Artist POV: KATSEYE Prepares For ‘Beautiful Chaos Tour’

In the lead-up to KATSEYE’s debut festival appearance at the start of August, the girl group made up of Daniela, Lara, Manon, Megan, Sophia and Yoonchae was deep in rehearsals. Long hours of practice are nothing uncommon for the group formed through a 2023 reality competition series, “The Debut: Dream Academy,” which was a collaboration between HYBE Corporation and Geffen Records. The band quickly went to work and launched its first single, “Debut,” in June 2024, and the process was chronicled in the Netflix docuseries “Popstar Academy: KATSEYE.” The sextet’s first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 arrived in April 2025 with “Gnarly,” and their June EP, Beautiful Chaos, landed at No. 4 on the Billboard 200.

The success doesn’t stop there. This fall, KATSEYE will be embarking on their first U.S. headline tour – with the vast majority of dates selling out immediately.

The girl group is connecting with music fans, and one reason could be its diversity as the members hail from all across the globe. Daniela was born in Atlanta, Manon from Switzerland, Lara from Los Angeles, Sophia from Manila, Megan from Honolulu and Yoonchae from South Korea. They’re influenced by pop girl groups of the past, citing the Pussy Cat Dolls as one of their biggest inspirations. They range in age from 16 to 22, and have captured global attention and appeared in ads (most recently, the girls went viral for their appearance in the newest GAP commercial).

KATSEYE’s performance at Lollapalooza kicked off preparations for their upcoming fall tour, which kicks off at The Armory in Minneapolis on Nov. 15 and includes stops at Hemmerstein Ballroom and The Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Nov. 21 and 22, Coca-Cola Roxy in Atlanta, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles and more before wrapping up at Theatre Metropolitan in Mexico City on Dec. 16. 

“We’ve been preparing for almost a couple of months now for this performance,” Lara tells Pollstar. “There’s been a lot of elements, a lot of rehearsals. There’s props, there’s dancers. This is the longest set we’ve ever performed, and our first festival. We’ve been taking this show really seriously, practicing and grinding so hard all day every day to make it perfect and every detail precise.”

As the group debuted last year, KATSEYE knows there are still a lot of people who aren’t all that familiar with them just yet. Their performance at Lollapalooza served as an introduction, putting them in front of potential fans. As they approached the performance, the group kept that front of mind.

KATSEYE began with an intensive training bootcamp, and the six girls were selected from hundreds of thousands who auditioned. 

“The training prepared us in almost every single aspect,” Manon says. “That’s why we’re always so grateful for it, because we finally get to put everything to use and trust the hard work that we’ve put in for all those months and all those years. It’s definitely something we always want to use to our advantage, because it’s an experience that we all share with one another as well. So, it plays into every single part, including our chemistry with each other.” 

Their practices have them working to build their stamina and keep themselves in the moment to best engage with their audience. As the group looks ahead to their fall tour, they’re particularly excited about their date in Atlanta. 

“That’s my hometown, and I’ve never performed in my hometown,” Daniela says. 

“It’s so surreal, because we sold out this tour so fast,” Sophia says. “None of us expected that. We’re super grateful for it.” 

The group is booked by Wasserman Music’s Daniel Lee and Tom Windish in North America, Asia, South America and Australia. Wasserman Music’s Mike Malak books them in Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

“KATSEYE is a one-of-one group and they are just getting started,” Lee says. “Every aspect of this project is unprecedented in both its inception and development. To work alongside two of the leading juggernauts coming out of both the States and South Korea on this truly unique vision helmed by pioneers Chairman Bang Si-Hyuk and John Janick has been a deeply rewarding experience – in both a professional and personal sense. All six girls are insanely talented, extraordinary human beings from all over the world, and to witness their growth from Dream Academy to blowing out their first-ever headline tour has been an absolute privilege. KATSEYE’s success signifies a powerful and inspiring cultural shift on a global scale – one that a younger me could only have fathomed, and as a Korean-American agent today, makes me incredibly proud.”

Last year, KATSEYE set out on a promotional tour in Asia in September 2024, with appearances in Seoul, the Philippines and Japan. The trek gave them some experience on the road and traveling together, providing them with a taste of what they can expect as they set out to embark on their first full-fledged tour this fall. As they sat down with Pollstar, they noted that the run already taught them some important lessons for their “Beautiful Chaos Tour.” 

“You have to use time off to rest,” Sophia says. “Being on tour, or even doing promo, it’s so physically demanding. When you have time to rest, it’s rare. so, using that time to fully let your body and your mind step away from everything. Another thing is we spend so much time with each other, especially when we’re traveling, so if there’s any kind of conflict, communication is key. If anything has to be brought up, it should be brought up right then and there.”

While the group has yet to perform a full-fledged tour, they’ve been training on a strict schedule since their time on “Dream Academy.” As they prepare for their tour launch in November, they’re already in a groove and admit they don’t have too much to worry about. Off the heels of their performance at Lollapalooza, their most intensive yet, they know they’ll be ready to prove themselves onstage once more on tour.

“We’ve been rehearsing this tour for the last year without really knowing it,” Megan says. “We have rehearsal every single day for hours. We’ve been training and incorporating it into this specific tour’s training. Honestly, in the last couple of months, Lollapalooza has been absolutely everything. It’s going to be a crazy show, and it’s the most demanding performance we’ve given thus far. So, that’s been the focus. But right after this, we go straight to tour.” 

Dressed in matching red outfits, KATSEYE performed their recent hits “Gnarly” and “Gabriela” off of their Beautiful Chaos EP. The performance went viral on TikTok, with fans eager for more. Ahead of the show, KATSEYE did what they always do: a group stretch to make sure everyone is grounded, squeezing one another’s arms and hands to pass energy around. They’ll hype each other up, reminding one another that they’re pop stars, and then take a deep breath to walk out on stage. After the show, their energy remains, and Sophia describes themselves as “having the zoomies” and running around screaming at each other.

“We feel like we can do the whole thing again,” Sophia admits. “Sometimes our team is like, who am I supposed to film right now? We get delusional. Sometimes, the performance hits deep. People are crying and laughing hysterically.”