Katseye (often stylized as KATSEYE) is a six-member musical girl group under the collaboration between HYBE Entertainment and Geffen Records. They were created with one idea in mind: train girls from across the world under the Korean Idol system. They underwent a year-long program that was hosted as a Netflix reality tv show, Popstar Academy. The girls who won Popstar Academy transferred to a voting-based youtube series called Dream Academy, where fans voted for girls to make the final line-up after viewing performances focused on dance and singing.
The final line-up was made to be a diverse, global girl group, and consisted of six members: Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel, Sophia Laforteza, Yoonchae Jeung, and Manon Bannerman. Daniela, Lara, Megan, Sophia and Yoonchae were all original contestants and auditioned for Popstar Academy, while Manon was flown in after being found on social media.
Immediately, Manon was put into a place where people either loved or hated her. Girls on the show didn’t like the fact that she was put in without an audition, and the audience didn’t enjoy the way she’d often miss rehearsal during the show due to health conflictions. She was known for prioritizing herself over work, which some people didn’t like. And when she made the final line-up for KATSEYE, that work ethic continued.
Throughout their first years as an active group, Manon continued to prioritize her health, and would miss a handful of shows before a ‘temporary’ hiatus was announced on February 20th, 2026. On April 2nd, 2026, Manon edited her Instagram biography, removing the ‘KATSEYE’ and keeping it blank. That stirred a lot of rumors, with people wondering if she was permanently leaving the group. It had been announced that KATSEYE would be performing at the 2026 Coachella music festival, and people started to wonder if she was going to be performing with them.
It was confirmed that Manon wouldn’t appear on stage with KATSEYE after member Sophia posted an Instagram story without Manon. But she was still spotted at Coachella, mostly in the crowds, and even on stage with artist Pinkpantheress. There was a recent blind item that was speculated to be about KATSEYE and Manon, stating that the artist couldn’t reveal her removal from the group until April 30th, 2026. But of course, blind items are mainly rumors that aren’t really true.
As of late April, nobody is truly aware of the position Manon Bannerman is in when it comes to KATSEYE— but we hope for nothing but the best for her.
