While promoting their new EP, KATSEYE offered a heartfelt update to members Sophia Laforteza Manon Bannerman as they take time away from the girl group to focus on their health.
KATSEYE is sending love over that way to its members on a break.
A week after the “My Way” singers confirmed Sophia Laforteza would be temporarily stepping away from the girl group—five months after Manon Bannerman announced her break—the remaining members shared how they feel about their costars' hiatuses.
“As KATSEYE, it’s so important to us to always prioritize our well-being,” Lara Raj told Today’s Craig Melvin while on stage following the group’s performance Aug. 14. “We stand by Sophia and Manon through and through. We ride for them.”
When asked if they have a message for Laforteza and Bannerman, Raj shared, “We love you guys so much, always.”
And the other three members Megan Skiendiel, Daniela Avanzini and Yoonchae Jeong expressed their agreement by blowing kisses and making heart hands.
On Aug. 7, the group—who has been promoting their new Wild EP and their documentary Wild Hearts—shared Laforteza would be “temporarily unable to participate in upcoming promotional activities,” per an announcement from HYBE x Geffen Records shared to KATSEYE’s website.
“We understand how much EYEKONS were looking forward to seeing Sophia on stage,” the statement continued, “but it is imperative that her mental health and wellness are prioritized.”
The management company emphasized that while Laforteza is eager to continue, medical professionals advised that the 23-year-old “take dedicated time for extended rest and ongoing care to ensure a full recovery.”
Laforteza’s hiatus will last until September—at which time they’ll “reassess her condition” and give fans, affectionately referred to as the EYEKONS, an update.
Following the news, Laforteza addressed supporters on her Instagram Stories, writing that it “truly breaks my heart to have to miss out on a lot.”
She added that while “making this decision wasn't easy,” she’s “learning that health has to come first.”
Laforteza marks the second KATSEYE member to take a break this year. In February, Bannerman announced that she would be taking a “temporary hiatus” from the girl group “to focus on her health and wellbeing.”
And not only is mental health a priority for KATSEYE, but it's also one of the topics they address in their new music.
“[It’s] something that a lot of people struggle with,” Skiendiel explained on Today. “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.’”
