Katseye, America and the dark side of K-pop perfection

On this episode

About this episode

What happens when K-pop’s gruelling formula meets the American music industry? The global girl group Katseye has gone from a reality-show experiment to a global phenomenon. With chart-topping hits, a viral Gap campaign and a sold-out international tour, the group has become one of the biggest success stories in pop. But as Katseye breaks through in America, it is also bringing new attention to the intense training, fierce competition and relentless scrutiny that helped fuel its rise. Has the group’s success shown that the K-pop model can work outside South Korea, or exposed the costs of trying to recreate it? The Global Story’s Asma Khalid and Tristan Redman speak with BBC music…