Manon Bannerman has fuelled speculation about her status with KATSEYE after removing the global girl group’s name from her Instagram bio.
On Friday, April 3, eagle-eyed fans noticed that the 23-year-old vocalist, who has been on a temporary hiatus since February 20, dropped KATSEYE from her profile.
Her bio now just reads “mademoiselle manzanita”.
The development came as KATSEYE, whose other members include Daniela Avanzani, Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel, Sophia Laforteza and Yoonchae, teased the release of their new single “Pinky Up”, which will be released on April 9, a day before their highly anticipated performance in the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival on April 10, with another set for April 17.
It is KATSEYE’s first release since Manon announced her hiatus.
The group’s fans, called EYEKONS, have questioned why Manon is missing from the song’s visuals even though she is on hiatus.
They also pointed out that the bio change came shortly after the teaser dropped.
Despite Manon’s absence, KATSEYE has continued group activities as a quintet, with them gracing the stage of other major music festivals like Lollapalooza in Argentina, Brazil and Chile and Estéreo Picnic in Colombia, among others.
KATSEYE has not yet released a statement on the lineup for the new song.
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‘Happy and healthy’
After her bio update, Manon took to the fan platform Weverse to share that she is “happy and healthy” amid her hiatus from KATSEYE.
The singer also seemingly addressed rumours about her permanent exit from the global girl group, saying that she is continuing talks with their agency, Hybe and Geffen Records (HxG).
“Thank you so much for all the love and support you’ve been sending my way. I’m really grateful for the patience and kindness everyone has shown during this time,” she wrote.
“HxG and I are having positive conversations and I feel supported. I’m happy and I’m healthy. I’ll share more soon. Thank you for always being there for me,” she added.
Earlier, HxG announced that Manon will step away from group activities to “focus on her health and wellbeing”.
“We fully support this decision. KATSEYE remains committed to showing up for one another and for the fans who mean everything to us.
“The group will continue scheduled activities during this time, and we look forward to being together again when the time is right,” they wrote.
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