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How KATSEYE Navigated Manon, Sophia’s Hiatuses & Difficult Moments

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KATSEYE is keeping their pinky up.

Group members Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel, Daniela Avanzini and Yoonchae Jeong admitted that they learned a lot about the unexpected changes that can occur within a girl group, especially on the heels of the hiatuses of their fellow members, Sophia Laforteza and Manon Bannerman.

“We’ve learned that supporting each other isn’t always about having the right answer,” KATSEYE explained to Billboard in an interview published Sept. 28, “sometimes it’s just being there and reminding each other that we’re not alone.”

“We’re still growing as individuals and as a group,” they continued, “and we’re learning to embrace that along the way.”

Some of that learning has been to offer grace to each other when they’re going through a difficult time and being intentional about the fact that they want each member of the Grammy nominated girl group “to feel like they can be completely themselves.”

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“We’ve grown so much since our debut,” KATSEYE added, “and we’re excited for fans to experience that growth with us onstage.”

Part of that growth has been Laforteza and Bannerman’s decisions to temporarily step away from the group, with both citing the need to take care of their mental health.

And those were choices that their fellow bandmates completely understood.

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“As KATSEYE, it’s so important to us to always prioritize our well-being,” Raj shared onToday in August. “We stand by Sophia and Manon through and through. We ride for them.”

Mental health is not only a priority for KATSEYE in their day-to-day lives, but also one of the topics they address in their new music, with Skiendiel noting, “[It’s] something that a lot of people struggle with.”

“It’s so easy to see us from the outside perspective and be like, ‘Oh my god, they have everything sorted out and figured out,’” she continued. “But in reality, we’re just a bunch of girls still trying to grow up and grow into ourselves.”

For a deep dive into everything there is to know about KATSEYE, keep reading.

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How Was KATSEYE Formed? KATSEYE was the result of the 2023 reality competition series The Debut: Dream Academy, a collaboration between Hybe—the South Korean entertainment label behind BTS—and Geffen Records.The show saw 20 global contestants undergo challenges to create what Hybe chairman Bang Si-hyuk described as “an international group based on K-pop methodology.”The process, including the yearslong training candidates had to go through, was chronicled in the Netflix docuseries Pop Star Academy: Katseye.

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Sophia LafortezaConsidered the leader of KATSEYE, Laforteza was born to actress Carla Guevara Laforteza and chef Godfrey Laforteza on December 31, 2002.She began her career at a young age, most notably performing alongside her mom on the Philippine talk show She Said, She Said when she was 5 years old. Chosen out of 120,000 worldwide applicants, Sophia—representing the Philippines—consistently wowed Dream Academy judges with her polished performances. She was also often ranked high in the fan-voted challenges.So, it was no wonder that she placed first in the show’s finale with an overall top score of 88.33.In August 2026, Sophia announced that she would be taking a temporary hiatus to focus on her physical and mental health.

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Lara RaJBorn on November 3, 2005, in Connecticut, Lara already had quite the performing résumé before she was scouted for Dream Academy through her singing videos on social media.”I began vocal lessons, acting training and dance classes in Dallas, Texas, where I spent my early childhood,” she told Voyage LA magazine in 2020. “I spent years performing with the Septien Entertainment Group there at venues like the House of Blues, Hard Rock Cafe, American Airlines Center, Six Flags and various music festivals.”She moved to New York City as a teen to study at Professional Performing Arts School and Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, which boasts an alumni list including Jennifer Aniston and Timothée Chalamet. Between classes, she auditioned for various performing and modeling gigs before landing an appearance on a 2018 episode of The Blacklist.As seen in Pop Star Academy, Lara was introduced after producers believe they needed “a vocalist that will sell out stadiums.”She made it into KATSEYE—spelled with a “K” under her suggestion—with a second place score of 82.67.

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Daniela AvanziniLike many of her bandmates, Daniela—born July 1, 2004—started performing at a young age.She had already competed on America’s Got Talent and So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation—as well as appeared in a 2013 episode of The Queen Latifah Show as part of an “America’s Most Talented Kids” segment—before being recruited for Dream Academy.That’s why when she started training for the competition, producers found her to be the strongest technical dancer.Representing the United States, Daniela joined KATSEYE after achieving a third place score of 79.00 in the show’s finale.

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YoonchaeBorn Jeung Yoon-chae on December 6, 2007, in South Korea, the mononymous singer grew up listening to K-pop groups like BLACKPINK.In fact, she started training to become an idol as a tween, spending two years with K-pop management group WakeOne. So, while the then-15-year-old was more than ready for Dream Academy, her biggest challenge was admittedly “trying to learn more about the other members’ cultures.”“Of course, another challenge for me was embracing English as a language, especially since I was not used to it before,” she told Billboard Philippines in 2025. “I’d like to think that I made some progress there.”In the series, Yoonchae placed fourth with an overall score of 78.00.

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Megan SkiendielIn addition to dance and vocal training, the Hawaiian native—born February 10, 2006—also had acting experience under her belt before Dream Academy.She appeared as an extra in 2015’s Jurassic World, before landing minor parts in Raven’s Home, Sydney to the Max and Bosch: Legacy.As documented in Pop Star Academy, Megan was one of the earliest candidates to train for the competition. She placed fifth in the Dream Academy finale with a score of 68.33.In September 2024, Megan took a brief break due to a back injury related to scoliosis.

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Manon BannermanThough she was born Meret Manon Sarpong Bannerman on June 26, 2002, the Swiss nativestarted going by her middle name at 15 years old when she spent a year studying abroad in America. “At school, they pronounced Meret so strangely,” she explained to Swiss-German newspaper Tages-Anzeiger in 2023. “So I switched to Manon. That worked better.”She was scouted for Dream Academy after Hybe casting manager Michelle Kim saw her on social media. At the time, Manon was living in Switzerland and had little dance experience, leading to producers inviting her to Los Angeles to train.She was the final addition to the six KATSEYE members, scoring 68.00 in the competition.In February 2026, KATSEYE announced that Manon would be taking a temporary break to “focus on her health and wellbeing.”

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