Highlights
- KATSEYE's new pre-release Animal entered the Billboard Hot 100 and Global 200, marking a career-best for the group across both charts.
- Co-written by Ed Sheeran, the track gained 29.8M global streams in its first week and marked the group's fifth consecutive solo entry on the main US singles chart.
- Spotify will host an exclusive event in New York on August 11 tied to the release of the group's third EP, WILD.
KATSEYE, the global girl group of South Korea's HYBE and Universal Music Group's Geffen Records, hit a new peak on the Billboard Hot 100. The group’s latest song Animal debuted at No. 24 on the chart for the week ending on August 8. The entry depicts a four-spot climb over the group's earlier high of No. 28, set in April by PINKY UP.
The release marks KATSEYE's fifth consecutive solo track to enter the Hot 100, after Gnarly, Gabriela, Internet Girl, and PINKY UP registered success on the chart. The group also grips on to the No. 76 position on the tally with ICONIC BY MISTAKE, a collaboration with fellow HYBE acts Le Sserafim and Illit. The song is currently charting its seventh week of success on the Hot 100.
Animal’s Global Streaming Rise Aligns with KATSEYE Film’s Special Screening
As noted by Luminate, Animal drew 29.8 million streams and sold 3,000 digital copies globally during its first tracking week. The figures bolstered the track to a No. 10 debut on the Billboard Global 200, making it the group's first top-ten position on the global chart. The song also attained a No. 12 placement on the Billboard Global Excl. US chart. On Spotify, Animal reached No. 5 on the Daily Top Songs Global chart, while registering rankings of No. 8 and No. 9 for the US and Global Weekly charts, respectively.
The streaming numbers arrived as KATSEYE graced the pink carpet in Los Angeles for a special screening of their docu-film KATSEYE: WILD HEARTS. Notably, only four members. Lara, Megan, Daniela, and Yoonchae were present as Sophia skipped the event for reportedly being unwell. On the other hand, Manon continues to remain on hiatus.
HYBE’s Commercial Rollout Strategy for KATSEYE
Co-written by Ed Sheeran, Animal is the lead single for KATSEYE's third EP, WILD, which is scheduled to drop on August 14. The five-track release comes after the group's earlier EP, Beautiful Chaos, which marked a No. 4 Billboard 200 entry. According to Billboard, a physical retail variant tied to the upcoming release will be available exclusively at Target and will include a sixth track written and produced by group member Lara.
To strengthen the album rollout, Spotify is set to host an invite-only fan event titled “Klub KATSEYE” in New York City on August 11, which will have immersive, album-inspired installations. The company will bring the top listeners of KATSEYE on their platform for a live performance of the group, with recorded video content scheduled for wider release later in the month.
KATSEYE Dominates The American Music Market
KATSEYE's persistent chart momentum showcases the commercial expansion of domesticized K-pop training structures applied to international talent. The group's local gains came after they won the New Artist of the Year at the 2026 American Music Awards. Notably, the group also secured two nominations at the 68th Grammy Awards.
KATSEYE's chart entry is unique as South Korean acts increasingly command presence on the current US music chart rankings. For instance, BLACKPINK’s Jennie held the No. 6 spot on the Hot 100 with her Tame Impala collaboration Dracula, while BTS registered two entries with Swim at No. 82 and Normal at No. 89 on the same chart. The septet’s album ARIRANG, on the other hand, logged an entry at No. 15 on the Billboard 200.
