Katseye’s Manon Bannerman spoke candidly about how she and her bandmates deal with conflict shortly before she announced her hiatus from the group.
“Being in a group, it’s just about good communication and setting good boundaries and building a friendship, but also work relationship, and always remembering that it’s a shared goal that we have,” Manon, 23, said in a Nylon cover story published on Tuesday, April 7.
The singer pointed to photo shoots as an example of where discord might arise, referring to a potential situation where two members might want to wear the same thing.
“There’s six of us, so obviously not everyone’s always going to be on the same page about everything,” she explained. “But I think we all are at, or have been learning and are finally coming to, a point where for the group’s sake, you give and you take. You pick your battles.”
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Manon went on to note that she and her bandmates “have to lean on each other” to cope with their fame. “But we also have supportive friends and supportive family,” she added. “It’s something that keeps you humble and grounded. And then just having a good therapist.”
Nylon noted that the interview was conducted before Manon announced her break from the girl group, and the band declined to answer additional questions about the situation. In the interview, Sophia Laforteza addressed the band’s decision-making process, explaining that a majority-rules approach doesn’t always work.
“We’ve learned that if even just one person doesn’t feel good about a certain thing, we need to heavily consider and communicate about it — because it’s not about the majority enjoying it and just having the people who don’t enjoy it adjust,” Sophia, also 23, explained. “If we don’t feel comfortable, we don’t feel passionate. We don’t feel good about something. We need to help that person see another perspective or adjust everything overall because it really is hard to perform a song if you don’t enjoy it.”
She added, “We’re only as strong as our weakest member. We need to make sure that we’re all showing up for each other and all going at the same pace. We cannot leave anybody behind.”
Katseye announced on February 20 that Manon would be taking a break from the group, which also includes Sophia, Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel and Yoonchae Jeung.
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“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 well-being,” read a statement from the group shared via social media platform Weverse. “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.”
The statement concluded by thanking Katseye’s fans, known as Eyekons, for their “continued love, patience and understanding.”
Manon also shared her own statement via Weverse at the time, noting that she is “healthy” “taking care” of herself.
“Sometimes things unfold in ways we don’t fully control, but I’m trusting the bigger picture,” she added. “Thank you for standing by me. I love you endlessly and can’t wait to see you again.”
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In another Weverse message the following month, Manon thanked fans for their support and said that the group’s management is having “positive conversations” about her return.
“I’m happy, and I’m healthy. I’ll share more soon,” she continued. “Thank you for always being there for me.”
An insider later told Us Weekly exclusively that Manon — who recently removed “Katseye” from her Instagram bio — is not coming back to the group. Us reached out to Manon and a rep for Katseye for comment.
Katsye is set to perform at Coachella on Friday, April 10, but it is not clear whether Manon will appear with the rest of the band.
