RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from Forbes — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 5 sources
Hollywood & Entertainment KATSEYE Down To Four As Leader Sophia Laforteza Announces Hiatus By Hannah Abraham ,
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Hannah Abraham covers entertainment, culture and business. Follow Author Aug 07, 2026, 04:14pm EDT Aug 07, 2026, 04:14pm EDT --:-- / --:-- This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . Summary KATSEYE member Sophia Laforteza announced a temporary hiatus for mental health, confirmed by HYBE and Geffen. This leaves the group performing as a four-member act, including at the upcoming Head in the Clouds festival and for their EP *Wild* release on August 14. Sophia, who previously spoke about her ADHD diagnosis and online hostility, will be reassessed in September. This marks the second member hiatus, as Manon Bannerman has also been on leave since February 2026. Despite these challenges, KATSEYE recently achieved chart success with "Animal" and won multiple American Music Awards. The group's world tour this autumn remains a major commitment.
Just hours ahead of KATSEYE’s headlining set at the Head in the Clouds Music and Arts Festival at the Rose Bowl, joint labels HYBE and Geffen announced via Weverse that leader Sophia Laforteza will be taking a temporary hiatus to prioritize her mental health.
The timing forces KATSEYE to press forward as a quartet comprising Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel and Yoonchae Jeung, just one week out from the August 14 arrival of their Wild EP.
Although originally formed as a six-piece through The Debut: Dream Academy , the group has yet to drop a full-length studio album, relying instead on a succession of high-impact EPs and standalone singles.
Sophia posted her own statement to her Instagram Stories. "It truly breaks my heart to have to miss out on a lot," she wrote. "You know how much I love being on stage, performing, and sharing these moments with you. Making this decision wasn’t easy, but I’m learning that health has to come first. I'm realising that if I don't take care of my mind and body now, I won't be able to keep doing what I love the most for so long." The HYBE and Geffen statement confirmed that Sophia had been receiving medical support and that the decision followed consultations with medical professionals. A reassessment of her progress is planned for September.
Sophia had spoken publicly about her own wellbeing before this announcement. In a Weverse livestream in May this year, she revealed that she has been diagnosed with ADHD , having received an official diagnosis around the time KATSEYE debuted in 2024. "I have ADHD — like, diagnosed with ADHD," she said during the stream. "I don’t think people know how difficult having ADHD is. It really is difficult." She described her experience as one of internal restlessness, difficulty focusing, hyperfocus, and sleep struggles, and made clear she sees a psychiatrist, a psychologist and a therapist.
She has also spoken directly about the toll of online hostility. In a BBC interview in November last year, KATSEYE discussed receiving thousands of death threats. "No human is supposed to receive that much feedback on something that they’ve created," Sophia said. "We're learning to sort of 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." The interview preceded Manon's hiatus by three months.
Sophia’s announcement leaves KATSEYE without their two oldest members, and arrives six months after member Manon Bannerman announced her own hiatus in February 2026 to focus on her health and wellbeing. Manon did not perform at Coachella in April (although she was present at the festival ), did not appear in the music videos for ensuing singles “Pinky Up” and "Animal," and has received no confirmed return date.
Sophia had spoken publicly in defence of Manon as recently as June, telling Allure that it was not anyone’s place to rush her bandmate and that "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.”
Meanwhile, KATSEYE are not the only HYBE x Geffen act to have lost a member in 2026 — SAINT SATINE, the label's second global girl group, lost founding member Lexie Levin before their official debut.
With medical professionals not scheduled to re-evaluate Sophia until September, her absence will stretch across several critical milestones. She was missing from the Hinterland Music Festival stage on July 30, and sat out the premiere of KATSEYE’s documentary Wild Hearts earlier this week, where Lara Raj (who was first voted leader of the group before they switched to Sophia) stepped up as informal spokesperson, telling reporters her bandmate was under the weather.
Raj also repeatedy addressed the fact that footage of Bannerman featured in the documentary, saying it was not their place to comment on when or if she would return to the group.
Beyond the upcoming Rose Bowl set, the remaining four members will navigate the initial promotional rollout for Wild on their own.
Head in the Clouds at the Rose Bowl on August 8 will have to proceed as four members. The Wild EP promotional cycle beginning August 14 will run without her. KATSEYE’s first ever headlining world tour kicks off in September, and will include two nights at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on November 21 and 22, making it the largest upcoming commitment by venue capacity whose status remains unconfirmed.
"Animal," written by Ed Sheeran, released July 24, debuted at No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached No. 5 on Spotify’s Daily Global Chart with 3.346 million streams on its opening day . KATSEYE won New Artist of the Year, Breakthrough Pop Artist, and Best Music Video at the 2026 American Music Awards and scored a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist less than two years into t...
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.