KATSEYE Scores Career-Best No. 2 on UK Official Albums Chart with 'Wild'
Key Takeaways
- •KATSEYE's third EP 'Wild' debuted at No. 2 on Britain's Official Albums Chart, the group's highest ranking and first top-10 album in the U.K. market.
- •The No. 2 debut marks a major improvement over the No. 55 peak reached by the group's second EP, 'Beautiful Chaos,' released last year.
- •Three KATSEYE tracks placed on the Official Singles Chart Top 100: 'Animal' rose four spots to No. 12, 'Hootie Frutti' debuted at No. 16, and 'Bel Air' entered at No. 97.
- •'Wild,' released on Aug. 14, features contributions from HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk, Ed Sheeran, and producers Omer Fedi and Blake Slatkin.
- •KATSEYE was formed through the 2023 audition program 'The Dream Academy,' jointly run by HYBE and Geffen Records, and debuted in 2024 as the partnership's first act targeting global English-speaking audiences.
K-pop girl group KATSEYE has achieved its highest ranking to date on Britain's Official Albums Chart, with its latest EP "Wild" debuting at No. 2.
The U.S.-based group's third EP entered the Official Albums Chart Top 100 at No. 2, according to the latest chart released Friday (British time). The weekly ranking, compiled by the Official Charts Company from U.K. sales and streaming data, is Britain's benchmark for commercial music performance. The result marks a sharp improvement over the No. 55 peak reached by the group's second EP, "Beautiful Chaos," released last year, and makes "Wild" KATSEYE's first top-10 album in the market.
KATSEYE also placed three tracks on the Official Singles Chart Top 100. Pre-release single "Animal" climbed four places to No. 12, while "Hootie Frutti," the main track of the new EP, debuted at No. 16 and "Bel Air," another song from the album, entered at No. 97.
Released on Aug. 14, "Wild" explores accepting every facet of one's inner self while pursuing instinct and freedom. HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk, British pop star Ed Sheeran, and producers Omer Fedi and Blake Slatkin were among those who contributed to the album's creation.
The chart debut marks a milestone for a group still early in its career. KATSEYE was formed through "The Dream Academy," a 2023 audition program jointly run by HYBE and U.S.-based Geffen Records, and made its debut in 2024 with the EP "SIS (Soft Is Strong)." The six-member, multinational lineup, the first act launched under the HYBE-Geffen partnership, was conceived to reach global, English-speaking audiences beyond K-pop's traditional strongholds, and the leap from No. 55 to No. 2 across consecutive releases reflects that approach's growing commercial foothold in a major Western market.
Elsewhere on the charts, "ARIRANG," the fifth studio album from K-pop supergroup BTS, ranked No. 68 on the albums chart, extending its run to 22 consecutive weeks; the group is a KATSEYE labelmate under parent company HYBE, whose acts have been central to K-pop's presence on the U.K. chart. On the singles chart, "Golden," from the original soundtrack of the Netflix animated film "KPop Demon Hunters," placed at No. 46, with the film's music having become a global phenomenon for the streamer.
