Sophia Laforteza, the only Filipina in HYBE's 'The Debut: Dream Academy,' debuts with KATSEYE

World, you better get ready for Sophia and KATSEYE!

Sophia Laforteza, the only Filipina who competed in HYBE and Geffen Records’ talent search “The Debut: Dream Academy,” has successfully earned a spot in the brand new girl group, KATSEYE, which will officially make its debut in 2024.

Joining Sophia in KATSEYE are her fellow new idols, Daniela, Lara, and Megan from the USA, Manon from Switzerland, and Yoonchae from South Korea.

They were revealed as the debuting girl group in the show’s finale event, which was livestreamed on the HYBE YouTube channel.

Becoming a KATSEYE member means Sophia has also made history as the first Filipino artist under the legendary South Korean agency HYBE.

In “The Debut: Dream Academy,” the contestants took part in the K-Pop idol training system before debuting as a global girl group.

Twenty aspiring idols took part in the competition, selected from 120,000 applicants from all across the world.

Fans also had a say throughout the competition through voting on Weverse and TikTok. Sophia was among the series’ fan favorites and would often reach the top spot.

In a previous post, Sophia talked about her dream of being an idol and thanked her supporters for all the love.

HYBE is the agency that manages global artists like BTS, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, SEVENTEEN, ENHYPEN, NewJeans, and many more.

Geffen Records, owned by Universal Music Group, currently manages Olivia Rodrigo, Alesso, Kali Uchis, and Marshmello, among others.