The 1990s and early 2000s were the golden age for girl groups. It was the era of En Vogue, TLC, SWV, The Spice Girls, Destiny’s Child, Xscape, The Pussycat Dolls, Dixie Chicks (who’ve since changed their names to The Chicks) and many others who delivered hit after hit. The music landscape has since shifted to focus more on solo artists, but over the past few years, we have seen a resurgence of talented female singing groups such as BLACKPINK, FLO, Psiryn and Citizen Queen. Now, we can add KATSEYE to the list.
KATSEYE is poised to make its mark in pop and R&B with the release of their latest EP entitled BEAUTIFUL CHAOS. The multi-culti group consists of six members from around the globe. There’s Daniela Avanzini from Atlanta, Lara Raj from Los Angeles, Manon Bannerman from Zurich, Megan Skiendiel from Honolulu, Sophia Laforteza from Manila and Yoonchae Jeung from Seoul. KATSEYE has a unique backstory, as their members were the winning contestants on HYBE and Geffen Records’ 2023 talent competition reality show Dream Academy.
BEAUTIFUL CHAOS is the second EP for the group after debuting in 2024 with Soft Is Strong (SIS). This EP solidifies KATSEYE’s well-deserved reputation for solid vocals and harmonies. The five-song project satisfies a variety of musical tastes — from K-pop to R&B — and each track has a distinctly different vibe. The first single “Gnarly” allows the group to expand their bad girl side and features a hard drum beat and a wicked synth as the ladies take turns describing things they deem twisted.
Two songs that are likely to vibe with R&B fans are “Gabriela” and “Gameboy.” “Gabriela” is a breezy summer bop that features an acoustic Spanish guitar lick that progresses to a bouncy bass line as KATSEYE lays down some smooth vocals. They warn Gabriela, a potential romantic threat to their relationship, to step off and find someone else to love.
Not everyone has good intentions in a relationship, and “Gameboy” will surely resonate with those of us who have had partners who are inclined to play games. KATSEYE proves they know how to get payback, as they counter with, “You, you keep on pushing my buttons / You do, with me, you leveled up / Yeah, it’s true, now I’m somebody you don’t wanna lose.”
KATSEYE’s BEAUTIFUL CHAOS is a project worth checking out, and its release leads right into their much-anticipated THE BEAUTIFUL CHAOS TOUR this fall. The 13-city tour kicks off on November 15th in Minneapolis and ends on December 16th with a final show in Mexico City, Mexico. In between, there are tour dates in New York, D.C., Los Angeles, Atlanta, Toronto and other cities. Tickets for these shows mostly sold out, but they are adding more dates, so keep an eye out on their website and socials to get your chance to see these ladies live.
KATSEYE BEAUTIFUL CHAOS [Amazon][Apple Music][TIDAL]
