KATSEYE made a film without embellishment — and were left without two soloists

The international girl band KATSEYE, assembled by HYBE and Geffen Records, is released worldwide with the concert film “Wild Hearts” at the very moment when the group temporarily lost two members at once. The remaining four soloists say that they want to show the audience their real selves — without gloss and staged ideality.

Premiere in the midst of the crisis

The concert film “KATSEYE: WILD HEARTS” opens in cinemas around the world on Wednesday, xrust draws attention. Formally, this is a film about the tour and the group’s new EP, but essentially it’s an attempt to show the participants as they are behind the scenes of show business, without the usual picture of the pop industry.

The moment for the premiere turned out to be difficult. Of the six contestants who won «The Debut: Dream Academy» in 2023, only four are currently performing on stage. Filipino Sophie Laforteza announced on August 7 that she was taking a break from her career due to mental health reasons—she became the second soloist to take a break for this reason. Swiss Manon Bannerman made a similar move back in February.

What the remaining participants say

Indian-American vocalist Lara Raj told Reuters that, despite the pause, Manon remains a full-fledged part of the band, and her appearance in the documentary part of the film is an opportunity for fans to see the real, full path of the group, without cuts. Before the announcement of Sophie's departure, Lara called her the informal leader of KATSEYE.

Hawaiian participant Megan Skiendiel recalls filming the show “The Debut: Dream Academy” with self-irony — according to her, then she was a real bundle of nerves. At the same time, harsh criticism from HYBE experts during the competition, she adds, ultimately strengthened her and prepared her for the publicity that accompanies the artist today.

Where did KATSEYE come from

The group was formed in 2023 as a joint project between the Korean giant HYBE (creator of BTS) and the American label Geffen Records — an experiment in transferring the K-pop conveyor system to the Western market. Out of 120 thousand applications, 20 finalists were selected, and the final lineup was determined by the reality show “The Debut: Dream Academy,” broadcast on YouTube and Weverse. The process of forming the group later formed the basis of the Netflix documentary series “Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE”.

Debuting in June 2024 with the single “Debut,” the group quickly gained a foothold on the charts: its EP and single “Touch” entered the Billboard Hot 100, and its North American tour was completely sold out. For Russian viewers, the story of KATSEYE is interesting primarily as a rare example of how the Korean model of a “star factory” works outside of Asia — with participants from the USA, South Korea, the Philippines and Switzerland in the same composition.

The industry is watching for pauses in K-pop groups

Members going on “breaks” due to mental health have long become a systemic theme for the K-pop industry: artists from BTS, (G)I-DLE and other HYBE groups took similar breaks. This is always a reputational risk for the agency: the tour and EP release are planned in advance, and the lineup has to be adjusted on the fly. Nevertheless, the very fact that KATSEYE decided to release a frank film at a time of crisis, and not postpone the premiere, rather fits into the general trend of recent years — the public is increasingly demanding from pop stars not a glossy image, but honesty.

Sources:
reuters.com
billboard.com
musicbusinessworldwide.com

Xrust KATSEYE made a film without embellishment — and were left without two soloists