New girl group Katseye features a member with Singaporean heritage

New girl group Katseye has been the talk of the town lately. Formed via a collaboration between music labels Hybe and Geffen Records, the sextet comprises members of various nationalities: Manon Bannerman from Switzerland; Sophia Laforteza from the Philippines; Daniela Avanzini from the US; Lara Rajagopalan from the US; Megan Skiendiel from the US and Jeong Yoon-chae from South Korea.
Katseye officially debuted on Jun 28 with the song Debut, and the group’s first extended play SIS (Soft Is Strong) was released on Aug 16.
In recent weeks, Katseye has been receiving extra attention for its Netflix documentary Pop Star Academy: Katseye which has been praised for its rawness and insight into the group members’ dynamics prior to the formation of Katseye.
Fans in Singapore are also now learning that Katseye member Megan Skiendiel, who goes by Megan, has strong connections to Singapore. The 18-year-old Hawaii native has an American-Swedish father and a Singaporean Chinese mother.
Megan’s connection to Singapore was first alluded to in an episode of the 2023 reality series The Debut: Dream Academy. While eating with her fellow contestants and discussing her mixed heritage, Megan said: “I’m Chinese-American, and I’m Cantonese. I’m really involved in Singapore and Singapore culture. I haven’t been able to show that [in the series]… and connect with my Singaporean side.”
In a recent interview with Singapore publication The Straits Times, Megan expressed her love for laksa and Hainanese chicken rice. She also shared that she would visit her maternal grandmother in Singapore every year but has not been able to do so for the last three years.
“My po po (grandmother) is always sending me things she reads about Katseye. My uncles, aunties and cousins too. It’s so amazing that they are on the other side of the world yet can still follow what we do… We have a close connection even though they are so far away.”
Since its debut, Katseye has only been rising in popularity. The music video for the group’s latest track Touch exceeded 10 million views and the group has already surpassed 5 million monthly listeners on Spotify.