Wikipedia

SIS (Soft Is Strong)

SIS (Soft Is Strong) is the debut extended play (EP) by girl group Katseye. It was released by Hybe UMG and Geffen Records on August 16, 2024.

SIS (Soft Is Strong)
Digital cover
EP by
Katseye
ReleasedAugust 16, 2024 (2024-08-16)
Genre
Length11:44
LanguageEnglish
Label
Producer
Singles from SIS (Soft Is Strong)
  1. "Debut"
    Released: June 28, 2024
  2. "Touch"
    Released: July 26, 2024

Background and release

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Katseye was formed through the reality show Dream Academy, hosted as a joint venture by Hybe Corporation and Geffen Records, to create a girl group that will be promoted primarily in the United States.[2] The show ended in November 2023.

On June 14, 2024, Hybe and Geffen announced plans to release Katseye's first EP in August later that year, which will be preceded by the release of two singles included in the album on June 28 and in July.[3][4] The first single, "Debut", was announced on June 24,[5] and was released four days later.[6] On the same day of the release of "Debut", the name of the EP, SIS (Soft Is Strong), was unveiled, along with its release date of August 16.[7] Pre-orders for the album began on July 10.[8] The second single, "Touch", was announced on July 23,[9] and was released on July 26.[10] The album's track listing was unveiled on August 2.[11]

On August 9 and 10, two series of concept photos, titled "Strong", and "Soft" respectively, were released. In the "Strong" series, the members of Katseye are dressed as their representative porcelain dolls that appear on the cover art of their singles "Debut" and "Touch", and also mimicking the stance of the dolls against a white background. In the "Soft" series, the members are placed in front of a backdrop resembling an antique shop. A group of photos in the "Soft" series feature the members wearing costumes related to their assigned Dream Charm symbols.[12] On August 14, the album's highlight medley was released.[13] SIS (Soft Is Strong) was released globally on August 16.[14]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
NME     [15]

SIS (Soft Is Strong) received generally positive reviews. NME's Mika Chen gave the album four out of five stars, describing it as "a surprisingly cohesive release that largely captures [Katseye's] enormous potential", but criticizes the short length of the tracks in the album, which resulted in "a song [that] ends a little bit too early or the feeling that it was just one final chorus away from perfection".[15] Billboard Philippines' Gabriel Saulog described the album as "an excellent (and empowering) display of the varying sounds within the landscape of pop music", dubbing it as reminiscent of the 2000s and 2010s-style pop music by artists such as Little Mix and Britney Spears, with a blend of "modern K-pop elements".[14]

Track listing

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SIS (Soft Is Strong) track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Debut"
  • Tedder
  • Spry
  • Boutin
2:03
2."Touch"
2:09
3."My Way"
  • "Hitman" Bang
  • Slow Rabbit
  • Vindver
2:34
4."I'm Pretty"
Digital Farm Animals2:22
5."Tonight I Might"
  • Gill
  • Oskar Widén
2:36
Total length:11:44

Charts

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Chart performance for SIS (Soft Is Strong)
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[16] 91
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[17] 103
Croatian International Albums (HDU)[18] 39
French Albums (SNEP)[19] 78
Scottish Albums (OCC)[20] 58
South Korean Albums (Circle)[21] 27
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[22] 69
UK Albums Sales (OCC)[23] 45
US Billboard 200[24] 119

Release history

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Release history for SIS (Soft Is Strong)
Region Date Format Label Ref(s).
South Korea August 16, 2024 CD
[25]
Japan
Universal Japan [26][27]
United States
[28][29]
Various

