KATSEYE's Sophia Is The Filipino Dream Realized

Before Sophia Laforteza rose to fame, the idea of a Filipino idol trainee was always just a dream.

It wasn’t just a dream for the 22-year-old performer herself, but also one for millions of Filipinos out there who either longed to step forth on the global stage or simply to bear witness to someone who looked like them within the industry, representing their country with pride.

So when Sophia was officially announced as the first member (and leader) of HYBE and Geffen Records’ joint venture, KATSEYE, that particular moment represented more than a win for her, but for the entire nation of the Philippines as well. It’s a historic feat in several ways, but it also marked the first chapter of what was to come, with more and more Filipino representation taking flight to various corners of the music industry all around the world.

Now that KATSEYE has hit the one-year anniversary mark since their official debut, so much has changed for Sophia and her fellow members — following numerous chart-topping hit songs, prestigious brand endorsements, and even a growing number of buzzy on-stage performances and festival appearances. It’s undeniably been a lot to absorb and take in (especially within such a short amount of time), yet Sophia has remained gracious and composed with each step moving forward for the group.

For if there’s anything that she still can’t fully process, it’s the newfound fame and resulting awareness that she’s now recognized by her biggest idols in the entertainment scene as one of their peers. Even as we find ourselves chatting once more on the set of KATSEYE’s cover shoot for Billboard Philippines’ August 2025 issue, Sophia is chirpier and a bit more kilig than usual, attributing her good mood to an unexpected message from Miss Universe 2015, Pia Wurtzbach.

“I was trying to be chill all day for this shoot, and while I was sitting in hair and makeup, I got a follow on Instagram from Pia Wurtzbach. My heart started beating really fast, so I think my whole morning thing of trying to be chill about this whole shoot got affected by Miss Pia’s words!” she tells me with glee.

While such occurrences have become a little more frequent for Sophia and the group, she notes how it’s just one of the many changes that came with the emotional and creative journey of being in such a fast-rising group as KATSEYE. “It’s definitely been a big journey with such a short amount of time. We’ve only been active as KATSEYE for a little over a year, and we’ve been blessed to go through so much already, that I feel like it has shaped where we are in this season that we’re in — especially because of how we were formed,” she notes.

Though Sophia mentions how close-knit they’ve become as a group, she candidly opens up about how getting to the point where they are now took some time and lots of growth to solidify their bond as sisters: “[Where we came from], it was a whole competition, and we had to learn so many things of like realizing that now we’re in the group and we’re coming out of that competitive spirit against each other.”

“Now, it’s about how all six of us are together against the world, and that kind of came with a lot of work, and how we can communicate with each other, how we can be there for each other, and even how we approach things. Because the goal and the direction that we’re all headed for at the end of the day is literally about the success and world domination for KATSEYE,” she affirms.

Their quest for world domination isn’t too far off from what they’d expect, given the momentum that’s been swirling around their careers following the release of their latest EP, Beautiful Chaos, and as of recent, the viral Gap campaign that’s taken the world by storm. The record itself spawned at least three certified hits, with “Gnarly,” “Gabriela,” and “Gameboy” breaking charts and records around the world — even if the first was initially released to a polarizing response from both the general public and their devout fanbase of EYEKONs.

For Sophia, it was something that she and her sisters in KATSEYE had expected — considering just how starkly different “Gnarly” was with its overall sound and messaging in comparison to anything else they’d done prior, especially with the dainty, soft side of their debut record, SIS (Soft is Strong). To prepare for a possible backlash, she notes how they pre-recorded a meme for TikTok, using viral audio from Nicki Minaj saying, “You’re not gonna get it the first time you hear it, but after the second and third time you’re gonna be like, woah what is this?”

“We made that TikTok before we released the song, [because] we knew it was gonna have this kind of reaction. I think that something that we learned with this experience of releasing ‘Gnarly’ was being in our position as trendsetters and releasing something out into the world, especially with our goal of making an impact, making waves, and making a difference by bringing something new to the table,” she explains.

