

A Filipino-American vocalist who won a global talent search to become the leader of Katseye, HYBE's groundbreaking multinational girl group.
Sophia Laforteza stepped onto the world stage through Dream Academy, a high-stakes reality competition created by Korean powerhouse HYBE and American label Geffen Records. The mission was to form a truly global girl group, and Laforteza, with her powerful vocals and poised leadership, emerged as its foundational center. Her win was more than a personal triumph; it marked her as the chosen leader of Katseye, a group designed from inception to bridge pop cultures across continents. Laforteza brings a rich musical heritage—blending her Filipino roots with American pop sensibilities—into a novel experiment in the music industry. Her journey from aspiring singer to the face of a multinational project encapsulates a new era of pop stardom, built on global auditions and destined for a worldwide audience from day one.
1997–2012
Born into smartphones, social media, and school shootings. The most diverse generation in history. Pragmatic about money, fluid about identity, anxious about the climate. They do not remember a world before the internet.
Sophia was born in 2002, placing them squarely in the Generation Z. The events that shaped this generation — social media, climate anxiety, and a pandemic — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
The biggest hits of 2002
#1 Movie
Spider-Man
Best Picture
Chicago
#1 TV Show
Friends
The world at every milestone
Euro currency enters circulation
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
She is a classically trained singer and also plays the piano.
Laforteza was a student at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) before joining Dream Academy.
She performed the Philippine national anthem at a LA Clippers NBA game prior to her fame on Dream Academy.
“My voice is my bridge between Manila and the world.”