As questions from Cat Eye about Manon’s hiatus continue to mount, the group’s current members once again addressed the reason for the band members’ hiatus, this time shutting down speculation that race was involved.
In a Vanity Fair article published on Tuesday, June 30, Sofia, Lala, Daniella, Yunche and Megan said they had been in touch with Manon “here and there” in the months since HYBE announced in February that Manon was taking a hiatus to “focus on his health and well-being.”
“The safest space we had was within the six of us,” Lala told the publication of missing her bandmate, subtly dismissing gossip that the other girls might not want Manon in the lineup anymore. “People have no idea what’s going on. They just don’t know. It’s just the love between us.”
What about another famous rumor about Manon’s hiatus? “I can definitely say that in our situation, it was never a racial issue,” Sophia said. “It goes against everything we stand for.”
The girls also stated that they were happy that their bandmates were able to enjoy themselves freely away from the rigors of the group. Regarding Manon appearing in the audience at this year’s Coachella rather than performing with Kate Eye on the festival stage, Sofia said, “I’m really happy that Manon enjoys something like that.”
Sofia, Lara, Daniela, Yunche, Megan, and Manon first appeared as KATSEYE in HYBE’s “Dream Academy” series, which was included in Netflix’s Pop Star Academy documentary. After a series of entries on the Billboard Hot 100, including the Top 40 hits “Gnarly” and “Gabriella,” the six-piece suddenly became a quintet. Cut Eye’s label announced, “After frank and thoughtful discussions, we share that Manon will be temporarily taking a break from group activities to focus on her health and well-being…We look forward to being together again when the time is right.”
After Manon reportedly “liked” a social media post that suggested she was mistreated by the music industry as a black woman, EYEKONs wondered if that indicated the “real” reason for her departure. However, before the VF article was published, Kate Eye had already warned against making such assumptions.
“Since we have made the announcement regarding her health, it is not our place or anyone else’s place to rush her,” Sofia told Allure in early June. “We want to give her all the time that she needs and all the space that she needs. So we don’t want to assume or decide anything… She really deserves it and the door is always open.”
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