“It was always gonna have this initial shock to people, because it’s new, and we knew that was what was gonna happen. But we had so much confidence in ‘Gnarly’ the first time we heard it, so we knew that this song was going to be something special. And look at what happened,” she proudly shares.

Though beyond “Gnarly,” Sophia wanted to ensure that the rest of Beautiful Chaos and its tracks reflected that same sentiment. “It’s something wherein we really wanted to show all these different colors of KATSEYE, and all these different flavors of ourselves that you haven’t seen yet,” she notes. “I feel like what we accomplished here is a lot of different sounds than what anyone else expected, almost like a mature departure from the songs on SIS, and that reflects us wanting to continually grow, learn more things, and try out new things as KATSEYE. And whether it is sonically, visually, or energy-wise, it’s all tying together these parts of who we are.”

The title of the EP itself is no random amalgamation of words, for it reflects an internal mantra that perfectly encapsulates where the girl group is at this particular moment of their careers. Sophia even describes it as “the dictionary definition of KATSEYE right now,” recalling the moment when they first heard the phrase as some sort of eureka moment that stuck in their minds in an instant.

“When we heard the phrase, Beautiful Chaos, we had like no notes. Because now, it’s always something that we use to describe a lot of the situations that we experience on a daily basis — whether it’s like normal activities or something when we’re on set, because everything’s just beautiful chaos for us. It plays into so many different parts of KATSEYE, and it also plays into the cultural collision of all six of our different cultures coming together. It’s so beautiful, yet it also comes with a lot of culture shock, various learnings, and a few hurdles here and there.”

She continues, “It also plays into the discussion of ‘Are we K-pop? Are we pop? Or like what’s going on with that? We have so many things just we’re playing into [in this new era of ours], which also features a lot of confusion, and we’re playing into a lot of this chaotic nature too. But there’s just so much beauty in it because that is how the whole world is, too. It’s very diverse and there is so much beauty in that, and it also ties down to our personalities — like we’re all very chaotic individually and all the more together — so I could really go on and on about how perfect this name is for us, because it really does bleed into everything about us.”

With the aforementioned cultural collision that comes with representing various backgrounds and ethnicities, Sophia remains fully aware of what opportunities and responsibilities come with representing several different parts of the world as KATSEYE. “All six of us, being where we are right now and choosing to take this path, are doing so because we know the importance of representation,” she mentions. “We have all searched for that growing up in this industry, and it’s been an honor for every single one of us to be in that position right now because we know what it feels like when we see somebody who looks just like us up there, making it, and giving us hope.”

The 22-year-old Filipina points out how her own ‘fangirl’ moment with Wurtzbach earlier in the day served as a reminder of her power in being able to do the same for several others, especially with the next generation of talent following in her footsteps, sharing, “I feel like with my little fangirl moment today [with Pia], it made me realize the fact that I could be that for other people as well. Like, I low-key forgot that I was in KATSEYE for a second, and in the best way, it just reminded me that I really am given this privilege and opportunity to make people excited about things like that, and even to be carrying this responsibility of representing the Philippines, taking Filipino culture and my heritage around to go global.”

“It’s definitely such an honor, and it’s something that I have never really felt any pressure for, just because I’m very proud. I’m very, very proud of who I am, where I come from, and my culture, so it almost makes it easy to walk around and say, ‘Hey, I’m Filipino’ as I am. No matter who you are or where you come from, once you’re Filipino, you’re immediately kababayan. And I feel like when I joined this — even in Dream Academy — once they said it was a competition, the first thing I said was that I was so excited for the Philippines to see me. Because I knew that even in an alternate universe where I didn’t make it to KATSEYE, I knew that simply by being in that position of even starting in the program, or even being just a trainee then, like that in itself was something that was already for me quite the journey that went far already,” she adds.

“It’s already a feat that people could be inspired by, because even the fact that I made it to become a trainee was already insane to me. That’s why I felt like I was in such a blessed position that no matter what I could do, as long as I remained proud of what I could do — not only for myself, but for my fellow Filipinos — I knew that other people were going to be proud of me as well, and eventually be inspired.”

