HYBE and Universal Music Group’s joint venture label, Gepen Records, have officially announced the debut date for the global girl group ‘KATSEYE.’

According to HYBE, KATSEYE’s first single will drop on the 28th at midnight (Eastern Time, USA). Fans can also look forward to their second single in July and an EP release in August.

KATSEYE was formed through the audition program ‘The Debut: Dream Academy,’ which aired from September to November last year. The group comprises six elite members selected from a pool of 6,000 applicants: Daniela (USA), Lala (USA), Manon (Switzerland), Megan (USA), Sofia (Philippines), and Yoonchae (South Korea).

KATSEYE is poised to make their debut in the mainstream pop market in the United States, marking them as the first girl group from HYBE and Gepen Records to promote locally. During a rigorous 90-day audition process, the members were evaluated on dance skills, vocal abilities, teamwork, concept adaptation, and artistic flair.

Their global fan base is already substantial. During the broadcast of ‘The Debut: Dream Academy,’ their community on the superfan platform Weverse saw active participation from fans across 220 countries and regions. Currently, KATSEYE’s fan community boasts nearly 300,000 members.

Industry insiders are closely watching their potential to further globalize the K-pop system. Earlier this year, Grammy.com featured them in the list of ‘11 Rookie K-Pop Acts To Know In 2024.’

Bang Si-hyuk, chairman of HYBE, expressed excitement during the ‘Dream Academy’ live finale, hoping that KATSEYE will become the voice of a new era, inspiring young people worldwide with the message that dreams can indeed come true.

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BTS member Jin is proving his solo power! His first solo album, Happy, debuted at an incredible No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, showing his massive global impact.

On November 25, Billboard announced the chart rankings for the week ending November 30. Jin’s album, released on November 15, secured a spot in the Top 5, marking a huge milestone for his solo debut.

According to Billboard, Happy sold 66,000 physical copies, alongside 8,000 SEA units (streaming-equivalent albums) and 3,000 TEA units (track-equivalent albums).

With this achievement, BTS becomes the only K-pop group where both the group and individual members have reached the Top 5 on the Billboard 200. As a group, BTS has hit No. 1 six times with albums like LOVE YOURSELF: Tear, BE, and Proof.

Jin now joins his fellow BTS members in charting high on Billboard, including RM (Indigo, No. 3), Suga (D-DAY, No. 2), J-Hope (Jack In The Box, No. 6), Jimin (FACE, No. 2), V (Layover, No. 2), and Jungkook (GOLDEN, No. 2).

The album's title track, "Running Wild," is also breaking records. It debuted at No. 8 on Spotify’s Daily Top Songs Global chart and No. 10 on the Weekly Top Songs Global chart. In the UK, it reached No. 25 on the Official Singles Chart, marking a new personal best for Jin.

Jin’s Happy is taking his career to new heights, and fans are excited to see what’s next from him!

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