Daniela Avanzini, the young woman of Cuban origin who will join the new group Katseye

November 30, 2023

With a Cuban mother and Venezuelan father, the young American woman of only 19 years old triumphed among more than 120 thousand contestants to join the K-Pop genre group.

With a Cuban mother and Venezuelan father, young American Daniela Avanzini celebrated her triumph among more than 120 thousand contestants to join Katseye (Cat's Eye), the new international female K-Pop group.

At only 19 years old, Avanzini was selected through a combination of viewer votes and scores from judges of the competition "The Debut: Dream Academy," a live-streamed event in which the group's first three songs were presented: Dirty Water, Girls Don't Like, and All the Same.

According to Prensa Latina, Daniela thanked the audience and the jury for choosing her along with Lara Rajagopalan and Megan Skiendiel (United States); Yoonchae Jeong (South Korea); Sophia Laforteza (Philippines); and Manon Bannerman (Switzerland).

The group is a joint creation between the South Korean entertainment conglomerate HYBE and the American label Geffen Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Over the course of two years, the aspiring members received classes in ballet, jazz, hip hop, and singing.

Cuban Roots
According to Prensa Latina, Daniela's mother is dancer Ana Llorente, a graduate of Cuba's National School of Modern Dance and Folklore, now a resident of Atlanta. The agency notes that Llorente trained her daughter starting at age seven using the Cuban method, combining it with Ballroom dancing and Afro-Cuban rhythms.

At age 9, while taking classes to develop her voice and singing skills, Avanzini participated in the world-renowned Got Talent competition and was also among the 10 finalists of So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation.

"We are very proud of the results and of all the contestants who accompanied us in this project. We wish KATSEYE much success; we are confident that they will inspire fans around the world," said HYBE president Bang Si-Hyuk in a statement.

Although the group's first three songs have already been presented, it won't be until next year that Katseye releases its debut album, followed by a Netflix documentary that explores the competition and the group's formation.

K-POP, an abbreviation of Korean Popular Music, is a pop subgenre that originated in South Korea and fuses electronic music with more modern genres.