Kriti Mehrotra
With HYBE and Geffen Records’ first-ever global girl group, KATSEYE, having been formed on November 18, 2023, and this process chronicled in Netflix’s ‘Pop Star Academy,’ we already know a bit about its members. However, we can not forget for even a moment that they are, above all, six individual people who now choose to come together to be a part of this crazy, intense music industry every single day. They have since jointly moved into an incredible Los Angeles home, only to then have released two singles — “Debut” and “Touch” — as well as an EP titled ‘SIS (Soft Is Strong),’ yet they still have their own identities too.
Daniela Avanzini is Embracing Her Childhood Dream
Although a native of Atlanta, Georgia, Daniela is no stranger to entertainment, considering she has been dancing since age four thanks to her highly accomplished ballroom-dancing Cuban mother and Venezuelan father. Her first lessons were thus nothing more than a continued family tradition, yet she soon developed such a passion and reached such a skill level that she commanded the entire nation’s attention. In fact, she competed on ‘America’s Got Talent’ at the age of seven and ‘So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation’ at age 11 before starting to dabble in singing, too — she honed her skills herself.
Therefore, by the time Daniela even applied to be part of this global girl group at the age of 17, she had a bit of a following owing to the covers she posted online in both English as well as Spanish. On a more personal scale, this self-admitted rap fan’s loved ones have always been so supportive that they enabled her to pursue her dreams how she wanted without hesitation, resulting in her now being a KATSEYE member. We should also mention that it appears as if this 21-year-old proud Latina is a travel enthusiast, a fashion lover, plus a friend of Canadian singer-dancer Tate McRae, who is also her birthday twin.
Lara Rajagopalan is a Woman of Many Hats
While Lara is obviously best known for being a core member of KATSEYE these days member, this New York-born first-generation Indian American is actually a triple threat — actor, singer, and dancer. She apparently kickstarted her journey at age 4, soon realizing her one true dream was to be a pop star in every sense of the term, unaware she would find her calling in a group rather than as a soloist. As per Netflix, she did briefly get discouraged growing up upon noticing the sheer lack of brown representation in the West, just to ultimately turn it into her drive and decide she would be the idol she searched for as a kid.
It thus comes as no surprise Lara embraced her roots in every way she could, became fluent in English plus Tamil, and honed her skills to be the most confident, proud version of herself. That’s how she got the attention she deserves, culminating in her career as an artist, her brief stint on NBC’s ‘The Blacklist,’ her feature in Michelle Obama’s Global Girls Alliance video, and hosting/modeling opportunities. As for her personal life, this 18-year-old single teen has never been shy about admitting that she wouldn’t be where she is today without the unwavering backing of her parents and elder sister, Rhea.
Manon Bannerman is the Epitome of an It Girl
With her mother being Swiss and Italian, and her father being Ghanaian, Manon has admittedly been blessed to experience many cultures in her life, which she believes makes her stand out. However, the truth is it is the confidence she has gained from these experiences, as well as her natural beauty, that makes heads turn – the fact she’s kind is the reason the turned heads stay that way. That’s the “it factor” she has, and that’s the reason fans voted to have her be in this global girl group despite her technically not being the most skilled.
Little did the fans know that Manon’s experience, as well as determination, helped her along the way – she was a model, featured in various music videos, and was able to realize she had to give this world her all if she wanted to succeed. Another thing many fans might not know about Manon is that she is actually a singer-songwriter – although she has rarely brought this fact into the limelight, she has been writing since she was 15. So, of course, with the proper training, the sisterhood she has found in her fellow members, her relationship with her supportive elder sister Lena, and the backing of other loved ones, she has come out of her shell.
Megan Skiendiel is a Powerhouse in Every Sense
Despite being the youngest member of KATSEYE, Megan definitely has a quality about her that can’t be ignored – the intensity behind her eyes and the resolve with which she does everything she sets her mind. The truth is, she is quite like Lara in the sense that she realized her dream of being a part of the entertainment industry at the age of 4, following which she began doing everything in her power to achieve this dream. Whether it be acting, dancing, modeling, playing the ukulele, or singing, she did it all, just for the Dream Academy to help her hone all her skills until she was the all-rounder this group needed.
Megan is quite private regarding her personal life, considering she is merely 18 at the moment, yet she does openly credit her mother for being the person who has enabled her success. After all, she was the one who used to travel to Los Angeles from Hawaii every single weekend to make sure she got to participate in every competition and give all the auditions she wanted. However, neither of them could have realized this was where all their hard work would lead, and it goes without saying that the latter is incredibly proud of her young daughter.
Sophia Laforteza is Proudly Representing Her Community
Sophia’s mother, Carla Guevara Laforteza, is a professional performance artist in their homeland of the Philippines; she has always been surrounded by industry professionals. Therefore, when she got the entertainment bug at an early age and landed several auditions in her hometown of Manila, many believed it was because of her family’s connections. So, determined to prove them wrong while pursuing her own dreams of becoming a sensation on the grounds of her own skillset, she applied to be a part of this girl group and made it all the way to the end.
Hence, it comes as no surprise that while Sophia is well aware of how the industry works, she is now doing so on a global level and has essentially already surpassed her mother’s success. So, while this entire experience and what’s to come seems familiar to her, it is also not because no one has ever done what she aims to do with her fellow group members. No matter the case, she is glad to be where she is in every sense of the term, and the fact she gets to represent her people at such a stage is an honor that she knows the weight of and is resolved to do right.
Yoonchae is Reaping the Benefits of Her Hard Work
Yoonchae’s dream from the moment she turned 3 was to be a K-Pop idol who inspired her audience through authenticity, and that’s precisely what she is doing today via KATSEYE. She actually began training for her dream from the time she was a toddler, just to enroll in a K-pop academy at the age of 14, unaware she’d be in another pop academy in Los Angeles two years later. That determination to succeed, along with her skillset and teamwork despite not knowing much English as a South Korean native, is what resulted in her being selected for this global group, and now she’s going global herself. She is a performer through and through.
Read More: Adéla Jergova: Where is the Pop Star Academy Trainee Now?
