Fresh off the 2025 MTV VMAs, it looks like things won’t be slowing down for Katseye anytime soon.
*Katseye, HYBE and Geffen Records’ six-member “global girl group” formed through Dream Academy, debuted in June 2024 with ‘Touch’. The single barely made a splash, and early on, some critics wondered if this ambitious experiment would fizzle out. But in 2025, the narrative flipped. Katseye went from a rookie curiosity to a breakout act—and here’s what they got right.
Katseye Enters the Charts 📈
In April 2025, Katseye dropped ‘Gnarly’ from their second EP Beautiful Chaos. The track was messy, chaotic, and loaded with brand name flexes (yes, including Tesla) alongside a sprinkle of explicit lyrics. Gen Z wasn’t exactly thrilled with the Musk reference, and the experimental production had fans split.
But here’s the twist: polarizing works. “‘Gnarly’ became Katseye’s first-ever Billboard chart entry, proving that being controversial can be a strategy in itself. 😏
Bring Out the Star Power ✨
Two months later, they followed up with ‘Gabriela’, a Latin-inspired R&B single that took a different route: sleek, polished, and boosted by some Hollywood star wattage. Jessica Alba appeared in the music video, giving it instant viral potential. 🎬
The result? Billboard readers voted it Best New Song the week of June 22, and it climbed to No. 63 on the Hot 100—not bad for a group barely a year into their career.
Lollapalooza Chicago 🎶
Festival season is where rookies either sink or swim. Katseye swam—more like surfed—at Lollapalooza Chicago 2025, where they performed a 9-song set on the T-Mobile Stage.
The shocker? They pulled 85,000 people 🤯, the largest ever daytime audience in Lollapalooza’s history. For a 2pm slot, that’s unheard of. And once you see their performance, it’s clear why the crowd showed up—this wasn’t filler; it was a moment.
The Gap Ad That Went Viral 👖
If one move solidified Katseye as a cultural force, it was Gap’s “Better in Denim” campaign. Premiering August 19, the ad went supernova: over 576 million views across Gap channels, 40 million impressions in a single week, and triple the company’s previous Instagram record with 15 million views.
Beyond the numbers, the cultural timing was spot-on. Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ad had just been dragged for promoting outdated beauty ideals, while Katseye’s campaign celebrated diversity and nostalgia—dancing to Kelis’s 2003 hit ‘Milkshake’. Gap hadn’t felt this relevant in years, and Katseye was at the center of it.
MTV VMAs 2025 📺
Then came the MTV VMAs, where Katseye scored a triple win in one night.
Embed from Getty Images- Pre-show performance: They lit up the stage with ‘Gnarly’ and ‘Gabriela’. Not the main show, but for a one-year-old group? Major exposure.
- Push Performance of the Year: They snagged their first Moon Person for ‘Touch’, the very song once written off as forgettable.
- Tabloid buzz: Manon sparked dating rumors after being spotted with Kid Laroi at an afterparty. She denied it later, but hey—press is press. 👀
For a rookie group, the VMAs weren’t just a performance—they were validation.
Beautiful Chaos Tour 🌍
And Katseye isn’t slowing down. This November, they’ll launch their first-ever headlining tour, Beautiful Chaos, covering 16 shows across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Tickets sold out in pre-sale so fast that extra dates had to be added—a clear sign the demand is there.
👩🏻🍵 Kayla’s Thoughts
Katseye isn’t just climbing charts—they’re climbing culture. By leaning into their global girl group identity and refusing to follow the typical K-pop blueprint, they’ve carved out their own lane. Every 2025 move—from a messy viral single 🎧 to a Jessica Alba cameo 🌟 to a Gap ad that blew the roof off 👖—was deliberate, risky, and ultimately rewarding.
They’re not Blackpink-level superstars yet, but they’re well past the “rookie experiment” stage. 2025 was their breakout year. 2026 might just be their coronation.
So tell me: do you agree that 2025 was Katseye’s year? And are you ready for the chaos they’ll bring in 2026?