Though beyond the aspect of representation, Sophia also tells me about how her role as the leader of KATSEYE brings forth additional responsibilities and things to take note of, especially as it’s something that she doesn’t take lightly. In a multitude of ways, it has allowed her to be in tune with how they’re all feeling and dealing with everything that’s come of their ascent on the scene, including the pressure that comes with their status as global pop stars.

“What’s so special about being the leader of KATSEYE is that I feel like I’m in a group of leaders, and I’m always going to consider myself a member first,” she says. “One of the things that we’re always doing for each other is reeling each other back in and airing out everything, but I feel like we are learning every day to get a lot more comfortable with expressing our emotions with each other. We’re also getting to a point where it’s almost telepathic, like letting each other know how we feel, and I think with that comes support for each other and hearing each other out.”

Sophia brings up the recurring motto they tell one another: “We are the only six people in the world who are gonna fully understand what we’re going through.” She adds, “Nobody else is gonna understand that, and that’s why we are so we make it such a point to be there for each other, and a lot of the time, I feel like we’re all leading each other.”

“I think that’s what is really special about KATSEYE. I’m not sure that a lot of people know this, but every single one of us is very strong-willed and headstrong. We’re very firm on what we’d like to do, and how we are with ourselves, and I feel like we’re able to steer each other collectively in the same direction in the best way. It’s almost as if I don’t even feel like the leader of the group, because we hold each other at the same level,” she candidly states. “But when there is a moment for me to step up, it’s always going to come from all six of us.”

Daniela even steps in for a brief moment to tell me about Sophia’s leadership style, describing the latter as a “great guide” to steer the ship. “Sometimes when someone is struggling with anything, she is just a leader in the way that she steps in and helps out everybody with what they need at any time,” the 21-year-old American pop star shares. “Sophia really is just super.”

Undertaking such a role has imparted many important lessons for Sophia, even affecting her own individual mindset, methodology, and relationship with herself. “Being in KATSEYE has definitely taught me a lot individually as a person. I’m honestly very independent, and I love doing things on my own. I hate asking for help, and I think it’s something that was like a blessing and a curse to me growing up — especially as a trainee,” she shares. “Yet being in KATSEYE has taught me the importance of community, and the importance of working with the people around me, and trusting those around me. Because there are things that we’re not meant to do alone. While this does include family and friends, letting people in is something that I’ve learned here in KATSEYE.”

In building up the discipline that she’s instilled in herself and her work ethic, Sophia credits her early exposure to the world of musical theatre for inspiring her to imbibe such values. “Growing up deeply in the world of Philippine musical theater has affected a lot of how I am today,” she shares. “I have always had this huge amount of respect for musical theater artists, musical theater staff, because it requires such a different level of discipline that you just have to experience to know what I’m saying.”

She lists down the Emmy-winning actress (and former Pussycat Dolls frontwoman) Nicole Sherzinger and her own mother, Philippine musical icon Carla Guevara–Laforteza, as examples of whom she idolizes to this day — considering the intricacies of the process that they bring with every on-stage performance. “I remember watching a recent interview of Nicole Scherzinger for Sunset Boulevard, and she said that musical theater is like the Olympics. There’s nothing like it. They do everything live with no auto-tune. They sing and dance at the same time. They do two shows a day. They can do it all weekend. Sometimes they do three shows!”

“And this is something that my mom has done ever since, as early as I could remember, I watched her sing her heart out — literally belting on stage, like 10 times a day. I would hear her warming up in the shower all the time, see her going into rehearsals, being in full glam, and coming home late at night after a performance,” she recalls.

Adding further, Sophia explains, “That was the world that I lived in, and that was what I saw every single day. I also mentioned this to you before, but it’s funny how my mom never really taught me anything. She sort of just brought me along and had me observe all of that happening. And I think that made me somebody who was a visual learner and also somebody who respected discipline and wanted to be disciplined.”

