LOS ANGELES, Feb 24 — In the meticulously curated world of K-pop-inspired girl groups, few things cause as much turbulence as a member’s sudden departure from the spotlight. For KATSEYE, the ambitious global project jointly run by HYBE and Geffen Records, that turbulence arrived in late February 2026. What began as a formal announcement of member Manon Bannerman’s “temporary hiatus” has since spiraled into a maelstrom of fan speculation, leaked documents, family drama, and a painful, necessary conversation about the treatment of Black women in the pop industry.
On February 20, 2026, the official KATSEYE community channel on Weverse posted a joint statement from HYBE and Geffen (collectively known as HxG). The message was clean and supportive: “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. We fully support this decision” . The statement assured fans, known as EYEKONS, that the remaining six members would continue their schedule and that the group looked forward to being together again “when the time is right” .
However, the carefully crafted narrative began to crack almost immediately when Manon addressed fans directly. In her own Weverse message, the 23-year-old Swiss-born singer offered a reassurance that she was “healthy” and “taking care of myself,” but added a line that sent the fandom into overdrive: “Sometimes things unfold in ways we don’t fully control, but I’m trusting the bigger picture” . For many, that phrase—“things unfold in ways we don’t fully control”—sounded less like a voluntary pause and more like a decision made on her behalf.
Fans were quick to point out that Manon’s absence from group activities hadn’t started with the February 20 announcement. eagle-eyed followers noted she had been quietly missing from several promotional campaigns and shoots in the preceding weeks, including a Glossier billboard and a group spread with Hypebae .
An account believed to belong to Rafael Avanzini, the father of KATSEYE member Daniela, was discovered leaving comments on videos discussing Manon’s departure.
“THE SHOW MUST GO ON! With or without a member,” one comment read. “KATSEYE IS BIGGER THAN ONE GIRL” . In other replies, the account allegedly added, “5 is fine too,” and “Come back when you ready to work” . The comments, which were later deleted, sparked immediate backlash. Fans were furious that a parent would not only insert himself into the business but appear to dismiss a member that the other girls had trained alongside for years. “If literal parents of members are publicly supporting KATSEYE without Manon,” one fan posted on X (formerly Twitter), “I can only imagine what she’s been going through behind the scenes” .
The situation became even messier when a second account, claiming to be Daniela’s father, resurfaced, hinting that Daniela herself was aware of his comments, further upsetting the fandom . Amid the chaos, Megan, another member of KATSEYE, briefly reposted content from The Cut—which had recently published an article addressing Manon’s hiatus and industry mistreatment—before deleting it, leading fans to believe the members themselves were trying to signal support under strict contractual limitations .
As the online discourse grew, the narrative shifted from a simple “health hiatus” to a much more serious accusation of racial bias. The turning point came when Manon liked an Instagram post from content creator Simply Simone, which explicitly connected the singer’s situation to a long history of racism in the music industry.
The post read: “Another Black girl subjected to racism and label mistreatment yet again.” In a viral TikTok, Simone drew parallels between Manon and former members of Fifth Harmony and Little Mix. “Why is it that whenever we have a sole Black girl in a girl group, she is the victim and the most suffering?” Simone asked, pointing to the experiences of Normani and Leigh-Anne Pinnock .
For Manon, who is of Ghanaian heritage, the accusations of being “lazy” or not committed enough have followed her since her trainee days on the Netflix series Popstar Academy. She addressed this head-on in a recent interview with The Cut, pushing back against the cultural bias she faced. “America has a very different culture when it comes to work-life balance. In Switzerland, if you’re sick, you take a day off,” she said. “Being called lazy, especially as a Black girl, is not fair. Now I feel like I always need to put in extra work to prove something, even though I really don’t” .
This cultural clash lies at the heart of the controversy. Industry observers noted that while KATSEYE was built on the rigorous, high-pressure training system of K-pop, its global members are navigating expectations from a Western pop culture context where individual well-being and work-life balance are prioritized differently . An industry insider told The Korea Times, “A sword always cuts both ways… issues tied to values outside of Korea, including personal work-life balance, family involvement and even broader racial issues are beginning to surface” .
As of now, KATSEYE continues to promote as a five-member group, with a hectic festival season ahead of them . Manon, meanwhile, has been spotted out in Los Angeles, attending concerts with friends, appearing healthy but distanced from her bandmates .
Support for Manon has poured in from unexpected places, with fellow artists like SZA, Chloe Bailey, and even Leigh-Anne Pinnock showing indirect support, the latter posting, “We need to protect each other” . Fans have launched hashtags like #StandWithManon and have even organized streaming pauses to pressure HYBE and Geffen for transparency .
Whether Manon’s absence is truly a temporary pause or the quiet end of her time with KATSEYE remains unconfirmed. But one thing is certain: the conversation she has sparked—about control, about race, and about the human cost of the global “grind”—will not disappear just because she has stepped out of the spotlight. As Manon herself told her fans, she is “trusting the bigger picture” . For now, the rest of the world is left to wonder what that picture looks like.
