KATSEYE Play Debut Washington DC Show at the Anthem FULL REVIEW AND PHOTO GALLERY
- Nicole Griffen
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
KATSEYE made their debut Monday, November 26th in Washington DC! The sixth night of the Beautiful Chaos tour took place at The Anthem, a venue found along The Wharf, a waterfront neighborhood featuring restaurants and retail attractions right in the heart of DC. KATSEYE is a global girl group in the k-pop style, consisting of members from the United States, Switzerland, Korea, and the Philippines with varying ethnic backgrounds. The group was formed by HYBExGEFFEN through Dream Academy, a training and development program that featured a series of performances and eliminations, chosen by industry professionals and fan voting. This process was featured in a Netflix documentary titled Popstar Academy: KATSEYE. This allowed KATSEYE to gain support all around the world before the members were chosen for debut. The group consists of six members: Sophia Laforteza, Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Manon Bannerman, Megan Skiendiel, and Yoonchae Jeong. KATSEYE recently took home their first ever award, earning the MTV Push Performance of the Year at the VMAs. They are nominated for Best New Artist and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 2026 GRAMMY Awards.
Before the show, the music and lyric videos of a handful of songs were played, and it quickly became a sing and dance-along for the crowd. The show opened with Act 1: CHAOTIC, featuring elements of their lead single Gnarly to create suspense around the girls’ appearance. The first song was Debut, their first single, featuring a shortened version of the MAMA Awards dance break. This dance break had gone viral on TikTok recently, so the energy from the crowd started strong. Debut was followed by Gameboy and I’m Pretty, which was performed live for the first time during this tour. This was followed by Mean Girls and Tonight I Might, which turned the venue into a club. KATSEYE then gave the fans a treat by playing an unreleased song, Internet Girl. Although this song had only started being played at the opening show in Minneapolis nine days before, fans already knew the lyrics and choreography. Out of every show I have ever attended, KATSEYE had the most engaged fan base I have seen. After the unreleased song they shared that they had another surprise for fans and performed a piece of their viral choreography for Kellis’ Milkshake from their GAP advertisement. They wrapped up this act with their GRAMMY nominated Gabriela, featuring a dance break. Bringing a touch of Daniela Avanzini’s Venezuelan-Cuban roots to DC. Leader Sophia Laforteza complimented the final chorus with some impressive riffs and runs, while Daniela brought Spanish vocals for the final verse.
Act 2: BEAUTIFUL OR CHAOTIC? brought fans back to pre-debut with a medley from Dream Academy featuring shortened versions of Girls Don’t Like, Dirty Water, and All The Same which previously did not have KATSEYE versions. They played their song Timelapse, featured on the soundtrack of the k-drama Good Boy (굿보이). Timelapse fostered an emotional moment between fans and member Yoonchae Jeong, as it was the first time Jeong got to sing in Korean for a KATSEYE song. This was followed up well with a shortened version of Flame, which in its entirety features lyrics in English, Chinese, Korean, and Spanish. The shortened tour version featured the English and Chinese lyrics, giving member Megan Skiendiel her time to shine. The GAP collaboration was not their only viral one of the year, they also performed the Monster High theme song they recorded for the new generation of the show. A group of fans dressed as the member’s original characters were seen excitedly dancing along to the choreography. KATSEYE brought the club vibe back to finish the second act with MIA and Gnarly, which were the two songs the crowd had the highest energy for. Gnarly, which was extremely controversial upon release, ended up being a fan favorite for the night, and rightfully so! The extended outro of MIA featured an iconic moment between Lara Raj and Manon Bannerman that originated from the Lollapalooza performance that has become a staple of performances of the song.
After leaving the stage for a quick costume change, KATSEYE returned for the encore. They came out to Touch, a song that led the charts of their Soft is Strong era. One lead vocalist, Lara Raj brought the vocals in her iconic bridge, adding some extra flair to the runs to create a standout performance. They finished the show with My Way, an extremely personal song to KATSEYE and fans. Megan Skiendiel tried something new for her iconic bridge, and it took this favorite song to another level. The song is reminiscent of Dream Academy, and all the struggles the girls have overcome to make KATSEYE as successful as it is. So having the song as the closing number was emotional for all.
Overall, the sold-out Beautiful Chaos tour was not one to miss! This was my first k-pop style concert so a lot of it was new to me. Having no opener was something I have never experienced, but KATSEYE was able to bring the energy from the very first song, so there was not much difference. KATSEYE also has their own light stick similar to other k-pop groups, seeing them all change color simultaneously was an extremely unique experience I wish I would see at more concerts. The audience was engaged, dancing, chanting, and singing the entire time, one of the most engaged crowds I have ever been part of. I will be buying a ticket for their next tour, and I recommend doing so also! It is an exciting time to be an EYEKON.