American idol under same label as BTS says she has 'close connection' with Singaporean family despite distance

Global girl group Katseye has been drawing attention worldwide with their recent single Touch, with the song currently charting at number 24 on Billboard Singapore.

But what some listeners here might not be aware of is that one of the members is half-Singaporean.

The sextet consists of members from different backgrounds: Sophia Laforteza from the Philippines, Switzerland-born Italian-Ghanian Manon Bannerman, Indian American Lara Rajagopalan, American Daniela Avanzini of Venezuelan-Cuban ethnicity as well as South Korean Jeong Yoon-chae.

Hawaii native Megan Meiyok Skiendiel has a Chinese Singaporean mother and a Swedish American father.

In The Debut: Dream Academy - a reality show created as a collaboration between South Korean label Hybe and American Geffen Records to form a global girl group - Megan, 18, talked about her Singaporean heritage with fellow contestants.

Hybe houses big names in K-pop from the likes of BTS to Seventeen.

"I'm Chinese American, and I'm Cantonese. I'm heavily involved in Singapore and Singapore culture. I haven't been able to show that as much [in the series]... and connect with my Singaporean side," she said in the clip, adding that she doesn't speak Chinese.

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Megan finished fifth and debuted in Katseye on June 28.

In a recent interview with The Straits Times, she recalled how her mother took her to Singapore when she was around three months old and they would return every year to stay with her maternal grandmother.

Though she hasn't been back to our island for three years now, she texts her relatives via their family group chat on WhatsApp daily.

"My popo (grandmother) is always sending me things she reads about Katseye. My uncles, aunties and cousins too. It's so amazing that they are on the other side of the world yet can still follow what we do," she said.

"We have a close connection even though they are so far away."

Katseye is now under Hybe America's subsidiary Hybe UMG (Universal Music Group), and UMG Singapore's Instagram account highlighted Megan's heritage.

The group did a shoutout to Singapore fans too.

Their documentary Pop Star Academy: Katseye is streaming on Netflix.

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syarifahsn@asiaone.com