Girl group Katseye named TikTok’s Global Artiste of the Year, beating Taylor Swift and Enhypen
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(From left) Katseye members Sophia, Lara, Manon, Daniela, Megan and Yoonchae at the NRJ Music Awards in Cannes, France, on Oct 31.
PHOTO: AFP
Los Angeles-based international girl group Katseye, which debuted in 2024, have surpassed more established pop stars such as Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande to become TikTok’s Global Artiste of the Year.
Unveiling its year-end wrap on Dec 9, TikTok said the sextet have more than 30 billion views and 12 million creations using their music on the short-form online video platform in 2025.
Pretty Little Baby, the 1962 song from American singer Connie Francis, who died in July at the age of 87, was TikTok’s Top Global and United States Song of 2025.
Katseye’s Sophia, Lara, Manon, Daniela, Megan and Yoonchae hail from the United States, South Korea, Switzerland and the Philippines. The group, with about 15.3 million followers on TikTok, top the platform’s Global Artiste table, which has Swift in sixth, Gaga in seventh and Grande in 10th place.
Mexican singer Alan Arrieta and K-pop boy band Enhypen are in second and third positions respectively, with Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny and K-pop boy band Stray Kids rounding up the top five.
Katseye were formed through the 2023 reality competition series Dream Academy, a collaboration between South Korean music conglomerate Hybe and American record label Geffen Records.
They recently scored two nominations at the 2026 Grammy Awards – for Best New Artiste and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
TikTok said Katseye had several viral music moments in 2025, such as their song Gnarly (2025), with a global dance trend spearheaded by the group.
K-pop groups including Le Sserafim, Tomorrow x Together and Enhypen, as well as American singer Camila Cabello, jumped on the trend, helping drive 2.4 million creations and 13.5 billion views. The song also earned Katseye their first entry on the Billboard Hot 100.
Another Katseye song, Gabriela (2025), also sparked a huge dance trend, going viral with 2.8 million creations and 9.9 billion video views on TikTok.
Their campaign collaboration with American clothing brand Gap – set to American singer Kelis’ hit Milkshake (2003) – also went viral on TikTok, with users recreating the dance from the ad.
The clip alone has driven 151 million views, including renditions by American social media personality and dancer Charli D’Amelio and many others.
“We had an unforgettable year on TikTok, and it was all because of the Eyekons (their fandom name) who showed up for us every single day,” Katseye said in TikTok’s press statement. “You turned our songs, our moments and our chaos into something truly global, and we are so grateful for this community.”
Katseye are in the midst of their debut concert tour, The Beautiful Chaos Tour, held in support of their second EP Beautiful Chaos (2025). They are set to perform in Inglewood, California, on Dec 12 and Los Angeles on Dec 13, and will conclude the tour in Mexico City on Dec 16.
