Katseye celebrated a major breakthrough in Las Vegas after winning New Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards — and getting the chance to meet BTS twice during the trip.
Members Sophia Laforteza, Yoonchae Jeong and Megan Skiendiel first met BTS backstage at the group’s “Arirang” concert on May 24, as shown in a vlog uploaded by Jungkook.
The Katseye members interacted with BTS stars Jin, Suga, RM, J-Hope, V, Jimin and Jungkook, even gifting them Katseye merchandise.
Fans were especially delighted after RM danced to Katseye’s latest song, Pinky Up.
“Best night ever,” Sophia commented online after the meeting.
During a livestream on Weverse, Sophia described BTS as “down-to-earth” and “kind,” while Yoonchae admitted she became emotional upon meeting the K-pop supergroup.
“I started crying because we did meet and greet with them. My brain was blank,” Yoonchae said, adding that she became so nervous she momentarily forgot she could speak Korean.
Katseye’s Las Vegas trip became even more memorable after the group won New Artist of the Year at the 52nd American Music Awards.
“We’d like to give a special shoutout to BTS tonight for inspiring us, to represent us on a global scale, maraming maraming salamat!” Sophia said during the acceptance speech.
The group also took home awards for breakthrough pop artist and best music video.
Katseye later thanked fans, known as Eyekons, in a social media post celebrating the wins.
Formed through the partnership between HYBE and Geffen Records, Katseye has quickly gained international attention with tracks including Gnarly, Gabriela and Internet Girl.
Their latest single, “Pinky Up,” recently entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 76 and was performed live during the AMA ceremony to loud cheers from the audience.