KATSEYE’s Manon has been on hiatus for her health and wellbeing since February, notably absent from the group’s performances at Coachella, Lollapalooza, and new single, “Pinky Up.”
KATSEYE is a Korean-Pop (K-pop) inspired global girl group, featuring six women who all perform pop songs and elaborate choreographed dances together. On Feb. 20, member Manon Bannerman’s hiatus from the group was announced by KATSEYE’s label, HYBE x Geffen, on a fan platform called Weverse. Manon herself spoke about her hiatus in a message to fans, also on Weverse, saying she was trusting the process and that she hoped to return soon.
Since then, KATSEYE has performed at multiple events such as Lollapalooza in Argentina, Chile, and Brazil in March, then at Coachella both weekends in April, with Manon notably absent. They also released their second single this year, “Pinky Up,” and accompanying music video on Apr. 9, again, with Manon not featured.
“The girls seem very overworked,” said KATSEYE fan, senior Ireoluwa Oluyemi. “I feel like they’re putting in so many hours to learn all [Manon’s] lines and reblock the dances that practices are probably very grueling.”
Junior Irina Polyakova is a KATSEYE fan and member of the PHS dance team, Euphoria, who has featured a KATSEYE dance in one of their pep rally performances.
“Without Manon in the group, all of their performances seem a bit incomplete,” said Polyakova. “I recently watched their Coachella performance, and it seemed very off because they had to change the line distribution and choreography of the songs.”
Some fans speculate that the hiatus wasn’t Manon’s choice. In an interview with Nylon Magazine a few days before her hiatus was announced, Manon nor the group gave any indication of the event.
“The interview she did shortly before [her hiatus] gave very much excitement about KATSEYE’s future,” said Oluyemi. “I feel like she didn’t want to leave.”
The fan discourse behind her hiatus has been heated, with many upset with Manon’s treatment by the company, even before her hiatus.
“Fans online are flooding the comment sections of KATSEYE’s TikToks with images of Manon and putting comments such as ‘there’s no Katseye without Manon,’” says Polyakova. “Some other fans are also speculating about the drama that caused her actions, with some people even blaming other members of the group.”
The statement released by HYBE x Geffen in February said the hiatus would be temporary, but with no return in sight, fans are left with uncertainty. On Apr. 2, Manon removed “katseye” from her Instagram bio, further fueling ideas that her hiatus might be permanent. But she announced in a statement to fans that she and the HYBE x Geffen label were having “positive conversations,” giving fans hope of her return.
“I really liked Manon as a part of the group because she was one of the core members, and I remember watching her fight for her spot in the training camp (Dream Academy),” says Polyakova. “It just feels really unfair that she can’t be part of the group anymore, especially after all the work she did.”
The girl group KATSEYE had their start in 2023 from the reality show, The Debut: Dream Academy, aimed to create a K-pop inspired girl group to appeal to a Western audience and run by the music labels HYBE x Geffen. The reality show ended with six winning contestants to be a part of the group KATSEYE. Since then the group has been incredibly successful, with hits such as “Gabriella,” “Gnarly,” and “Internet Girl” all making it onto the Billboard Hot 100. The group was also nominated for a Grammy earlier this year for Best New Artist.
