K-pop
KATSEYE shut down Manon rumours and insist there’s 'nothing but love' in the group
KATSEYE have dismissed speculation surrounding Manon’s exit, stressing there’s no bad blood, no mistreatment and “in no way” any racial element involved.
KATSEYE have insisted there is "nothing but love between us" in response to rumours about Manon's exit from the girl group.
The Gabriela hitmakers - comprising Sophia, Lara, Daniela, Yoonchae and Megan - have been operating as a five-piece since February when Manon announced that she was stepping back to prioritise her “health and wellbeing”.
Her departure has led to much gossip spreading across the internet, but the girls have said there is no bad blood and no mistreatment involved.
Lara told Vanity Fair: "The safest space that we had was within the six of us.
"People just have no idea what goes on. They just don't. It's nothing but love between us."
It had been suggested that racism played a role, but the group shut down the rumour immediately.
Sophia said: "We can definitely say that in our situation, in no way was it about race.
"That goes against everything that we stand for."
Asked about Manon attending Coachella as a punter, she said: "I'm really happy that she's able to enjoy things like that."
In a recent interview with Allure, Sophia told fans to stop making "assumptions" about the situation and insisted the door is always open for Manon to return.
She told the outlet: "Because we did announce that it is about her well-being, it's not our place or anybody else's place to rush her.
"We want to give her all the time that she needs, all the space that she needs, and so we don't want to make any assumptions, set anything in stone … She really deserves that, and the door is always open."
Manon took to Instagram last month to reassure fans about her wellbeing, insisting she’s “never been healthier, happier, or more grateful".
KATSEYE found fame after they were put together in the Netflix competition series Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE, and have enjoyed chart hits with songs such as Internet Girl and Pinky Up.
However, during an interview with the BBC in November 2025, they admitted that the comments they receive online “can get really heavy” - with some trolls even going as far as to send death threats.
Sophia sighed: “No human is supposed to receive that much feedback on something that they've created, and so we're learning to do what we want, work as hard as we can, know that we just did something we love and try to stay off of that and not have that be our validation or the reason why we do what we do.”