The accumulation of those observations had drawn her to the entire process that she and her fellow members went through during their trainee days. “I think that’s what really attracted me to the K-pop methodology of training, because of the discipline it requires and the dedication. In a way, it was familiar to me, but it was also still a challenge, and I think that’s why I was so intrigued by it. So once I jumped into it, it just fit so perfectly [in my life],” she giggles.

“Now, I’m learning to bring in a lot of what I’ve learned growing up, and what I’ve seen my mom do, and everybody that I was surrounded with, and just bring that into the world that I am in right now, and the sisters whom I share it with.”

With the wealth of knowledge and experience that Sophia carries for their craft, it has also made its way to KATSEYE’s process of training, recording, and working together, even if they each bring something different to offer to their dynamic. “With us, I feel like a lot of people haven’t really thought about how, because we all have such different strengths and journeys, it’s really cool how we all hear music differently. I noticed that it does affect our process for each of us.”

“For example, just between me and Dani, Dani grew up dancing, and I grew up doing musical theater and singing a lot more than dance than she did. The way we hear music and our own musicality is very different — almost like it affects our process while learning a dance, or a song, because it’s like our rhythm is affected,” she explains.

“I think it gives KATSEYE and how we approach our music a lot of dimension, and with that, it really does open a lot more doors for when we work together,” Sophia notes. “That’s one of the beauties about being in a group with six musically talented women, it’s that we get to sit at the table and listen to the songs that we make, and literally hear so many different parts of it in our own ways, and then we put that all together. It’s beautifully chaotic,” she says of the unconventional, yet equally intriguing process.

Now, as KATSEYE continue to showcase more sides of themselves on the global stage, they’ve unwittingly begun rewriting the very definition of what a global pop group could be. Rather than just utilizing ambitious concepts, genre-bending sounds, or having good music in general, Sophia and her fellow members have made an impact beyond the scope of music. “Through our music, we are going to be put in a position where people will be looking up to us, and people will be hearing what we say, and we want to be able to use our platform the right way,” she tells me.

“We want to be a voice for those who are like us, those who need somebody to speak up, and also somebody who wants to look up to us. We really want to create that impact for people, and we want to be the right influence that can be trusted while staying true to ourselves.”

Though they are still in the (relatively) early stages of their career, Sophia recognizes that this era of Beautiful Chaos largely signifies the breakthrough chapter of their ongoing legacy as artists on the global music scene. She jokes about how the term ‘breakthrough’ could play out in any way for the group, but she hopes that it serves as a defining period that allows them to become recognized as artists who aren’t afraid to make bold choices in their direction, moving forward.

“We would love for Beautiful Chaos to create a shift in our own journey, leading to an impact on the music industry that could play out in any way. But I want it to make KATSEYE recognized as an artist who isn’t afraid of making waves. It’s something that we take a lot of inspiration from a lot of different artists as well, especially those who have made waves and made that impact on pop culture. But we want to take it to a whole new level that brings out our individuality, our diversity, our cultures, and our personalities,” she shares.

“[With this EP], I think we want to bring something so fresh, while also becoming somebody in the music industry that allows other people to come with a lot of hope and confidence from what we represent and our music. But I want Beautiful Chaos to be like the kickstart of that movement — to show everyone we are here, and we don’t plan on going anywhere,” she concludes.

From the very moment that Sophia stepped into the spotlight as KATSEYE’s leader, her story has always been about more than just personal success; it is also about making the impossible feel tangible for an entire generation. What once began as a far-fetched dream — a Filipino idol trainee standing tall on the global stage — has now transformed into a living, breathing movement that continues to ripple far beyond her own reach.

In many ways, Sophia’s journey has now come full circle, standing not only as the group’s heart and anchor but also as a beacon of possibility for those who’ve long waited to see themselves reflected in spaces once thought unattainable. Through Beautiful Chaos, she and her sisters in KATSEYE are not just embracing the messy, powerful collision of cultures, sounds, and identities, for they’re leading it. And at the center of that chaos, Sophia’s dream — once imagined by many — is only just beginning to unfold.

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.}

KATSEYE’s Sophia Is The Filipino Dream Realized