Katseye, Hybe’s first multinational K-pop girl group, off to disappointing start

Katseye (Hybe)

K-pop powerhouse Hybe’s much anticipated first multinational K-pop girl group Katseye, formed in collaboration with Geffen Records, is failing to make a name for itself not only in the US, its target market, but also in Korea, the homeland of the genre.

The K-pop sextet with only one Korean member, Yoonchae, has been at the center of questions as to whether a K-pop band that is mostly non-Korean could succeed.

In the global market, two indicators of popularity and success -- Spotify and iTunes’ real-time music charts on digital singles -- say no.

“Local music labels monitor the Spotify Daily Song Charts and iTunes Top Songs charts in different countries to check the (market’s) response in real time before the digital single’s first-week performance comes out in the US Billboard Charts, the UK Official Charts and Japan’s Oricon Chart,” a local K-pop agency official said Monday.

Katseye could not be found on either Spotify or iTunes music charts as of Monday, four days after the release of the aptly named debut single, “Debut,” on June 28. In comparison, Illit, Hybe’s latest K-pop girl group under Belift Lab, ranked No. 92 on Spotify on March 26, a day after the release of its first effort, “Magnetic.”

Katseye has not fared any better on major Korean music charts. It failed to rank on Melon’s Top 100 chart. The group also did not register with Hanteo Chart as of Monday.

K-pop agencies also look at the number of views for a new digital single's music video on YouTube as well as the number of subscribers to the official channel on the platform as means for checking fans' reactions.

As of Monday, Katseye’s music video for "Debut" had garnered 2.33 million views in three days.

For comparison, Illit’s "Magnetic" scored over 12 million views on the group's official YouTube channel in a comparable period. When YG Entertainment’s latest girl group Babymonster released the music video of its third single, “Sheesh,” on YouTube on April 1 it recorded over 10 million views in just eight hours.

Katseye does not have a dedicated YouTube channel as yet.

“Generally speaking, the potential for Katseye’s success doesn't seem very high. There are several risks. But if one multinational band rises to stardom, it will pave the way for newcomers,” music critic Lim Hee-yun said Monday.

Considering contributions from top-tier musicians and producers such as Ryan Tedder, known for his work with Beyonce, Maroon 5 and Adele, Grant Boutin and Tyler Spry, as well as Omer Fedi who featured on "Debut," Katseye is not living up to the expectations of Hybe and Geffen Records, at least not yet.

By Kim Jae-heun(jaaykim@heraldcorp.com)