Katseye tops Billboard 200 two years after debut, setting all-time girl group record

Katseye, the multinational girl group formed through a joint venture between Hybe and Geffen Records under Universal Music, has reached the top of the Billboard main album chart just two years after its debut — becoming the first group to do so among acts built by transplanting K-pop's training and production system abroad.

According to a preview published by Billboard on Monday (local time), Katseye's new album "Wild" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 dated Saturday.

The achievement marks the fourth time a girl group has topped the main album chart in the 2020s, following Blackpink's "Born Pink," NewJeans' "Get Up" and Twice's "With YOU-th."

All-time girl group record, with favorable timing

The No. 1 debut set a new benchmark not only for Katseye itself but for girl groups across pop music history.

According to Billboard, "Wild" posted Katseye's highest-ever weekly album sales. Of the album's 170,000 first-week equivalent album units, pure album sales reached 145,000 copies — good for No. 1 on the Top Album Sales chart — while streaming equivalent albums (SEA) came to 24,500 units (approximately 26.95 million official on-demand streams, ranking No. 19 on the Top Streaming Albums chart) and track equivalent albums (TEA) accounted for roughly 500 units.

The Billboard 200 ranks the most popular albums in the United States each week based on equivalent album units compiled by Luminate, combining traditional album sales, track equivalent albums and streaming equivalent albums.

Katseye's sales total set the highest weekly record for a girl group since the Billboard 200 began tracking equivalent album units in December 2015. In pure album sales alone, the group surpassed the previous girl group record set by Twice's "Ready To Be: 12th Mini Album," which debuted with 146,000 copies in March 2023 — the first time that mark had been broken in three years.

Pre-release singles "Pinky Up" (No. 28 on the Hot 100) and "Animal" (No. 24 on the Hot 100) built anticipation for the full album to a peak, driving the No. 1 finish.

Timing also worked in Katseye's favor. In weeks when major pop stars release new projects, the threshold for No. 1 can easily exceed 200,000 to 300,000 units, but this week's chart was decided in the 140,000–170,000 range, creating a more open competitive landscape.

Stray Kids' "THIS & THAT," which had held the top spot the previous week, dropped 78 percent in its second week to 82,000 units and fell to No. 3, while singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers' new album "Lost Weekend" — considered a strong rival — was limited to 118,000 units at No. 2. Katseye moved into the gap left by albums from Olivia Rodrigo, Ariana Grande and Morgan Wallen, all of which had already entered a gradual decline after multiple weeks on the chart.

The previous week, Stray Kids had posted 369,000 units and Ariana Grande 295,000 units.

A raw narrative captures Generation Z

Katseye's story began with a documentary. In August 2024, the Netflix original documentary series "Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE" introduced the group to audiences by following trainees through Hybe's Training & Development process — capturing conflicts between contestants, cultural clashes, emotional struggles and the pain of elimination.

The series created synergy with the explosive TikTok virality of "Touch," a B-side from the group's debut EP "SIS: Soft Is Strong."

As "Touch" entered the Billboard Hot 100 and climbed the streaming charts in reverse, the group's profile rose sharply and the debut EP opened at No. 119 on the Billboard 200. The second EP, "Beautiful Chaos," released in 2025, reached No. 4 and confirmed a solid fandom, laying the groundwork for "Wild" to go straight to No. 1.

A defining thread in Katseye's rise has been its willingness to break taboos — a sharp departure from conventional K-pop groups and an unprecedented display of personal identity for a group from a Korean entertainment company.

In March last year, Lara, an Indian American member, came out as gay during a Weverse live session; in June, Megan disclosed that she is bisexual. It was an unprecedented case of two active girl group members coming out in succession within less than a year of their debut.

In the Western pop market and among Generation Z fans, the members' disclosures were received as an act of authenticity — a willingness to be openly themselves rather than conform to agency control. The group's narrative of diversity and inclusion drove the intense loyalty and support of its fandom.

Five consecutive Hot 100 entries in two years of global-scale growth

Katseye's rise to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 is not a one-off surge but the product of accumulated global consumption across both singles and albums.

The group placed five consecutive new singles on the Billboard Hot 100 — "Gnarly," "Gabriela," "Internet Girl," "Pinky Up" and "Animal." The special collaborative single "ICONIC BY MISTAKE," made with fellow Hybe Labels acts Le Sserafim and Illit, also entered the Hot 100 at No. 38 and sustained a two-month run, adding further momentum.

The group's trajectory on the UK Official Singles Top 100 has been even steeper. Starting with "Gnarly" at No. 52, then "Gabriela" at No. 38, "Internet Girl" at No. 24 and "Pinky Up" at No. 14, the group's latest entry "Animal" climbed to No. 12 on the chart dated Aug. 21–27 — breaking its own record with each comeback. The new album's title track "Hootie Frutti" debuted at No. 16 and B-side "Bel Air" entered at No. 97, placing three songs on the UK main singles chart in a single week. "Animal" also landed at No. 10 on the Billboard Global 200.

The staying power of the group's previous release and its grip on European album charts are equally notable. The second EP "Beautiful Chaos" peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for a cumulative 59 weeks as of Saturday, demonstrating remarkable longevity. "Wild," the group's third EP, swept the top of major European album charts — reaching No. 1 in the Netherlands and Belgium, No. 2 in the United Kingdom and France, No. 3 in Ireland and No. 4 in Germany, in addition to its US No. 1.

As of Monday, Katseye's monthly Spotify listener count reached a personal best of about 38.28 million. The group launches its world tour, "THE WILDWORLD TOUR," in Dublin, Ireland, on Sept. 1, before moving through major cities in Europe and North America to consolidate its global fandom.

shee@heraldcorp.com