JAKARTA - Global girl group Katseye has finally spoken up to quell fans' wild speculation about the reason behind the hiatus of one of their members, Manon.
The active members strongly denied rumors that Manon's break was triggered by issues of racial discrimination or racism within the group.
The five Katseye members - Sophia, Lara, Daniela, Yoonchae, and Megan - admitted that they still continue to communicate with Manon.
The relationship has remained in good standing since HYBE's agency announced Manon's hiatus decision in February, in order to prioritize her health.
Lara explained that the safest space they had was actually within the integrity of their own six members.
He dismissed rumors circulating on social media that the other members no longer wanted Manon in the group. According to him, the speculation that developed among netizens was completely unfounded.
"People out there have absolutely no idea what's really going on between us. They really don't. There's nothing between us but love," Lara said in a recent interview with Variety.
Regarding other skewed rumors that link Manon's status as the only black member in the group, Sophia also gave a straightforward clarification. He confirmed that the decision was purely made for the good of the artist and did not involve issues of ethnic background or race.
"We can absolutely ensure that in our current situation, this is absolutely not due to racial issues. The allegation is completely contrary to all the values we have been fighting for," Sophia said.
Furthermore, the Katseye personnel also admitted that they were happy to see Manon being able to enjoy her free time - free from the very busy group training schedule.
One of them was seen when Manon was caught attending Coachella this year as a spectator, instead of performing with Katseye on stage.
Sophia added that she was very happy to see her colleague enjoying such fun moments.
For information, Sophia, Lara, Daniela, Yoonchae, Megan, and Manon were first brought together through HYBE's Dream Academy competition program, which was also immortalized in the Netflix documentary series Pop Star Academy.
They had a big success by breaking into the Billboard Hot 100 chart with a number of popular songs, including "Gnarly" and "Gabriela" which managed to enter the top 40.
However, the six-member formation suddenly changed after the label announced a temporary break for Manon. The agency explained that the decision was made after a thorough and open discussion, in order to give Manon space to recover her physical and mental condition.
Previously, rumors about Katseye were getting hotter after netizens found Manon's social media account liked a post that indicated unfair treatment for black women in the global music industry. As a result, fans began speculating about the real motives behind the temporary withdrawal decision.
But long before that, Katseye had warned the public not to make one-sided assumptions that were detrimental. When speaking to Allure in early June, Sophia confirmed that no party had the right to urge Manon to return immediately.
"Because we have announced that this is all for his well-being, it is not our capacity or anyone else to hunt him down. We want to give him all the time and space he needs, so we don't want to make any assumptions or set anything rigid. He deserves it so much, and our door will always be wide open for him," concluded Sophia.
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