Sit down with KATSEYE, the global girl group formed through the reality show 'Dream Academy!' Based in Los Angeles, this talented sextet—Sophia, Manon, Daniela, Lara, Megan, and Yoonchae—share their journey, from reality show contestants to international pop sensations. Get an inside look at their creative process, style inspirations, and what’s next for this rising powerhouse in the music industry!
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00:00I remember on that stage, when they called my name,
00:03we all started freaking out.
00:04I feel like I blanked out.
00:06I was so shocked.
00:08Give it up for your new global girl group, Cat's Eye!
00:15Hi, InStyle. It's Cat's Eye.
00:18And welcome to our social cover.
00:20So our group name, Cat's Eye,
00:21is actually inspired by the gemstone Cat's Eye.
00:24And depending on the viewer's perspective,
00:26you can see a different view of the gemstone.
00:29You see different colors.
00:30And that represents each and every one of our talents
00:33and our different backgrounds.
00:34We're all very different girls with our own charms,
00:37personalities, where we come from,
00:39and what we represent.
00:40K-pop methodology is about singing and dancing
00:45and performance and also synchronization
00:50for the choreography.
00:52Some of us were kind of new about groups
00:54such as BTS or Blackpink.
00:56But going really deeply into the K-pop methodology
01:00and the strategy of the training that we all went under,
01:03we experienced it to sort of know.
01:04I feel like everybody knows that all these K-pop idols
01:07who we have so much respect for
01:08have gone through this rigorous training.
01:10And to be able to experience it firsthand
01:14really was an amazing experience for all of us.
01:17And we're really excited for it to be shown
01:19and unlocked in our NETFLIX Office Series,
01:22Popstar Academy, Cat's Eye.
01:23Daniela, I want you to get back to
01:25what it was like recording your first single debut.
01:28The very first time recording was surreal
01:33because it was our very first song,
01:35the very first time we were going to hear
01:38our voices on a track all together,
01:40finally like girl group, you know?
01:44And it was just so cool to hear all of us.
01:48We all were like,
01:50like when we heard it for the first time,
01:53like the demo.
01:55It was just like, we were so excited.
01:58I loved recording in the studio.
01:59I always love recording in the studio
02:02and shooting music videos too.
02:03I think that's like so, so much fun.
02:07But of course there are some challenges
02:09that come to it vocally,
02:11but I always have the best time recording it.
02:18It's called a fan kick.
02:19And I feel like we all really didn't like struggle too hard
02:22because during our training days,
02:24we would like stretch all the time
02:25to get like our splits and everything.
02:27So we were all pretty flexible by the time
02:29that we had to learn the dance move.
02:31But getting it synchronized at the same time
02:34was the hardest part.
02:35That is true.
02:38And we had to like put on the floor,
02:40make sure like it all slams at the same time.
02:42You know, we...
02:43We drilled that so hard.
02:45It's actually the first time we learned it.
02:46We all like kicked our leg up
02:48and we all like kept whipping our hair
02:49and they were like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
02:53Yes, we have this little hand choreography
03:02that is very catchy.
03:04A lot of people are like copying it and doing it.
03:06So it's very fun to like see icons or fans doing it.
03:10Touch and debut kind of showcase our duality
03:13because debut is very like strong, punchy, powerful, fierce.
03:18And then touch is more like soft.
03:21And I always like to say it's like velvety and dreamy.
03:24It's two very different sounds.
03:25And it's kind of us still like looking for our sound
03:30and experimenting.
03:31Lauren, what has it been like to watch social media
03:34and see people pick up on your choreography,
03:37pick up on the songs and enjoy it
03:39and remake you or copy you as a work?
03:41Oh my God, it's surreal.
03:43I don't think it's like really hit us yet.
03:45People are like singing our song.
03:47We're such big fans of music.
03:50We love like getting into an artist
03:52and like into their journey and their story.
03:54People are actually doing that for us.
03:56It's wild.
03:57Like yesterday, my friend, she texted me
04:00and she said that she came home from the gym
04:02and she heard someone blasting Touch in their car.
04:04Like, I never told you guys this.
04:07She said that someone like drove past her
04:10and like Touch was like blasting in her car.
04:17My best friend all the way in the Philippines
04:19has sent me, I swear, like four videos already
04:21of it playing on the radio.
04:23And I was like, that's insane.
04:26It's so unreal.
04:27We're so grateful.
04:32At first, I was really nervous
04:34and I was really excited to come to LA.
04:38I have older sister in Korea.
04:40So I felt like our members are my sisters
04:44and like five sisters.
04:47So I love it.
04:56I think we're all really funny.
04:59We have different humors
05:00but I feel like they all work together.
05:03Someday it's Megan.
05:04Someday it's Yoonjae.
05:05Yoonjae says the funniest random stuff
05:08and she's like so unintentionally funny.
05:10Yeah, I think we all laugh a lot.
05:14Organized?
05:16The most organized has to be Sophia.
05:19Our leader, Sophia.
05:20Honorable mention, Dani.
05:21Honorable mention.
05:24I have to give it to Dani.
05:26Dani is actually also really organized.
05:28You know what?
05:33Who loves fashion the most?
05:35Lara.
05:36She's like the most,
05:37one of the most expressive people in fashion
05:39that I've ever met.
05:40I feel like that's one of the biggest outlets.
05:43I feel like Lara has.
05:44Who has the best beauty products?
05:48I feel like we all have like similar ones.
