KATSEYE and Connie Francis Rewrite the Global Music Map in 2025
KATSEYE and Connie Francis Rewrite the Global Music Map in 2025
From a 63-year-old hit topping TikTok charts to a six-member cross-continental group, 2025 shows music going global in real time.
Connie Francis was 87 years old when she posted her first TikTok earlier this year, marveling at an impossible second act: a song she’d recorded in 1962 – the year of the Cuban Missile Crisis – was suddenly climbing the charts for the first time and soundtracking millions of videos for an audience born decades after it was recorded. Meanwhile, a girl group with members from four continents was being celebrated as the biggest artist on the planet this year, two years after forming as a band. Welcome to music in 2025. KATSEYE has been crowned TikTok’s Global Artist of the Year 2025, cementing their status as the biggest band on the platform and one of the most influential pop acts in the world today. Formed in 2023 with six members hailing from the U.S., South Korea, Switzerland, and the Philippines, the group has achieved the almost-impossible in an increasingly fragmented music landscape: genuine global reach. In just two years, they’ve amassed over 15 million TikTok followers, landed their first Grammy nominations (Best New Artist and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance), and built the kind of fervent, participatory fanbase that drives music culture the world over. “We had an unforgettable year on TikTok, and it was all because of the EYEKONS who showed up for us every single day,” KATSEYE said in a statement. “You turned our songs, our moments, and our chaos into something truly global.” That chaos became content gold. Their track “Gnarly” emerged as one of TikTok’s Songs of 2025, with its infectious choreography being adopted by everyone from LE SSERAFIM to Camila Cabello. “Gabriela” went viral on TikTok, racking up 2.4 million TikTok creations on its way to becoming a top-10 Spotify global track and earning a Grammy nod. And their iconic collaboration with Gap, soundtracked with “Milkshake” by Kelis? Over 150 million views on TikTok alone, with a dance recreated by American social media personality and dancer Charli D’Amelio and millions of others. But if KATSEYE r
Cover image source: Katseye Named TikTok’s Global Artist of the Year 🔗
