Katseye is heading to the 52nd American Music Awards on May 25 with three solid nominations in their pocket, but the girl group’s moment in the spotlight comes with an asterisk. One of their members won’t be there.
The group earned nods for New Artist of the Year, Best Music Video for “Gnarly,” and Breakthrough Pop Artist. Not bad for a group still finding their footing in the industry. They’ll perform at the MGM Grand Garden Area in Las Vegas as the ceremony airs live on Paramount+ and CBS starting at 8 p.m. E.T. Meanwhile, Taylor Swift is absolutely dominating the room with eight nominations, followed by Sabrina Carpenter, Morgan Wallen, Olivia Dean, and Sombr each pulling seven.
But here’s where things get messy. Manon Bannerman, one of Katseye’s members, has been on hiatus since February when HYBE and Geffen Records made the announcement official. The timing has felt vague ever since, wrapped in corporate language about needing space and positive conversations.
The Coachella Moment That Raised Questions
Katseye delivered a strong set at Coachella earlier this month, debuting their new single “Pinky Up” and running through a tight catalog of tracks like “Mean Girls,” “Touch,” “Game Boy,” and “Internet Girl.” A cameo from Huntr/x added some flair to the performance. But Manon’s absence was glaring.
The group performed as a five-piece that day. Just days before the festival, Bannerman posted a message on WeVerse trying to get ahead of the narrative. “HxG and I are having positive conversations and I feel supported,” she wrote. “I’m happy and I’m healthy. I’ll share more soon.”
Those words sit somewhere between reassurance and deflection, which tells you something about how these situations usually play out in K-pop adjacent spaces. HYBE later confirmed to the Korea Herald that Bannerman wouldn’t appear at Coachella, essentially making the decision official for fans who were still hoping for a surprise return.
What This Actually Means
The AMAs performance will mark another appearance without their full lineup. Whether that’s temporary or something more permanent remains genuinely unclear. The group’s label hasn’t provided specifics beyond vague assurances, and frankly, that lack of transparency is starting to wear thin.
What’s interesting here is how the industry handles these moments. Katseye is supposed to be hitting a major milestone at a prestigious award show, but the narrative keeps getting hijacked by questions about what’s really happening with one of their members. That’s not ideal timing, and it’s not an accident either. These decisions get made carefully, usually calculated to minimize damage to the group’s momentum.
The real test comes after May 25. Will Bannerman return? Will this become a permanent shift in how Katseye operates? Will the group address this directly, or will we just be left parsing cryptic WeVerse messages and corporate statements?
For now, Katseye has three weeks to prepare for Vegas. Make it count.
