Before screenings of their new documentary, the members of Katseye appear in a video message to thank fans for their support. Their followers, Eyekons, have played a critical role in their rise to stardom, so it makes sense that Katseye: Wild Hearts, released in global theaters this month, takes a beat to shout out to them. Perhaps more than many other big music groups today, the group’s rise has depended on their relationship with their devotees who ensure that few corners of the world are safe from Katseye mania.Katseye’s multinational members – Daniela, Lara, Manon, Megan, Sophia and Yoonchae – were selected through a combination of fan votes and judge scores on the 2023 YouTube reality competition The Debut: Dream Academy. The joint project between American record label Geffen Records and Korean entertainment company Hybe aimed to create a global girl group, with hopefuls participating in a rigorous bootcamp to test their singing and dancing skills. The following year, Netflix’s docu-series Pop Star Academy: Katseye – which documented the group’s nascent era, behind-the-scenes drama and all – catapulted them to a new level of visibility.Katseye blend Western pop’s individualism with the intense training and choreography of the well-oiled K-pop machine. Though they identify as a “global girl group,” much of Katseye’s domination can be credited to their K-pop DNA. “Katseye started with that core K-pop training [and high standards], which ensured they were firing on all cylinders from the start,” said K-pop columnist Jeff Benjamin. “Often in pop, there is a rewarding payoff in seeing an artist finally get backed by a big-label budget for a certain song, music video, or project, but K-pop ensures everything is supported from the start.”As a $5bn company with offices in Seoul, LA, Mexico City, Tokyo, Miami and Mumbai, Hybe’s resources have certainly contributed to the group’s success, but Katseye don’t adhere to all of K-pop’s structural norms. “There’s no hiding that many top-down decisions are made for them,” said Benjamin. “But Katseye divert by openly speaking about decisions they don’t agree with – the members seem not to like Pop Star Academy and the competition format they were created from – and addressing things most K-pop acts don’t speak about, including their personal lives and sexualities.”In 2026, Katseye is experiencing a surge of popularity that’s impossible to ignore, including a sold-out tour, nearly 40m monthly Spotify listeners and two Grammy nominations. Katseye: Wild Hearts, which features behind-the-scenes footage, interviews and fan-submitted videos, pulled in nearly $4m its opening weekend. The band have vacuumed up major marketing deals: they’ve worked with State Farm, Pandora, Target and the bougie LA grocery story Erewhon, where they have their own $22 smoothie. Their Gap Better in Denim campaign sparked a wildly viral TikTok trend and saw an upswing in revenue growth for the brand.Fans in their 20s, teens and younger are eating up what Katseye is serving far beyond retail shelves thanks to their hybrid western pop/K-pop mythos, high-energy performances and inclusive cultural and LGBTQ+ representation. (Two members identify as queer.) There’s also their digital posturing: Katseye is quick to leverage a viral meme to promote their product as well as build relatability with their fans. They reference zoomer Disney Channel nostalgia, collaborate with other chronically online stars such as Troye Sivan and rally fan participation with popular TikTok dances.“Katseye emerged in a landscape where social media isn’t just a promotional tool, but part of how pop culture is made and circulated,” said Dr Lucy Bennett, senior lecturer in Popular Music and Fandom at Cardiff University. “Fans can take a song, performance, or interaction and repackage it for their own social media, promoting the group further.”In short, the Eyekons are better than any marketing team. “This is particularly significant for a new group because fandom can help create a sense that something is happening around the group, such as a feeling of momentum and cultural relevance.”When there were six: Katseye at the 2026 Grammy awards. Photograph: Mario Anzuoni/ReutersKatseye’s core gen Z and Alpha fanbase isn’t by accident. Their easy-to-replicate dance trends, collaborations with toy brands such as Monster High and Gui Gui slime, and “brain rot” lyrics are targeted to young audiences. “Boba tea (gnarly) / Tesla (gnarly) / Fried chicken (gnarly),” they sing on Gnarly, while their latest single features lines such as: “Carry my matcha / Mount Valley water / I like my mochi drenched in chocolata.”The group’s fast-tracked success has not come without friction. Katseye says they have faced “heavy” racist and sexist harassment, dealt with extreme toxic fandom and received death threats. Lara, a Connecticut-raised US citizen of Tamil Indian background, told BBC she was falsely reported to ICE, while Sophia, who is Filipina-American, revealed their family members had received hateful comments. Manon, who is of Swiss-Ghanaian heritage, called the experience “terrorizing on the mind”.Like the Pussycat Dolls, Fifth Harmony and other girl groups before them, Katseye has faced an onslaught of rumors of tensions within the group. Shadily edited clips of the girls have been presented on social media as proof of enmity between members. Some have outright pitted the girls against each other. “People see us as women to rank. They’ll grade us based on how pretty we are, our singing skill, dancing skill, and then add it up and give us a percentage. That’s so dystopian,” Lara said.The all-too-familiar parasocial expectations fans have of artists weigh heavily over Katseye, but that’s nothing new in pop. “The more intimate the digital relationship becomes, the more complicated it can be to maintain boundaries,” said Bennett. “Because fans can invest so much time and emotional energy in an artist, this can create expectations around access and responsiveness.”Other public scrutiny surrounding the band has been murkier. In February, the group announced Manon was taking a temporary step back to “focus on her health and wellbeing”, leaving the band to perform at Coachella as a five piece. Soon after, she removed references to Katseye from her Instagram bio.Katseye greeting fans gathered for their Today show performance. Photograph: Lev Radin/ShutterstockIn August, just months after Manon stepped back, Hybe announced Sophia was similarly going on hiatus for her “mental health and wellness”, casting another shadow of uncertainty over the group’s seemingly dwindling roster. It’s unclear if she will return in time to join her bandmates on their global Wildworld Tour this September. Meanwhile, the active members have voiced their support for both bandmates during recent promotional activities and appearances.