From Thailand to Brazil, the Docuseries about Los Angeles based pop group, KATSEYE titled ‘Pop Star Academy,’ released Aug. 19 on Netflix shows the talent of girls from all over the globe. It includes their ups and downs, their tears and successes.
The collaboration between Hybe and Geffen, Hybe being one of the power houses in the Korean music industry while Geffen also being one of the power houses in the music industry but in the United States. This was first teased in 2021 with over 120,000 submissions, but only 116 advanced. After more analysis, only more than 20 were then chosen to come to Los Angeles for more training. Some were scouted on social media apps —a usual trend in K-pop — while others auditioned.
This collaboration between Hybe and Geffen brought on the immersion of K-pop training to create a Los Angeles-based American girl group. The vocal and dancing aspects of being a pop star weren’t the only things evaluated, but also, things like star quality, facial expression, and attitude were also taken into account by the judges. Which was indeed a unique experiment.
When the girls finally arrived in Los Angeles, minors had to live with a relative while the adults lived in a dorm. Future friendships, waiting to rise as the girls stepped into their temporary home.
Working hard for a position in the group was dire to the girls as so many spots weren’t available. Training for more than 3 hours a day, such a schedule was a norm to them. Their entire Los Angeles experience was centered around dancing and singing, hoping success would find them one day.
As months went by, some girls were removed for lack of skills while others were added for overflow in skills. To their surprise, the deadline was approaching for what we, the audience know to be a Korean style survival show, management was finally satisfied with their lineup of 20 girls, each with their own story, and decided to make them public.
The girls unknowingly had this news dropped on them, excitement running through their veins because they were going to be part of something so extraordinary.
On Aug. 29, the girls were finally revealed to the world in a press conference, that Dream Academy was on its way to hopeful success. The world met this with excitement because representation was at hand.
In this specific survival show, the girls were put into different groups. Some were just for singing, while others were lip-syncing and dancing. As time passed, Dream Academy delved more into the aspect of live singing while dancing, which is one of the major skills needed to succeed in such an industry.
After trials and tribulations, eliminations, and advancements, 10 girls finally got to stand on a stage in front of a live audience and thousands watching online, one inch closer to debuting.
Embracing each other to the end, as the live audience watched, one by one, ten became six, dreams shattered but others fulfilled.
The final six girls consisted of members Manon Bannerman of Ghanaian-Swiss, born and raised in Switzerland (22), Sophia Laforteza of Filipino ethnicity (21), Daniela Avanazini of Cuban/Venezuelan origin (20), Lara Raj of Indian descent (18) and Yoonchae Jeong of Korean origin (16 ). KATSEYE was their name, a name that screams fierce and feminine, like the girls.
