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Katseye loves mess. The six-part girl group has come to be associated with a certain type of deliberate disarray, best encompassed through their viral hit “Gnarly.” Over an infectious beat and cheeky lyrics, the algorithm-dominating song asserts that everything—from fried chicken to a party in the Hollywood hills—can be summed up by the salacious, two-syllable word. Their just-released EP, Beautiful Chaos, doubles down on this ethos—and they’d like to explain why. “A big part of messiness, for us, is finding beauty in a collection of things you wouldn’t expect to see in the same space,” says Sophia Laforteza, the group’s leader. “I think that’s the beauty of what happened with us. We’re girls from all over the world; we come from different cultures and have different personalities. Yet we just click.” The key to Katseye—comprised of Sophia Laforteza, Manon Bannerman, Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel, and Yoonchae Jeung—is that each member has their own distinct charm. Literally.
Sophia, Photography courtesy of Pandora
In Dream Academy—the reality talent competition show that paired the girls together—the group took on individual charms representing their personalities. “We almost felt like a charm bracelet, all of us together,” explains Sophia, pointing out the charm bracelet’s always-changing, mix-and-match allure. Naturally, when they had the opportunity to create one with Pandora, it was an instinctive fit.
Photography courtesy of Pandora
Charm bracelets are some of our earliest expressions of friendship, and each of the girls—forever tethered through their music—feels pulled to this idea. “My godmother gifted me a Pandora charm bracelet in middle school,” explains Daniela. “I still have it to this day.” Accessorizing is not just an aspect of their style, it’s part of who they are. “A big thing that helps us maintain individuality is our cultures,” notes Lara. “We’ve grown up seeing our parents experiment with different traditional styles, so we each incorporate those into our outfits today.” Lara honours her Indian heritage by wearing bindis. Megan, who is Chinese and Hawaiian, wears a jade bracelet. Manon sports waist beads, a nod to her Ghanaian background. When selecting their Pandora-specific charms, they honed in on this art of personalization, from Daniela’s assuring angel wings to Megan’s vibrant cherry. Yoonchae, the youngest of the group, explains that she was instantly drawn to the Pandora shell charm. “When I read the meaning—that it was gentle, comforting and chill—I knew that was me,” she says. Katseye members have joked about being telepathic. They live together, share clothes, and in their music videos, dance with entrancing coordination. In conversation, they do possess a sort of mind-reading synchronicity, instinctively pausing to allow each other to share their thoughts. While some are more outspoken, no one takes space away from anyone else. Their connection is based on sisterly love—the sarcastic, blunt kind. Sophia explains: “We’re always telling each other, ‘Just be you! Just say it! Like, why are you being shy, you weirdo?’ That’s our dynamic,” she laughs. “I’ve seen everybody cry. I’ve seen everybody happy,” adds Daniela. “When someone wants to say something, but they can’t vocalize it, we’re like, ‘I know what you’re trying to tell me, girl. I see it in your eyes.’ We’re like this,” she says, crossing her fingers and holding them up in the air. In the three years since they’ve been Katseye, they’ve reached a point where they just get each other. “There are miscommunications, misunderstandings,” admits Sophia. “That alone is insanely chaotic, but it’s beautiful at the same time, because you’re learning so much about each other.” The result of this evolution is Beautiful Chaos. “The whole EP is super fun to listen to; the kind of songs you play when you get ready with your girls,” says Manon. “I really hope it’s just a feel-good experience.” Feeling good can be a tall order in an objectively confusing time, when boundaries between the real world and life online are blurred. For a group of young women under pressure to thrive in both these spheres, the remedy lies in embracing the unknown. “It feels like there’s so much fire underneath us, and we’re unleashing this new side of Katseye,” says Lara, before sneaking in a characteristic hint of contradiction. “But it’s a side that’s been there from the beginning.” [content_module id=”1″] Continue Reading