References

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  1. ^ G, Amaya (August 16, 2024). "KATSEYE Realizes Soft Is Strong with Their Debut EP". K-Pop Concerts. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  2. ^ Fernandez, Jenny (November 19, 2023). "Sophia Laforteza Joins Final Lineup of The Debut: Dream Academy Girl Group". Billboard Philippines. Archived from the original on June 28, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  3. ^ Min-young, Kim (June 14, 2024). "HYBE, Geffen Records to debut new girl group Katseye on June 28". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on August 6, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2024 – via Naver.
  4. ^ Jae-heun, Kim (June 14, 2024). "Global K-pop girl band Katseye confirms US debut on June 28". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on August 6, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2024 – via Naver.
  5. ^ Ji-hyung, Heo (June 25, 2024). '하이브 美 걸그룹' 캣츠아이, 첫 싱글 'Debut' 커버 아트 공개. 'Hybe Beauty Girl Group' Katseye, First Single 'Debut' Cover Art Revealed (in Korean). Star News. Archived from the original on August 6, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2024 – via Naver.
  6. ^ Jae-yeon, Woo (June 28, 2024). "Hybe's global girl group Katseye launches with debut single". Yonhap News Agency. Archived from the original on August 6, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2024 – via Naver.
  7. ^ Saulog, Gabriel (June 28, 2024). "KATSEYE Make Their Official "Debut," Announce First EP 'SIS (Soft Is Strong)'". Billboard Philippines. Archived from the original on June 28, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  8. ^ @katseyeworld (July 10, 2024). "The official Pre-Order for KATSEYE's upcoming EP, "SIS (Soft Is Strong)" is now live!" (Tweet). Retrieved August 6, 2024 – via Twitter.
  9. ^ Min-young, Kim (July 23, 2024). "Girl group Katseye to release second single 'Touch' on Friday". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on August 6, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2024 – via Naver.
  10. ^ Saulog, Gabriel (July 26, 2024). "KATSEYE Long For Connection In Second Single "Touch" – Listen". Billboard Philippines. Archived from the original on July 29, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  11. ^ @katseyeworld (August 2, 2024). "EYEKONS, SIS (Soft is Strong) is almost here! Claim your track now" (Tweet). Retrieved August 6, 2024 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ "KATSEYE unveils stunning concept photos for their latest EP 'SIS (Soft Is Strong)'". The Times of India. August 11, 2024. Archived from the original on August 14, 2024. Retrieved August 14, 2024 – via MSN.
  13. ^ Seon, Mi-kyung (August 14, 2024). '하이브 걸그룹' 캣츠아이, 'SIS (Soft Is Strong)' 하이라이트 메들리 공개 ['Hybe Girl Group' Katseye Releases 'SIS (Soft Is Strong)' Highlight Medley] (in Korean). Osen. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024 – via Naver.
  14. ^ a b Saulog, Gabriel (August 16, 2024). "KATSEYE Blend Strength And Sensitivity On Debut EP 'SIS (Soft Is Strong)' – Listen". Billboard Philippines. Archived from the original on August 16, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Chen, Mika (August 16, 2024). "KATSEYE – 'SIS (Soft Is Strong)' review: short but oh so sweet". NME. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  16. ^ "Ultratop.be – Katseye – SIS (Soft Is Strong)" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  17. ^ "Ultratop.be – Katseye – SIS (Soft Is Strong)" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  18. ^ "Lista prodaje 37. tjedan 2024" (in Croatian). HDU. September 2, 2024. Archived from the original on September 17, 2024. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  19. ^ "Top Albums (Week 36, 2024)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  20. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  21. ^ "Circle Album Chart – Week 33 of 2024". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  22. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Katseye – SIS (Soft Is Strong)". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  23. ^ "Official Albums Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  24. ^ "Billboard 200: Week of August 31, 2024". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  25. ^ "KATSEYE | 'SIS (Soft Is Strong)' Set". Weverse Shop. Archived from the original on August 11, 2024. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  26. ^ ""SIS (Soft Is Strong) - Strong Ver."【CD】 | KATSEYE". Universal Music Store. Archived from the original on August 11, 2024. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  27. ^ ""SIS (Soft Is Strong)"【アナログ】 | KATSEYE". Universal Music Store. Archived from the original on August 11, 2024. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  28. ^ "Spotify - KATSEYE - "SIS (Soft Is Strong) - Strong Ver."". Spotify Shop. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  29. ^ "Spotify - KATSEYE - "SIS (Soft Is Strong)" - Vinyl". Spotify Shop. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
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