Honestly, if you watched the Netflix docuseries Pop Star Academy: Katseye, you probably felt that gut-punch moment when Lexie Levin walked away. It wasn't just some scripted reality TV exit. It felt real because it was. Lexie wasn't just "another contestant"; she was a frontrunner, a fan favorite, and—by all accounts from the HYBE and Geffen executives—a lock for the final lineup of what eventually became the global girl group KATSEYE.
But then, she just... quit.
Why? The show frames it one way, the internet frames it another, and the truth is probably buried somewhere in the messy middle of a corporate "K-pop methodology" experiment that went off the rails.
The Dream Academy Trap
The whole thing started under the name The Debut: Dream Academy. The pitch to these girls was huge. HYBE (the masters behind BTS) and Geffen Records were looking for the next global powerhouse. Lexie, a talented performer from Sweden, was one of the 20 finalists selected from over 120,000 applicants.
She wasn't just there to fill space. Lexie had this "it" factor—a mix of a high vocal register and a look that the producers clearly loved. During the early "Training & Development" (T&D) phase, she was consistently praised.
But here is where things got weird.
The girls were told early on that this wasn't a "survival show." In their minds, they were training together, and the company would eventually pick the best fit. Then, the cameras turned on, the public voting started, and the "missions" became brutal. Lexie later admitted she felt duped. She signed up to be an artist, not a gladiator in a pink training room.
The Secret Ranking Scandal
If you're looking for the exact moment Lexie’s spirit broke, look at the "secret ranking" episode. The producers sat the girls down and asked them to rank each other—who should debut and who shouldn't. They were led to believe this was a private exercise for the executives.
It wasn't.
They played the footage back to the entire group. It was devastating. Imagine sitting in a room with your "sisters" and watching a video of them explaining why you aren't good enough to be in the band. For Lexie, this was the ultimate betrayal of trust. She saw the producers prioritising "good TV" and "drama" over the mental health of the girls.
Lexie started missing rehearsals. She looked checked out. When she finally sat down with the executives—including Mitra Darab and Son Sung-deuk—she didn't beg for a spot. She told them the program no longer aligned with her values.
She basically said, "I'm losing myself, and I'd rather have my soul than a debut."
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The Aftermath: Did She Regret It?
For a while, the official line was that Lexie wanted to focus on "music production" and "behind the scenes" work. It felt like a sanitized PR statement to keep the fans from revolting.
However, the narrative shifted again in late 2025. In a move that absolutely nobody saw coming, HYBE and Geffen announced that Lexie Levin would be debuting after all—just not in KATSEYE.
By August 2025, it was confirmed that Lexie, along with other Dream Academy fan favorites like Emily Kelavos and Samara Siqueira, had been selected for a second global girl group under the same partnership. This new group is slated for a 2026 debut.
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It’s a bizarre twist. It suggests that while Lexie hated the process of the survival show, she didn't hate the goal of being a performer. She just wanted to do it on terms that didn't involve stabbing her friends in the back for a Netflix subplot.
What Most People Get Wrong About Lexie
- "She wasn't talented enough": Totally false. Executives literally called her "central" to their vision.
- "She was a quitter": Actually, it takes more guts to walk away from a guaranteed multimillion-dollar contract than to just "play the game."
- "She hates the KATSEYE girls": Nope. She's been vocal about rooting for them. Her issue was with the adults in the room, not the teenagers on the stage.
Actionable Insights for Aspiring Artists
If you’re looking at Lexie’s journey as a blueprint for your own career in the entertainment industry, there are a few heavy lessons to take away:
- Read the Fine Print (Literally and Figuratively): "Development programs" often morph into "Survival Shows" the second a camera crew arrives. Know what you're consenting to.
- Protect Your "Brand" of Integrity: Lexie’s refusal to participate in the toxic elements of the show actually made her more popular with fans. In 2026, authenticity sells better than a manufactured villain arc.
- A "No" Today Isn't a "No" Forever: By walking away from KATSEYE, Lexie didn't end her career; she forced the labels to give her a different path that suited her better.
The story of the Pop Star Academy isn't just about who made the band. It’s a case study in how much of yourself you’re willing to trade for a spotlight. Lexie Levin decided the price was too high, and ironically, that’s exactly what made the world want to see her perform even more.
To stay updated on Lexie's new group and their 2026 debut, you should follow the official HYBE x Geffen (HxG) social channels, as they have shifted their focus to this second project following the successful launch of KATSEYE's "Soft Ground" era.