K-Pop Group Cat’s eye Faces Online Harassment Amid Rise to Global Fame
LOS ANGELES – Global K-pop girl group Cat’s Eye, formed in 2023 through a collaboration between Hive and Geffen Records, has been targeted wiht “thousands of death threats” and subjected to gender identity and racial hatred as their debut, according to recent reports. The group, notable for its diverse membership, has together achieved significant commercial success and sparked crucial conversations around depiction.
Cat’s Eye’s second EP,’Lovely Chaos,’ released in May,charted globally,and on November 11th,the group reached 33.4 million monthly listeners on Spotify – the highest ranking among girl groups worldwide.
The group’s embrace of diversity extends beyond its membership. Members lara and Megan publicly came out as bisexual in March, receiving widespread support from the LGBTQ+ community and fans. In August, Cat’s Eye was selected as the face of GAP’s “Better in Denim” fall campaign, lauded as “the most successful advertisement of the year” and positioned as a response to recent racial discrimination controversies surrounding a competing campaign from American Eagle.
Despite their success, the group has faced intense online backlash. Manon Bannerman, a mixed-Ghanaian-Italian member, described the environment as “a very mentally devastated culture,” and criticized the practice of “scoring points on face, dance, and song” as dystopian.
“we exist for girls who are proud of their backgrounds,” Manon stated. “We want them to feel proud regardless of how they look or where they come from.” Lara added, “What I want to say to musicians from diverse backgrounds is ‘don’t stop.’ Our skin color and culture are our strength. Use them and own them with confidence.”
