'In No Way Was It About Race': KATSEYE Explains Manon's Hiatus and Why She Isn't on 'WILD' EP

Manon Bannerman's absence from KATSEYE's next era has become impossible to ignore. The Swiss singer made a surprise solo appearance at the Jacquemus spring/summer show in Corsica on 29 June, but she will not be on the group's WILD EP, due on 14 August, and the band has now addressed the rumours swirling around her hiatus.

For context, HYBE and Geffen Records announced in February that Manon would take a temporary hiatus from group activities to focus on her health and wellbeing, saying the decision came after 'open and thoughtful conversations together.'

The labels said KATSEYE would continue its scheduled activities during the break, while Manon later told fans on Weverse that she was 'happy and I'm healthy' and that there were 'positive conversations' with the companies.

KATSEYE And Manon's Hiatus

The news came after Manon's public appearances kept complicating the story. Since stepping back, she has still been seen at Coachella, where she briefly danced during PinkPanthress's set, and at the F1 Miami Grand Prix, where she filmed an advert with Sergio 'Checo' Pérez for Tommy Hilfiger.

Her removal of 'KATSEYE' from her Instagram bio only added to the noise online, because fans had started treating every small update like a coded message.

That is the strange thing here, and it is part of why the story keeps getting traction. Nothing about Manon's hiatus has been hidden exactly, but the gap between the official explanation and her occasional public appearances has left room for interpretation, speculation and a fair bit of nonsense.

Fans have seized on every detail, from fashion-show sightings to old social posts, and the result has been a running, messy debate over whether she is simply resting or preparing a fuller return.

KATSEYE Addresses The Rumours

In a Vanity Fair interview published after Coachella, the five active members, Sophia Laforteza, Yoonchae Jung, Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj and Megan Skiendiel, said they have stayed in touch with Manon 'here and there.'

Lara pushed back firmly against the idea that the hiatus has damaged the group, saying, 'The safest space that we had was within the six of us,' before adding, 'People just have no idea what goes on. They just don't. It's nothing but love between us.'

Sophia then tackled the most sensitive rumour head on, saying, 'We can definitely say that in our situation, in no way was it about race.' She added, 'That goes against everything that we stand for.'

It was an unusually direct response to online chatter, especially after Manon had engaged with posts discussing her place as the only Black woman in the group, which had fuelled claims of mistreatment and prompted plenty of wild guesswork.

The group also said they were happy for Manon to enjoy events such as the Jacquemus show. Sophia said, 'I'm really happy that she's able to enjoy things like that,' while Lara added simply, 'And have fun.'

Those lines matter because they are probably the closest thing to a public answer KATSEYE has given so far. The message is supportive, but it is not especially revealing, which leaves the story hanging in that familiar modern way, half answered and still very online.

The group has already confirmed that Manon did not take part in WILD, KATSEYE's third EP, and the release is set for 14 August. The band's world tour begins on 1 September, though there has been no official comment yet on whether Manon will return for that run.

For now, the only confirmed facts are the hiatus notice, Manon's own reassurance that she is healthy, and the group's clear insistence that race was not the reason. Everything beyond that remains conjecture, and there is quite a lot of it.