05:52Can we talk about the skincare?
05:54We like all have the same skincare routine.
06:00When we went to Korea for one of our Dream Academy missions,
06:02we all came back with overweight baggages
06:06full of skincare and makeup.
06:08Oh my god.
06:08And when Yoonjae's mom comes to visit her,
06:11like she brings us all skincare.
06:14She gets our order.
06:15My mom got like extra bags.
06:18Oh my god.
06:19Who is the mom of the group?
06:22Sophia's the mom.
06:23Leader's the mom.
06:24She cooks for us.
06:25She's mommy.
06:26She's our mommy.
06:27She's mommy.
06:29The best cook.
06:33Or Yoonjae.
06:34Or Lara.
06:34Yoonjae actually cooks.
06:36I cook everything.
06:37Or Lara.
06:37I cook spices.
06:40Spices.
06:40I'm good with spices.
06:42We have all tried each other's like food,
06:44and it's just, it's so cool.
06:46I've never tried Korean food before this.
06:48Oh, so good.
06:49But yeah, we always-
06:50We eat it every day.
06:51Literally.
06:52But we all like try and like,
06:53like share our food with each other
06:56so we can have like a little taste of each other's like culture.
06:58Food is one of our main love languages.
07:00Like food and laughter,
07:01I feel like that's like one of the things that-
07:03Food and laughter.
07:03Food and laughter.
07:05Right?
07:05Like isn't that true?
07:06It's like live, love, love.
07:07Like we are live, laugh, love, eat.
07:10Yeah, that's what we actually do.
07:12You should see our pantry at the house.
07:13Oh my god.
07:14It's, Mano said it's a global supermarket.
07:16Yeah, there's a global supermarket.
07:18I love it.
07:19It's instant ramen, so probably not healthy.
07:22So don't-
07:23No, but they're so good.
07:23Don't get into that.
07:24They make you sweat.
07:25It's fine.
07:26I literally had it yesterday.
07:28Is there something you binge together?
07:30So Love Island, we watch Too Hot to Hit.
07:32We watch all the love shows.
07:34Love reality shows.
07:35We watch-
07:36You guys watch Perfect Match.
07:37No, I don't-
07:38You'll have to watch Singlish Birdo.
07:40I've never heard of that one.
07:41Yeah, Singlish Birdo.
07:42Yoonje and I love to like start kdramas together
07:45and then we like go at our own pace after that.
07:47I would love to hear who some of your favorite girl groups are, who inspired you.
07:51There's so many amazing artists and girl groups that have inspired me, have inspired us.
07:56I think one of the main ones is Pussycat Dolls.
07:59We love Pussycat Dolls, Destiny's Child, Spice Girls.
08:03Pretty much everything that Dani has already said, I love them all.
08:06I think some to add is like Blackpink.
08:09I love Blackpink.
08:11ITZY, TWICE, you know, all those K-pop groups.
08:15aespa
08:16aespa, aespa.
08:18Yeah, we love Kiss of Life, Seraphine, EXY.
08:22Oh, it has to be Destiny's Child. Yeah.
08:24All already said.
08:27Put them all out.
08:31We all have very similar like tastes.
08:33For me, Destiny's Child and Pussycat Dolls. I can't pick.
08:37Let me just ask you, what are you most excited about?
08:40I think I'm most excited for like the touring and like meeting the icons like face to face.
08:45I feel like that's going to be like the most fun part,
08:47especially like feeling the energy from the crowd.
08:50I feel like it's just going to be like a feeling that like,
08:52I don't know, like you'll never be like match.
08:54Like it's so fun and like energetic and like to be able to like perform for the icons
09:00and to show them like what we've been working on for so long.
09:03And it's just our passion to be able to perform and like inspire.
09:07I would say same because we just recently had our first performance ever at the Crypto.
09:12And it was insane.
09:13Like it was such a surreal feeling because we've been working towards that for so long
09:17and having it turn into reality and like seeing all of the people that support you
09:21is a feeling that is like unmatched.
09:22So I think same for me.
09:24What can you tease out?
09:27What's the next dance move?
09:29Can you like show us?
09:30What are you going to cover?
09:31Same like a musical?
09:33What can you show us?
09:35What can you show us?
09:37I don't know, what can I do?
09:38Just gotta wait and see.
09:40Glad I might show you my way because I'm pretty.
09:43Here he is.
09:43Oh, that was really good.
09:52So last question, looking back to the people who like didn't make it,
09:57who weren't selected to be members, are you in touch with them?
10:00Have you like been friends with some of the people who weren't selected?
10:04I feel like we all have this like such strong bond with every single contestant
10:09because like this experience that we all went through is so just so like unique
10:16and like we'll always be able to have like that special bond because they are our sisters.
10:23I'm still very close with like some of the members or some of the past contestants
10:27and they're like my best friends to this day.
10:29So yeah.
10:30I still talk to them like almost every single day.
10:34I talk literally every single day.
10:36I'm still talking to the other contestants.
10:37Yeah, yeah.
10:38Yeah, I feel like like nobody can really understand like what we went through
10:45and like how it was except for those girls.
10:48So like our experience like that training like changed our lives forever.
10:53Like no matter whether you ended up in the group or you didn't,
10:56like it changed the trajectory of all of our lives.
10:59So I feel like we can really always relate to each other about that.
11:03We'll always be connected like in some way.
11:05Sisters forever.
11:06Yeah, forever.
11:07Besties.
11:08Thank you!