KATSEYE is discovering that the fame game can be truly gnarly – and not in a good way. In a candid conversation with BBC News, posted on Wednesday, November 12th, the girl group opened up about the deluge of hate – and sometimes even death threats – they've received since their 2024 debut. "As time marches on, the stakes keep getting higher and higher, and the pressure from all angles becomes more intense," member Lara Raj shared. "I try to tell myself, 'It doesn't matter, and what people say doesn't matter,' but we're human beings."
Lara continued, "If 1,000 people are sending you death threats, it's jarring. Even if it's not going to happen and it doesn't mean anything, it's heavy and it's jarring."
When interviewer Mark Savage expressed surprise that the ladies had faced such intense negativity so early in their careers, member Sophia Laforteza confirmed that even their families and friends have had to endure online hate and attacks. "We've received a lot of things said to us, about us, to our families," she said. "It's something we knew we signed up for when we became so public and open for people to… They know so much about us, and it's a part of our job." Sophia added as her bandmates Daniela, Manon, Megan, and Yoonchae nodded in agreement. "We know it's a part of fame. But it doesn't change the fact that we are human beings."
Fortunately, the group members agreed that it's nice to have each other to lean on when things get tough, as they all already know how each other feels in the band.
The interview comes as KATSEYE's fame is skyrocketing in 2025, with the sextet recently landing a best new artist Grammy nomination ahead of next year's awards. In an interview with Billboard about the honors, Megan said, "With any award or nomination, it means so much to us because we work so hard… So, it's like all the hard work, those long hours, and all the dedication are really paying off."
The nomination comes less than two years after KATSEYE released its debut single "Debut" in 2024 after forming the year prior on the competition series Dream Academy. The band scored its first-ever Billboard Hot 100 hit in May when "Gnarly" made its entrance on the chart, and this fall, the ladies reached the top 40 with "Gabriela," which also scored a Grammy nod for best pop duo/group performance.
