No Manon? No Katseye! Management confirms the star won’t play Coachella amid ‘hiatus’ mystery
By Melissa Douglas
The announcement of Katseye’s Coachella debut this year left the world with high expectations of solidifying their place within the industry. Instead, fans will be left in the desert squinting at the stage, wondering where their self-proclaimed visual member, Manon Bannerman, is.
It was announced earlier this year by the girl group’s entertainment company, HYBE, via their app, Weverse, that the star would be taking a temporary hiatus due to “mental health”, which left fans heartbroken for the loss of a member during their upcoming festival tour.
Contrary to HYBE’s original statement, Bannerman herself took to her Weverse fan DM’s, thanking her fans and creating her own statement on the matter:
“I’m Healthy, I’m okay…Sometimes things unfold in ways we don’t fully control, but I’m trusting the bigger picture”.
Aren’t we all trusting the bigger picture, Manon?
Many have claimed to have leaked information from inside sources, stating that the alleged mental health hiatus wasn’t a hiatus at all, but rather forced upon the singer to push her out of the group. Visuals for their most recent single, ‘Pinky Up’, were leaked via X, clearly showing Manon throughout the music video, which had been replaced by her other members when released
During this discourse, fans were left outraged, taking social media by storm with X hashtags such as “Katseye is 6”, and “We stand By Manon” due to the other members’ painful silence on the matter, with Megan Skiendel even hiding from fans when asked about Bannerman’s whereabouts, adding to the concerns.
The ‘Dream Pop Star Academy’ finale episode aired Novemeber 17th 2023, with Katseye finally being formed | Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty Images
This isn’t the first time these girls have faced backlash within mainstream media due to their treatment of Manon, dating back to their pre-debut. The six-piece found their fame through the release of their Netflix Documentary series, “Dream Popstar Academy”. Throughout the documentary, their distaste towards the Swiss member was made very clear during their training, with Manon having to call a group meeting to work through the tension.
Members, Lara Raj and Sophia Lafortenza, were criticised for their ‘jealous bully’ attitude towards their future member by many fans due to Bannerman’s success through the fan votes from the original survival show. Although the drama seemed to disappear after the group’s debut, some have been speculating about their involvement in her alleged forced hiatus.
Regardless, many Eyekons remained vigilant, holding onto hope that Manon would make her return for their highly anticipated Coachella debut on April 10th. Yet again, it seems they’re being left disappointed.
In an interview with the Korean Herald released a day before her anticipated return, HYBE has unfortunately confirmed that she will not be performing at Coachella, and that she “remains on hiatus”.
Will the remaining Katseye girls be able to pull through the drama, or are they going to be the next addition to the long list of failed girl groups we’ve already seen?
