Katseye was formed through the reality show Dream Academy, hosted as a joint venture by Hybe Corporation and Geffen Records, to create a girl group that will be promoted primarily in the United States.[2] The show ended in November 2023.
On June 14, 2024, Hybe and Geffen announced plans to release Katseye's first EP in August later that year, which will be preceded by the release of two singles included in the album on June 28 and in July.[3][4] The first single, "Debut", was announced on June 24,[5] and was released four days later.[6] On the same day of the release of "Debut", the name of the EP, SIS (Soft Is Strong), was unveiled, along with its release date of August 16.[7] Pre-orders for the album began on July 10.[8] The second single, "Touch", was announced on July 23,[9] and was released on July 26.[10] The album's track listing was unveiled on August 2.[11]
On August 9 and 10, two series of concept photos, titled "Strong", and "Soft" respectively, were released. In the "Strong" series, the members of Katseye are dressed as their representative porcelain dolls that appear on the cover art of their singles "Debut" and "Touch", and also mimicking the stance of the dolls against a white background. In the "Soft" series, the members are placed in front of a backdrop resembling an antique shop. A group of photos in the "Soft" series feature the members wearing costumes related to their assigned Dream Charm symbols.[12] On August 14, the album's highlight medley was released.[13]SIS (Soft Is Strong) was released globally on August 16.[14]
SIS (Soft Is Strong) received generally positive reviews. NME's Mika Chen gave the album four out of five stars, describing it as "a surprisingly cohesive release that largely captures [Katseye's] enormous potential", but criticizes the short length of the tracks in the album, which resulted in "a song [that] ends a little bit too early or the feeling that it was just one final chorus away from perfection".[15]Billboard Philippines' Gabriel Saulog described the album as "an excellent (and empowering) display of the varying sounds within the landscape of pop music", dubbing it as reminiscent of the 2000s and 2010s-style pop music by artists such as Little Mix and Britney Spears, with a blend of "modern K-pop elements".[14]
^Ji-hyung, Heo (June 25, 2024). '하이브 美 걸그룹' 캣츠아이, 첫 싱글 'Debut' 커버 아트 공개. 'Hybe Beauty Girl Group' Katseye, First Single 'Debut' Cover Art Revealed (in Korean). Star News. Archived from the original on August 6, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2024 – via Naver.
^Seon, Mi-kyung (August 14, 2024). '하이브 걸그룹' 캣츠아이, 'SIS (Soft Is Strong)' 하이라이트 메들리 공개 ['Hybe Girl Group' Katseye Releases 'SIS (Soft Is Strong)' Highlight Medley] (in Korean). Osen. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024 – via Naver.
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