Ed Sheeran, Demi Moore and the K-Pop Machine: KATSEYE Go Wild With 'Animal'

The most interesting collaboration in pop music right now doesn't involve two artists you'd expect to find in the same room — it involves a global girl group built through the K-pop development system, a Hollywood A-lister, and a songwriter from West Yorkshire.

KATSEYE's new single "Animal," out now via HYBE x Geffen Records, is co-written by Ed Sheeran and produced by Omer Fedi and Blake Slatkin — the duo behind hits for The Kid Laroi, Justin Bieber and Lil Nas X. It's a flirtatious, confident pop anthem about the gap between the polished version of yourself the world sees and the uninhibited energy that emerges behind closed doors. The production is sleek, the vocal interplay is magnetic, and the chorus lands with the kind of instinctive hook that explains why Sheeran keeps getting called for features.

A Video Worth Watching

The official music video, directed by Cody Critcheloe (who previously helmed KATSEYE's "Gnarly" and "Touch" clips), unfolds across a series of observation rooms and mirrored realities. The six members move between feminine and masculine archetypes, identities shifting as the boundaries between observer and observed blur. Dynamic choreography and surreal imagery heighten the tension between instinct and control — and then, mid-video, Demi Moore appears. The Academy Award-nominated actress and bestselling author has a cameo that feels less like a stunt and more like a tonal choice, leaning into the video's themes of performance and reinvention.

Photo credit: Rahul Bhatt

The HYBE x Geffen Experiment

What makes KATSEYE genuinely fascinating is the model behind them. In February 2021, HYBE — the South Korean entertainment company behind BTS — and Universal Music Group's Geffen Records announced a joint venture to create the world's first U.S.-based global girl group modelled on the K-pop training and development system. It was an unprecedented pairing: HYBE's expertise in artist discovery, training and fan engagement, combined with Geffen's industry network and global distribution.

The result is a group that operates with the precision and fan-ecosystem sophistication of K-pop, but with a sound and visual language pitched squarely at Western pop audiences. Their previous EP, BEAUTIFUL CHAOS, debuted in the top five of the Billboard 200 and included the global hit "Gnarly." Two GRAMMY nominations followed.

WILD Era

"Animal" is the second single from WILD, KATSEYE's third EP, set for release on August 14. The group introduced the new era during their first Coachella performance, debuting first single "PINKY UP" live on stage.

The rollout is ambitious. Alongside the EP, a film — KATSEYE: WILD HEARTS — will receive a limited theatrical release from August 12, offering fans a deeper look at the group's creative world. Then in September, THE WILDWORLD ARENA TOUR kicks off at Dublin's 3Arena, produced by Live Nation. The tour sold out within 48 hours of tickets going on sale. Second shows were added in London, New York, Los Angeles and Mexico City. Those sold out too.

For a group that didn't exist five years ago, that's not a fan base — that's a movement.

More Than a Single

KATSEYE sits at a fascinating intersection: the discipline and fan architecture of K-pop, the songwriting pedigree of the biggest names in Western pop, and a visual language that draws on cinema and fashion as much as music. "Animal" is a strong single on its own terms, but it's also a signal of what the HYBE x Geffen model can produce when the machinery is pointed in the right direction.

The WILD EP drops August 14. If the single is any indication, it's going to be worth the wait.