Will Manon Return to KATSEYE? Here's What Her Hiatus Means for 'Pinky Up' Success

KATSEYE's latest single 'Pinky Up' landed online on Thursday 9 April without core member Manon Bannerman, marking the first time the HYBE-formed K‑pop girl group has released new music as a five-piece ahead of their Coachella slot in California on Friday. The 'Pinky Up' video, which dropped globally via streaming platforms and YouTube, features Yoonchae Jeung, Sophia Laforteza, Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj and Megan Skiendiel, while Manon remains on a temporary hiatus.

Manon's break from KATSEYE was announced recently, with the group and their label stressing that her absence is temporary. No detailed timeline for her return has been confirmed, so any assumptions about a permanent line-up change should be taken with a grain of salt. That uncertainty hangs over 'Pinky Up', which is not only a new single but also the group's first major test of how they function, sound and look without one of their original members on screen.

'Pinky Up' Forces KATSEYE To Navigate Life Without Manon

'Pinky Up' is a glossy, high‑energy hyper pop track written by songwriter Justin Tranter, built around a simple premise: live as loudly as possible before everything goes up in smoke. Across the song, the remaining KATSEYE members trade lines about going hard, getting high and kissing 'new bestest friends' while the world teeters on the edge.

In the video, that apocalyptic streak is wrapped in candyfloss. The five women cycle through a series of colourful set‑ups, stomping in glittery knee‑high boots, swapping into shaggy blonde wigs and posing among heaps of plush toys. It feels deliberately maximalist, as if the production is daring viewers to notice the missing sixth presence.

Lyrically, the group lean into that end‑of‑the‑world fantasy. In one standout section, delivered by Daniela Avanzini and Megan Skiendiel, they sing: 'One day, soon, the world's gonna end / I'm gonna make out with my new bestest friends / I wanna live large, right before it all burns down / Up, up, pinky up / Go hard like we're robbin' the Louvre / We Mona Lisa with a cute attitude / I wanna get high right before we're in the ground.' It is not subtle, and it is not trying to be; the point is excess.

Another hook pushes the escapism further: 'Ooh, we're screaming from cloud nine / No one can touch us if they tried / Ooh, but it's a state of mind / I‑I‑I‑I bet it goes like this / It's a state of mind / We're screaming from cloud nine.' That idea of happiness as an attitude rather than a circumstance lands differently when you know one of the six is currently offstage.

The decision to power ahead with new music during Manon's hiatus is a calculated one. 'Pinky Up' arrived just one day before KATSEYE's scheduled Coachella debut on Friday 10 April, where they are expected to perform the track live along with earlier releases, again without Manon. Neither the group nor HYBE have issued updated comments on how long she will be absent, and there is no official word on whether she will rejoin them for future promotions.

Will Manon's Hiatus Shape KATSEYE's 'Pinky Up' Era?

Manon Bannerman is not mentioned in the lyrics or visuals of 'Pinky Up', and the video does not nod to her hiatus. Fans, though, hardly need a reminder. For many, KATSEYE were defined by the chemistry of all six women, with Manon's presence a key part of the line-up that first caught international attention.

The new single therefore has to do two things at once. It must stand on its own as a hyper pop banger, introducing fresher, slightly edgier production that hints at where KATSEYE might go sonically. At the same time, it has to reassure listeners that the group's centre of gravity has not been permanently knocked off balance by Manon's absence.

On the evidence of the video, the remaining five have closed ranks. With no sixth voice to distribute parts to, each member has more space to sing and perform. The choreography and framing emphasise symmetry, often placing a member dead centre where viewers might subconsciously expect to see Manon.

It feels like a deliberate attempt to show that this configuration is not a stopgap, but a workable version of KATSEYE in its own right, at least for now.

Commercially, choosing to unveil 'Pinky Up' on the eve of Coachella is a statement of intent. Festival sets can cement or shatter narratives about a group.

If KATSEYE deliver a confident performance of the single on 10 April, some of the anxiety about whether they can thrive without Manon on stage may ease. If the set feels thin or emotionally flat, questions about her return will only get louder.

So far, HYBE and the group have kept their messaging cautious, focusing on the music and on Coachella rather than offering new detail about Manon's situation. Nothing has been formally announced about her long-term status, and there is no official explanation of how decisions around 'Pinky Up' were handled behind the scenes.

For now, what fans can see is straightforward. KATSEYE have a new song, a vivid video and a major festival debut to get through as a five-piece. Manon's hiatus hangs over all of it, unspoken but impossible to ignore, turning 'Pinky Up' into more than just another comeback and making every raised little finger look a bit like a promise that the story of this group is still being written.