The KATSEYE members open up about Sophia Laforteza as a leader, the viral success of ‘Touch,’ and their future goals
MANILA, Philippines – After around two years of training, competing, and eventually making their debut, members of global girl group KATSEYE got emotional after arriving in the Philippines, the home country of Sophia Laforteza.
“I think we’re so emotional being here, especially for Sophia. We’re so happy that she’s finally home and we get to see the Philippines and see where she’s from…. Everyone’s been so nice to us, which is so heartwarming…for us,” KATSEYE member Lara told reporters at a media conference on Tuesday, September 17.
The Philippines is the second stop of KATSEYE’s Asia tour, which includes visits to Korea and Japan. The group is set to perform in their Touchdown in Manila fan showcase on Wednesday, September 18, at Market! Market! in Taguig City.
Daniela said Filipino EYEKONs should expect an “amazing [and] outstanding performance” as KATSEYE hopes to do their best for their fans.
Sophia said that returning to her home country as an international artist is “an honor” and a “dream come true.” In a handwritten note posted before the media conference through KATSEYE’s newsletter, the Filipina member said she was excited to “eat home-cooked food and fulfill my dream of performing at home.”
KATSEYE said they got to meet Sophia’s mom, actress Carla Guevara, and will get to eat Filipino food with the Laforteza family.
During the media conference, the KATSEYE members were showering praises on Sophia for being non-judgmental in her role as leader of the group.
“Sophia is the best leader ever. She always takes care of us, makes sure we’re doing okay. And whenever we’re upset or frustrated with something, we always go to her and she always helps us,” Daniela said.
Lara added that Sophia is more than willing to give a helping hand whenever they need it, saying that she is the “mom of the group.”
“I care for these girls so much. And so I feel like because of that — and knowing that they trust me and I feel a mutual respect and care from them — it makes the job of being a leader a lot easier and less stressful than I anticipated. So, the leader position does become a lot of easier because of them,” Sophia said.
The Filipina member added that one of the things she learned from being in a diverse group of women such as KATSEYE is to never stop learning.
“Staying open-minded and open to a lot of things that come your way can really make you grow, not just as a person for us, but also as an artist. And it allowed us to work with each other and reach the goal that we’re heading towards, which really is connecting with the world,” she said.
Finding viral success
KATSEYE also opened up about the viral success of their song “Touch”, saying they are grateful that people are resonating with the song.
“I feel like ‘Touch’ resonating with people, a lot of it comes from its sound, and the choreography, and I feel like just how much we put into it…. Every time, we see it on our TikTok or on our Instagram, we like giggle and send each other endless links to videos on our group chat of people doing covers…. Just reaching this audience, to me, […] it warms my heart,” Sophia said.
Megan also shared a recent memory when she and Lara ran into a fan and watched a video of her dance cover to “Touch.”
“We watched the whole thing with her and it was so cool. And I was like ‘wow, this is crazy,’ like the world is so small. I feel so crazy that we’re able to meet them and see what they’re doing,” she said.
The group also shared their future goals such as headlining Coachella, performing in their home countries, winning a Grammy, and performing at the MTV Video Music Awards.
KATSEYE is a group under HYBE Labels and Geffen Records composed of six members — Lara, Sophia, Yoonchae, Megan, Daniela, and Manon. They debuted through the survival show The Debut: Dream Academy and released their first EP SIS (Soft Is Strong) on August 16.
Netflix recently released the Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE documentary series on August 21, which featured behind-the-scenes footage from the training program and survival show that created the group. – Rappler.com