‘Global girl group’ KATSEYE, though originally composed of six members, is going to move forward as a five-member piece for the time being. The major shake-up in the Los Angeles-based music act’s lineup is a direct consequence of a new announcement released by the agencies, HYBE and Geffen Records.
On February 21, “HxG,” the joint labels for HYBE and Geffen Records announced via a Weverse fan community update that Manon Bannerman would be sitting out group activities for the time being.
Without revealing much, the ‘Important KATSEYE Update’ stated, “After open and thoughtful conversations together, we are sharing that Manon will be taking a temporary hiatus from group activities to focus on her health and wellbeing.”
Is Manon leaving KATSEYE?
No. Manon Bannerman is simply going on a temporary hiatus to prioritise her health, as per the new announcement.
As of now, it remains unclear how long her break from group activities would stretch since the companies involved haven’t revealed a formal timeframe and details surrounding Manon’s hiatus. “We look forward to being together again when the time is right,” the update succinctly adds.
According to the Weverse update, KATSEYE will continue its scheduled activities during Manon’s break. This inevitably means that she will be absent from the group’s upcoming performance at Lollapalooza South America in Argentina, Chile and Brazil. These schedules are slated for March 13, 14 and 22, respectively.
https://t.co/EZefVJJ67m pic.twitter.com/tc4OfmXycE
— KATSEYE (@katseyeworld) February 20, 2026
KATSEYE Manon breaks silence on hiatus
Shortly after the official company statement was rolled out, Manon personally addressed the issue at hand. She wrote via Weverse direct messages:
“Hi friends (white heart emoji).
“I want you to hear this from me, I’m healthy, I’m okay, and I’m taking care of myself. Thank u for checking in! Sometimes things unfold in ways we don’t fully control, but I’m trusting the bigger picture. Thank you for standing by me. I love you endlessly and can’t wait to see you again.”
Manon has often found a way to embrace her culture and heritage even during her current professional journey in Los Angeles. Fans have particularly taken note of how she’s incorporate Ghanian waist beads into nearly all outfits she wears, boht on and off stage.
“Being able to represent my culture, it honestly is like one of my favorite things about this,” she told Billboard Philippines last year. “I wouldn’t even call it part of the job, but it’s more about this life that I’m able to live and represent for others.”
She added, “I remember back in Switzerland, I would try to fit in as much as possible and maybe not bring my culture everywhere as it wasn’t something that was the norm, you know. So just being able to live that out proudly and loud and showing other people that it’s okay and you should be proud where you’re from, and representing it whenever you can — it really is like the impact that we wanted to bring to the world.”
What Manon said about group splits ahead of KATSEYE hiatus
Just days before KATSEYE’s agencies formally dropped the ball on Manon’s hiatus update, the Switzerland-born artist told The Cut that she didn’t want her group’s fans, collectively called EYEKONS, to face similar heartbreak caused by members of prior iconic music acts going their separate ways.
“When One Direction split, that was hard. I don’t want our fans to go through that,” she said, adding that she didn’t want to be responsible for “breaking so many hearts.”
When KATSEYE addressed death threats
Back in November 2025, the group members also admitted to have received thousands of “death threats.” Opening up about how it had taken a toll on then, Manon told BBC at the time it was “very terrorising on the mind.”
The group members’ major revelation followed Tamil Indian-origin singer Lara Raj, who is an American citizen, allegedly being reported to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Addressing the online hate coming their way, Lara told BBC, “I try to tell myself it doesn’t matter, but if 1,000 people are sending you death threats … even if it’s not going to happen … it’s heavy, and it’s jarring.”
Addressing hate comments in a separate interview with Billboard Philippines in August 2025, Manon said, “Honestly, I tend not to take it personally unless it’s constructive criticism, but if it’s hate — don’t let that get to you. Haters come with success, it’s just a given, so I tend to let it be a sign of you doing good.”
“But on a serious note, I think a lot of people who hate online are probably going through something and use that hate to vent, so you never really know what they’re going through. So even if it’s a hater, if you kill them with kindness, they can’t say anything.”
On days when things slip out of control, she confessed to have relied on the comforts of KATSEYE’s sisterhood. “I think we really do like leaning on each other because it’s so refreshing and nice to have five other girls who are going through the exact same thing. That makes it a lot easier,” she admitted. “Teamwork is really something that we as KATSEYE have all gotten so good at.”
The viral track “Gabriela” hit-making girl group was formed through the reality competition series The Debut: Dream Academy in 2023. Just earlier this month, the Billboard-charting music act was nominated for the Best New Artist and Best Pop / Duo performance categories at the Grammy Awards.