to be everything that people are expecting. We just have to be authentically ourselves because it's true - we are authentically proud of where we come from. We are authentically proud of our culture, how we were brought up, how we look.
CHANG: But it's complicated, right? I love...
LAFORTEZA: It's very complex...
CHANG: ...That you're bringing it up...
LAFORTEZA: ...And complicated.
RAJ: It is.
CHANG: ...You are individual artists with distinct artistries.
LAFORTEZA: Exactly.
CHANG: But together, you are one group. So I'm curious - like, how do you stand out and be your own performer as an individual while also being part of a cohesive global girl group?
AVANZINI: This is Dani (ph). I think it's so important to keep that individuality when you're in a group, because if everybody was just the same, it'd be so boring.
LAFORTEZA: Yeah.
CHANG: (Laughter).
AVANZINI: It would be so, so boring.
CHANG: And how do you do it, personally?
AVANZINI: I mean, I've been performing and dancing on the stage since I was 4.
CHANG: As a competitive dancer?
AVANZINI: Yes.
CHANG: Yeah.
AVANZINI: The type of dancing that I grew up doing, which is Latin ballroom dancing - like samba and, like, cha-cha, bachata - that comes out. So when I dance, it might look a little different.
CHANG: Yeah. Yeah. Well, you know, as we're talking about all the varied expectations on you guys as a group, it makes me think, you know, about your fans. I mean, K-pop groups traditionally are known for having these really passionate fandoms. And KATSEYE's fame, you know, has obviously grown in the last few years, as well as your fandom. So how would you say your relationship to your fans and to fandom - how has that changed over the last few years?
AVANZINI: Do you want to go first (ph)?
LAFORTEZA: Say your name.
YOONCHAE: Oh, yeah. I'm Yoonchae.
CHANG: Hi, Yoonchae.
YOONCHAE: I feel like our fandom is so special because they were supporting us since when we were training...
CHANG: Yeah.
YOONCHAE: ...In Dream Academy, and they're still with us. So I love that for us. And since we were growing up, like, Eyekons (ph) are also...
AVANZINI: Growing with us.
YOONCHAE: ...Growing with us.
CHANG: Eyekon is the name for your fandom.
LAFORTEZA: Yes, the Eyekons.
YOONCHAE: Yes.
LAFORTEZA: Yes.
CHANG: Well, you all have a new EP that's coming out later this summer in August. As you all are still evolving, are there any roles inside this group that any of you are interested in exploring more deeply, like producing more or writing more of your own songs or creating your...
AVANZINI: Yes.
CHANG: ...Own choreo (ph)?
RAJ: This is Lara. I think songwriting and production is definitely, like, the No. 1 thing, but you might see some of that...
AVANZINI: Yeah.
RAJ: ...On this EP. So a door is being opened, for sure.
AVANZINI: Yeah. We're getting to collaborate more, and we would absolutely love to just be more involved. It's definitely getting exciting here.
CHANG: Well, I will keep watching and listening. I love you guys.
AVANZINI: Oh. Thank you.
LAFORTEZA: Aw.
YOONCHAE: Yeah.
RAJ: Love you.
CHANG: (Laughter) That was Sophia, Daniella, Lara and Yoonchae. With Megan, they make up the global girl group, KATSEYE. Thank you all so much for spending the time to talk with us.
AVANZINI: Thank you.
YOONCHAE: Thank you.
RAJ: Thank you so much.
LAFORTEZA: Thank you so much.
CHANG: Pinky up.
AVANZINI: Woo (laughter).
YOONCHAE: Pinky up.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PINKY UP")
KATSEYE: (Singing) Pinky up. One day, soon, the world's gonna end. I'm gonna make out with my new bestest friends. I wanna live large, right before it all burns down. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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