Last year, K-pop giants Hybe and Geffen Records announced the six selected members of their first global girl group KATSEYE.

Announced as an international group, with members from America, the Philippines, South Korea and Switzerland, the group was formed using K-pop artist development methods through the audition program. The debut: Dream Academy.

Now, nine months after announcing that Daniela, Lara, Manon, Megan, Sophia and Yoonchae were selected for the global group, KATSEYE has released her first EP SIS (Soft is strong) and is the focus of the new Netflix documentary series Popstar Academy: KATSEYE.

It’s been a turbulent few months for the members of KATSEYE, whose ages range from 16 to 22. In June, the group released their first single, aptly titled “Debut,” a powerful and youthful pop song, before releasing their second single, “Touch,” in July, a catchy yet laid-back pop song.

“Our debut was absolutely fantastic. It couldn’t have gone better,” says Daniela The Hollywood Reporter“We were so excited to finally get our music out there and show the world who we are as KATSEYE, and we’ve worked so, so hard on this album.”

KATSEYE made their first live performance as a group last month during the third concert of KCON LA. The girl group, who already performed like seasoned veterans, still seem in disbelief about the performance. “We will literally never forget (this moment),” Sophia raves.

“It was literally one of the best days of our lives because it was our first live performance as KATSEYE,” the 21-year-old continues, explaining that the group worked hard to get in the right mood for the performance by trying out things with artificial cheering sounds during rehearsals.

“We all felt really present. We were able to focus and we could see all the fans’ faces,” Sophia says. “We all worked so hard that we were able to enjoy the moment. I feel like it was really eye-opening as to why we work so hard and why we spend all these hours doing this so we could really be very present.”

“We really wanted to make the best first impression and the best performance possible,” Lara adds. “We wanted to show people with the documentation, with all the training we’ve done, with everything that’s led up to this moment, that we’re serious and that we’re here to stay.”

The group performed for their fans at their first fan event on Tuesday. They had the chance to see their followers in a more intimate setting, which was a huge milestone for them. “It was really meaningful for us,” explains Yoonchae, the youngest member of the group at 16.

The documentary series, released on Wednesday, gives a behind-the-scenes look at the training the members went through before Dream Academy“(The documentary) is very intense. It’s very emotional. I think I cried during every single episode, but it’s a great documentary,” says Daniela.

When asked if I would experience those moments again, Pop Star Academy They experienced moments of a new life and got a glimpse behind the scenes of their teamwork. Sophia emphasizes that KATSEYE is so closely connected and communicates with each other.

“When we started here and knew there was a documentary coming out, we all said to each other before we even saw it, ‘That was us two, three years ago. We were babies going through this insanely intense, insanely intense process,'” she adds. “We’ve grown so much as members of KATSEYE and as sisters that nothing can stop us from being who we are now.”

Her debut EP SIS (Soft is strong) features five songs, including “Debut” and “Touch.” However, the slower, sweet track “My Way” fits a movie ending montage. The lyrics “Like fireworks popping up over your town / Even if it all burns out / I did it my way” seem to be very popular with the group.

Daniela emphasizes that she strongly identifies with the song, especially its lyric, “Thick hair / Big curls and they all staring / Yeah, I tried to fit in your box of pink Barbie dolls / Found I still couldn’t win ’em all.”

“I was always a new girl and always tried to fit in. I never had a group of friends and no one accepted me for who I was, so I tried to change the way I looked and acted,” says the 20-year-old. “Looking back, I’ve learned that that shouldn’t be the case and that I need to be myself and accept myself, my natural curls. I think I got into the group because I am who I am and I really need to accept that.”

Megan is also drawn to the song. “The lyrics tell our story together so beautifully and concretely. ‘I never wanna do what I’m told / Even if I mess everything up and make a million mistakes’ has always been my motto in life,” says the 18-year-old, who says she has always wanted to learn her own lessons. “When you grow up and you’re a girl, you just want to learn from your own mistakes and learn your own lifestyle,” she adds.

KATSEYE has several musical inspirations, including Beyoncé (Manon) and MIA (Lara). “My dad always called me Beyoncé. I was so obsessed,” laughs Manon, saying she enjoys watching the Grammy winner’s Netflix documentary. Homecoming“As a new artist, this is so inspiring and motivating for me. Her work ethic is second to none and she does amazing work. That’s why she’s been relevant in the industry for so long.”

Lara cites MIA’s influence on music as the reason she sees the singer as a role model. “As a dark-skinned girl, she was kind of the first South Asian artist in the media who could really make an impact,” adds the 18-year-old. “She really helped me find my confidence and be myself and not always have to be pretty, just be myself and be unpretentious.”

Looking to the future, KATSEYE has a clear vision for themselves and how they want the world to see the girl group. “One of our biggest goals is that we want to show our diversity,” explains Manon. “I think it’s so nice about our group that every young girl can look at our group and recognize herself in us because we are so diverse and different.”

The 22-year-old adds: “This is something we always wanted to do growing up. It just feels like a dream to be able to live it out.”