On paper it shouldn't work.
Katseye, though, has put in the work, as has their team, and together delivered an impressive 40-minute set Sunday (8/3) at Lollapalooza.
It could be the start of something special.
It shouldn't work because if you hear about them before seeing and hearing them you could easily dismiss it for being nothing more than a manufactured cash grab to ride the wave of KPOP, but in English.
And also make it diverse American-based and yet international.
The six ladies of Katseye are:
Daniela (18, from Atlanta; Cuban mother and Venezuelan father)
Lara (19, from Dallas; Indian mother and Sri Lankan father)
Manon (21, from Zürich; Ghanaian father and Swiss-Italian mother)
Megan (18, from Honolulu; Singaporean-Chinese mother and Swedish-American father)
Sophia (21, born in Queens and raised in Manila; Filipina mother)
Yoonchae (17, from Seoul; South Korean parents)
Close your eyes because this is painful: they are the winners of a reality show.
Worse: the project is being pushed by Geffen Records and HYBE. Back in the day Geffen gave us Nirvana, Guns N' Roses, and Beck. And HYBE is the South Korean music factory who gave the world BTS and others KPOP groups.
But regardless of how this thing became a thing... it's a surprisingly good thing.
First off they can dance. Not just one or two of Katseye, but all of the women not only know what to do up there, but have the stage presence to make us believe they should be up there.
Can they sing? Who knows. Everything sounded a little too perfect to truly know what was live and what wasn't. It didn't matter.
The biggest shock was the songs were all good. Except their debut single which the kids seem to love, "Gnarly," which has 66 million views on YouTube.
In a way it's a parody of something Limp Bizkit would write for 2008 Gwen Stefani remixed by Skrillex produced by Die Antwoord. If the sole goal of the song was to show the world that Katseye are the Bratz to the typical KPop Barbies then fine, whatever, mission accomplished.
The most curious part is they cuss in such an odd way it's like they can't believe they can say the word, finally, omg, so they're going to say it as much as they can.
This trend followed them to the Grant Park stage and maybe it's a stage they're going through. But it's a silly one. We get it, you've got edge. You're cool. You're not like the regular girls.
Ironically it's the only thing that comes across as forced because, again, on paper, the entire spectacle should feel shoved down our throats, but that's the only part that's semi fraudulent.
As a unit it is nice to see so many different cultures represented.
It is nice that the diversity doesn't come across as cookie-cutter and rooted in stereotypes.
And yes it is nice to have a Latin breakdown in the middle of a KPop composition sung in English like the founders intended.
Two other things that have to go.
Yes it's sweet that they told the enormous crowd how grateful it was that they were all there. Fine. Now knock it off. They were on a roll. Was that there so they could catch their breath? Figure out a new way. Do a costume change or something. It killed the vibe.
The other were the extra dancers who ran onstage with drab hand-me-down costumes. Granted it's a huge stage, but six perfectly good dancers is enough.
Because Katseye is a half dozen people, they could do something that was very clever and the brain trust deserves kudos for. About 45 seconds into "Mean Girls" the video feed switched over to a handheld camera that was passed around from one member to the other as they filmed each other.
It gave an up-close-and-personal home video vibe that was both wholesome and, yes, authentic. Despite everything.
Katseye announced from the stage that they are gearing up for their first-ever headlining North American tour this fall: The Beautiful Chaos Tour.
It kicks off November 15 at The Armory in Minneapolis, and includes stops in Toronto, Boston, New York’s Theater at Madison Square Garden, San Francisco, Hollywood and other cities, and concludes on December 16 in Mexico City.
Most of the gigs are sold out. Go to Katseye's website to see if there are still tix in your town.
KATSEYE Beautiful Chaos Tour
Nov. 15 Minneapolis MN – The Armory
Nov. 18 Toronto ON – The Theatre at Great Canadian Toronto
Nov. 19 Boston MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway
Nov. 21 New York NY – Hammerstein Ballroom
Nov. 22 New York NY – The Theater at Madison Square Garden
Nov. 24 Washington DC – The Anthem
Nov. 26 Atlanta GA – Coca‑Cola Roxy
Nov. 29 Sugar Land TX – Smart Financial Centre
Nov. 30 Irving TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
Dec. 3 Phoenix AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre
Dec. 5 San Francisco CA – Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
Dec. 6 San Francisco CA – Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
Dec. 9 Seattle WA – WaMu Theater
Dec. 12 Inglewood CA – YouTube Theater
Dec. 13 Los Angeles CA – Hollywood Palladium
Dec. 16 Mexico City – Teatro Metropólitan
