KATSEYE’s Daniela On Confidence, Curls, and Coming Into Her Own
From viral dance prodigy to global pop powerhouse, the 21-year-old pop star tells Billboard Philippines about her journey in embracing her Latina roots, surviving the industry’s toughest training, and finding her voice in the spotlight.
Photographed by JC Cerilla.
Photographed by JC Cerilla.
Long before Daniela Avanzini joined KATSEYE, she already knew she was meant to perform on the world’s biggest stages.
Though her early stints and viral appearance on So You Think You Can Dance?, America’s Got Talent, The Queen Latifah Show, and even Matty B music video were already more than enough to put her name (and talent) out there for the world to behold, nothing had quite prepared her for just how grueling HYBE and Geffen Records’ secretive training program would be.
What audiences witnessed from the survival program, The Debut: Dream Academy, and Netflix’s original documentary series, Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE, was no joke, as it pushed Daniela to go beyond the confines of what she once thought of her skills as a dancer, and even as a vocalist. Yet being the performer that she is, the 21-year-old American pop soldiered on and overcame numerous obstacles to earn her rightful place in KATSEYE –– becoming one of the six faces of global pop as we know it today.
For as of late, Daniela has been making her way around the world, performing at some of the world’s most celebrated music festivals (with more even scheduled to take place soon), all while gearing up for KATSEYE’s first ever solo tour with The Beautiful Chaos Tour scheduled to commence later this November 2025.
“I honestly think it’s unreal to be seeing so much growth with regards to our reach,” Daniela tells me about KATSEYE’s growth on the set of their shoot for Billboard Philippines August 2025 cover. “We’re super grateful [for everything that has happened], as we’re always seeing people on TikTok dancing to our songs, making covers of it, and even making their own remixes of it,” she continues.
The viral hold of their recent hits like “Gnarly” and “Gabriela” continue to dominate social media trends even two months after the release of their sophomore EP Beautiful Chaos –– signifying just how impactful their music has been with both their fanbase of EYEKONs and the general public. Daniela even recalls just how surprised they were that “Gnarly” took the world by storm, given the jarring, if polarizing, initial reactions that were out there when the song was first released.
“I thought it wasn’t gonna do so well, but it’s been very surreal to see, and sometimes i don’t believe it. It’s kind of what it is, but we’re very grateful, and it’s just amazing to see how good it’s doing,” she mentions. But despite initial apprehensions, she recognized how risks were meant to be taken for this EP, and she learned to trust the process as long as they felt that they were enjoying the process of how Beautiful Chaos came to be.
“For me, it came pretty naturally. It was so much fun, and even those first few lyrics of “Gnarly”, [like the boba tea, fried chicken part] was just something so new and nothing we’d ever done before. But it felt so natural to do and so authentic that it kind of just came so easily for us”, Daniela recalls.
Though the entire record was a joy to bring to life, she particularly notes how much she resonates with the sleeper hit, “Gabriela.” Both the track and its accompanying music video pay homage to Latin culture (especially with the video’s fun telenovela concept) –– a fact that hits closer to home for Daniela, given her Cuban–Venezuelan descent. “I feel like I connect very, very deeply with the song. I think people will be shocked because it’s so new for us, but I definitely think that’s where our growth comes from,” she shares.
“I also love this style of dance, [because] the choreography is super Latin-inspired, like very ballroom Latin-esque,” she shares. “There’s a lot of hip movement in it, and it’s a more sassy style of dance that we’ve never done before as a group as KATSEYE.”
Even on the track’s bridge, Daniela even takes the spotlight by singing a whole verse in Spanish, with her haunting vocals crooning “Él llegó conmigo y conmigo se va, Sus ojos son mío’, eso no va a cambiar, Me quiere a mí y no importan las demás, No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no” twice over. Not only was it a moment for the group’s Latin fans to celebrate, but it also satisfied a very personal sense of fulfillment for the young pop star herself.
“I’m just so excited to finally be able to have sung in my native language and share that part of me with the rest of the world, because nobody knew that I could sing in Spanish!” she giddily says, while also cheekily poking fun at all the naysayers and critics who try to denounce her heritage as a Latina.
Despite what others may say, Daniela is very much in touch with her rich cultural heritage, considering how closely attuned her Cuban mother and Venezuelan father have raised her with their cultural practices and values. She credits how their background as professional Latin ballroom dancers and dancesport instructors may have sparked her interest in the art of dance, but they also never wavered in making her remember her Latin roots despite growing up in the United States.
“Growing up in a Spanish-Latin household, my family has always tried to kind of make sure that I’m infused with the culture as much as possible growing up, and to embrace my culture as much as I can –– whether it’s through music, dance, or fashion,” Daniela warmly shares.
“My mom was the one who taught me how to dance when I was three, so I would watch her dancing as well when I grew up. I feel like I just had to mention her quickly because she is the reason why I’m here. And she’s just like my number one fan,” she notes.“[Because] throughout my journey, both as a woman and an artist, I feel like my family has been super supportive, and they’re a big reason why I want to be a representation for other Latina women out there.”
Daniela notes how all of these things were aspects of herself that she embraced with deep pride, even if there was a point in time wherein she felt the need to present herself otherwise. She tells me all about the complicated relationship that she’s had with her hair over the years, noting how important it was in her relationship with her heritage.
“My hair was also super important in my relationship with my heritage. Right so, I have these curls, this long curly hair, and [before] I would always straighten or dye my hair. I didn’t know how to embrace it. But my mom was always very supportive, and she would always encourage me to wear my curls and not kill them.”
