KATSEYE performed ‘Animal’ and ‘Hootie Frutti’ during their debut appearance on Saturday Night Live last night (September 26) – watch both performances below.
The group served as musical guests for the season 52 premiere of the long-running US sketch show, which was hosted by New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson.
KATSEYE appeared as a four-piece comprised of Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel and Yoonchae Jeung, with Manon Bannerman and Sophia Laforteza both currently on hiatus.
For their first performance, the quartet delivered ‘Animal’, the lead single from their third EP ‘Wild’, accompanied by the track’s choreography on the Studio 8H stage.
Watch it below.
‘Animal’ was co-written by Ed Sheeran and was released in July ahead of ‘Wild’. The retro-pop track became another US hit for the group, reaching Number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Later in the episode, KATSEYE returned for the more playful ‘Hootie Frutti’, also taken from ‘Wild’.
Watch the performance here.
The group also got involved in the comedy side of the show, appearing in a pre-recorded sketch that spoofed the competition which created them. The segment imagined a second season of The Debut: Dream Academy, with KATSEYE appearing as judges as a collection of new contestants attempted to impress them.
The original Dream Academy was launched by HYBE and Geffen Records in 2023 to form a new global girl group, ultimately bringing together Avanzini, Raj, Bannerman, Skiendiel, Laforteza and Jeung as KATSEYE.
The six-piece spoke to NME ahead of their official debut about the unusual process of building a group from contestants recruited around the world.
Their SNL debut follows the release of ‘Wild’ on August 14. NME‘s three-star review of the EP said that, two years and three EPs into their career, the group were still searching for the ideal balance between “chart-friendly and boundary-pushing” pop.
It followed 2025’s ‘Beautiful Chaos’, which contained breakthrough singles ‘Gnarly’ and ‘Gabriela’. The latter was co-written by Charli XCX, while ‘Gnarly’ was named one of NME‘s 50 best songs of 2025.
KATSEYE are currently midway through their ‘WILDWORLD’ arena tour, having completed its European leg earlier this month with shows including The O2 in London and Manchester’s Co-op Live.
Ahead of the tour, KATSEYE confirmed that they would continue performing without Laforteza while she takes time away to focus on her mental health. Bannerman has been on her own temporary hiatus since February.
