Four months after the announcement of Manon Bannerman’s temporary hiatus from global girl group KATSEYE, the singer made another surprise solo appearance at the Jacquemus Spring/Summer Fashion show last June 29 in Corsica, France.
Following the hiatus, Manon had previously appeared at Coachella, where she briefly danced on stage during PinkPanthress’ set. She also attended the F1 Miami Grand Prix, where she filmed an ad with Sergio “Checo” Pérez for Tommy Hilfiger.
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Manon has since removed "KATSEYE" from her Instagram bio but reassured fans on Weverse that she is having “positive conversations” with HYBE and Geffen Records, the labels that handle the girl group. “I'm happy and I'm healthy. I'll share more soon. Thank you for always being there for me,” she wrote.
Despite this, Manon’s appearances have caused confusion online about her status in the group and the details of her hiatus. Speculation about whether she will return to KATSEYE remains a hot topic among fans online, as her recent appearance at Jacquemus prompted them to take to social media to share their theories.
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In a Vanity Fair interview after their Coachella performance, KATSEYE addressed the speculation. The group – which currently consists of Sophia Laforteza, Yoonchae Jung, Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, and Megan Skiendiel – said that they have been talking to Manon “here and there” since the hiatus.
“The safest space that we had was within the six of us,” Lara said, denying rumors that bad blood exists between the members. “People just have no idea what goes on. They just don’t. It’s nothing but love between us.”
On why Manon is on hiatus, Sophia mentioned that “we can definitely say that in our situation, in no way was it about race.” She then added, “That goes against everything that we stand for.” Manon had previously engaged with social media posts about being the only black woman in the group, sparking discussions on possible mistreatment.
As for what the group has to say about her surprise appearances, Sophia said “I’m really happy that she’s able to enjoy things like that.” Lara added, “And have fun”
KATSEYE is set to release their third EP, WILD on August 14. The group will then embark on their KATSEYE The World Tour on September 1.
The group confirmed that Manon did not participate in the WILD EP. They have yet to comment on her participation in their upcoming tour.