Upon making the choice to fully embrace her natural hair, Daniela notes just how empowering and liberating it feels to do so. “Honestly, I think just by [embracing my curls], it’s helped my confidence a lot. The fans are so supportive too, as there have been moments where some fans come up to me and they’re like, “Oh my god, Dani, you have helped me embrace my curly hair,” and hearing that has made me so happy and so emotional,” she recalls.
“Having that effect on people, that is my goal. And I believe that is the goal for any of us, really. And having that support system from fans, from my friends, and family, I feel like it has just helped my self-image so much –– and to just embrace who I am and not care what the haters say,” continues Daniela.
In dealing with such online criticism, the 21-year-old pop star would rather pay attention to working on herself, rather than giving such critics the time of day, sharing: “As cliche as it might sound, I feel like being confident in yourself and not caring about reading the hate comments has been most helpful. Just knowing your self-worth, I think, is super important.” She notes how instead of channeling that energy there, she’d rather encourage anyone to use it to go “100% in for your dream”, especially when in good company –– just like with her fellow sisters at KATSEYE.
For Daniela, being a part of a sisterhood like KATSEYE has changed her relationship with herself, both as an individual and an artist. While there have been many learnings from their one-year journey as a group, her biggest takeaway throughout the process was adjusting to a group setting and group dynamic. “Growing up, I didn’t have any siblings. It was kind of just me and my mom, and I was also moving schools every single year. So I didn’t have a group of friends, like a constant or consistent group of friends. I was kind of on my own pretty much during my whole childhood,” she mentions of her childhood.
“Once I started Dream Academy and the whole training process, living with 10 girls and having four roommates was very, very new to me. And then joining KATSEYE, where I was just hanging out with the same set of girls every single day, all day, definitely helped me learn things about myself that I didn’t know,” Daniela adds. “Some of that included learning and how to work with other people who are super different than you, like different personalities or even people who are like culturally different than how I grew up and how I was raised.”
Yet beyond the cultural differences, she also notes how it required her to shift her approach to her craft and established skillset as a dancer, especially with her previous experience before joining HYBE and Geffen’s training program. “I’ve been doing this since I was three years old, and I was always pretty much a soloist dancing. The most I had done was when I had a little dance partner at one point in my life (during America’s Got Talent), but dancing as a group was no joke,” she confesses.
“The formations that I learned how to do was already a challenge in itself that I had to learn. How I still had to kind of retain my individuality, but at the same time stay blended in within the group is something that I also loved learning, even if it does take a lot of practice and time to get ir right,” Daniela says of the process.
Elaborating further, she notes just how seriously she took that part of the learning process –– as she stresses the importance of keeping a sense of individuality within a group setting. “Being in a group, you need to keep your individuality. But at the same time, it’s something that comes so easily with us in KATSEYE. We are all so individually unique on our own, so together, it blends well, and it looks great as one,” she shares.
“I think it’s super important not to lose yourself and to keep your identity in everything that you do, because it would be boring if we were all the same exact thing –– whether we danced the same way, and we sang the same way. It would just be so boring. But the fact that we are global in numerous ways, that we all look so different, and when we come together, we have different strengths, it’s as if we’re like a powerful girl group. One that’s super powerful because we’re all coming together as one with all our different strengths, and there’s a unique aspect that each of us brings to the table,” Daniela explains.
In a way, there’s an immense amount of power that comes with such a powerful and unique presence that Daniela and her fellow members get to bring as KATSEYE to the global music front. For their reach has not only made its way through sonic soundscapes or means, but also with how they have redefined what it means to be a global girl group in terms of representing millions of young women, similar to themselves.
“I feel like the sisterhood we have is super important. All we want to do is use our platform to inspire everybody, especially young women –– whether it’s with music, our culture, or anything, especially in being able to embrace who they are. Together, we can definitely inspire as many people as possible, and make that statement while hopefully becoming super iconic as the next big thing in the future.”
Still, the future that she speaks of is still quite far ahead –– as their career as KATSEYE remains relatively young as of now. And given the fairly recent release of Beautiful Chaos, Daniela and her fellow members continue to stay immersed in the world and headspace that they’ve brought forth with this breakthrough era of their career.
“We just want this EP to make an impact and inspire others as well to try something new and not to be afraid to get uncomfortable, similar to how it was for us. I feel like you have to get a little uncomfortable to succeed and to grow,” Daniela shares. “You have to get out of your comfort zone, and I feel like Beautiful Chaos is kind of like that –– especially with our story as KATSEYE.”
Given everything that has changed for Daniela, it’s clear that her journey with KATSEYE has been nothing short of transformative –– both for herself and the millions of individuals who see themselves in her and her experiences. What may have begun as a childhood dream nurtured by her love for performing has now blossomed into a flourishing global career, taking her from minuscule stages at talent shows to massive sold-out concerts.
For Daniela wasn’t just born to be in the spotlight –– but she’s now using it to light the way for others too.
Read KATSEYE’s August 2025 cover story here.
Listen to KATSEYE’s latest EP, Beautiful Chaos, below:
Photographed by JC Cerilla. Creative Direction by Daryl Chang. Art Direction by Nicole Almero. Art by Alannah Mitra. Make up by Valerie Vonprisk assisted by Ashley Ysabelle Sarmiento. Hair by Sully Layo assisted by Ryan Taniguchi. Camcorder videographer Coey Wu. Interview Video & BTS video Edmond Liang. Assistant and BTS photographer Sky Wu assisted by Malcolm Bacani. Production by Andrew Bear & Spencer Kelly of Hyperion LA. Shot at Hype Studios LA. Produced by Mika Cruz.
Special thanks to Hybe, Geffen Records, Interscope, UMG PH, Hyperion LA, & Hype Studios LA.
Written by Gabriel Saulog. Billboard Philippines, August 2025.