Girl group KATSEYE took the stage at the American Music Awards on Monday, performing their latest hit, “Pinky Up.”
The six-member group – made up of members Daniela, Lara, Manon, Megan, Sofia and Yunchai – entered the Memorial Day Awards to take home three awards including New Artist of the Year, Best Music Video and Innovative Pop Artist. KATSEYE debuted as a five-member group at the AMAs, while member Manon has been on hiatus.
For “Pinky Up,” the set began with an onstage tea party with giant teddy bears spread out between the tables. KATSEYE then walked to the center of the stage where she delivered a dance-heavy performance, complete with quite a few pinky moments. The bright pink background also featured teddy bears.
The group later won New Artist of the Year and celebrated BTS, saying the K-Pop stars “inspired us to represent our culture on a global scale.”
KATSEYE’s mainstream profile exploded last year, partly due to the band’s viral single, “Gnarly,” which took social media by storm after videos of the group’s energetic, eye-catching performances were shared online. Their follow-up single, “Gabriela,” which earned them a Grammy nomination in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category, further cemented their success. The songs also earned KATSEYE their first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. “Gabriela” spent 28 weeks on the chart.
The pop group was formed through a joint venture between K-pop giant Hype and American music label Geffen Records with the aim of using the K-pop model to form an international girl group. The members were cast in the competition series, Dream Academy, while the entire process leading up to that competition series and the group’s debut was captured in a Netflix docu-series. Pop Star Academy.
Last month, KATSEYE took another big step in their career, performing at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival for the first time. In a surprise move during filming, KATSEYE directed the ladies of Huntrix, the fictional girl group from Demon hunters in kpopConsisting of singers EJAE, Ami and Nuna. The newly formed supergroup has performed Demon huntersAward-winning anthem “Golden” during KATSEYE’s set.
The American Music Awards were created by Dick Clark Productions. DCP is owned by Penske Media Corporation, Hollywood ReporterParent company, in a subsidiary joint venture between Penske Media and Eldridge.
Hilary Lewis contributed to this report.
