KATSEYE Down To Four As Leader Sophia Laforteza Announces Hiatus

Sophia Laforteza of KATSEYE astatine the 2026 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival connected April 17, 2026 successful Indio, California. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty Images)

Billboard via Getty Images

Just hours up of KATSEYE’s headlining group astatine the Head successful the Clouds Music and Arts Festival astatine the Rose Bowl, associated labels HYBE and Geffen announced via Weverse that leader Sophia Laforteza will beryllium taking a impermanent hiatus to prioritize her intelligence health.

The timing forces KATSEYE to property guardant arsenic a quartet comprising Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel and Yoonchae Jeung, conscionable 1 week retired from the August 14 presence of their Wild EP.

Although primitively formed arsenic a six-piece done The Debut: Dream Academy, the group has yet to driblet a full-length workplace album, relying alternatively connected a succession of high-impact EPs and standalone singles.

Sophia posted her ain connection to her Instagram Stories. "It genuinely breaks my bosom to person to miss retired connected a lot," she wrote. "You cognize really overmuch I emotion being connected stage, performing, and sharing these moments pinch you. Making this determination wasn’t easy, but I’m learning that wellness has to travel first. I'm realising that if I don't return attraction of my mind and assemblage now, I won't beryllium capable to support doing what I emotion the astir for truthful long." The HYBE and Geffen connection confirmed that Sophia had been receiving aesculapian support and that the determination followed consultations pinch aesculapian professionals. A reassessment of her advancement is planned for September.

What Sophia Laforteza Has Said About Mental Health

Sophia had spoken publically astir her ain wellbeing earlier this announcement. In a Weverse livestream successful May this year, she revealed that she has been diagnosed pinch ADHD, having received an charismatic test astir the clip KATSEYE debuted successful 2024. "I person ADHD — like, diagnosed pinch ADHD," she said during the stream. "I don’t deliberation group cognize really difficult having ADHD is. It really is difficult." She described her acquisition arsenic 1 of soul restlessness, trouble focusing, hyperfocus, and slumber struggles, and made clear she sees a psychiatrist, a scientist and a therapist.

She has besides spoken straight astir the toll of online hostility. In a BBC interview successful November past year, KATSEYE discussed receiving thousands of decease threats. "No quality is expected to person that overmuch feedback connected thing that they’ve created," Sophia said. "We're learning to benignant of do what we want, activity arsenic difficult arsenic we can, cognize that we conscionable did thing we emotion and effort to enactment disconnected of that." The question and reply preceded Manon's hiatus by 3 months.

KATSEYE’s Manon Is Still On Hiatus

Sophia’s announcement leaves KATSEYE without their 2 oldest members, and arrives six months aft personnel Manon Bannerman announced her ain hiatus successful February 2026 to attraction connected her wellness and wellbeing. Manon did not execute astatine Coachella successful April (although she was present astatine the festival), did not look successful the euphony videos for ensuing singles “Pinky Up” and "Animal," and has received nary confirmed return date.

Her hiatus was besides termed temporary.

Sophia had spoken publically successful defence of Manon arsenic precocious arsenic June, telling Allure that it was not anyone’s spot to unreserved her bandmate and that "We want to springiness her each the clip that she needs, each the abstraction that she needs, and truthful we don’t want to make immoderate assumptions, group thing successful stone… She really deserves that and the doorway is ever open.”

Meanwhile, KATSEYE are not the only HYBE x Geffen enactment to person mislaid a personnel successful 2026 — SAINT SATINE, the label's 2nd world woman group, lost founding personnel Lexie Levin earlier their charismatic debut.

The KATSEYE Performances Sophia Is Expected To Miss

With aesculapian professionals not scheduled to re-evaluate Sophia until September, her absence will agelong crossed respective captious milestones. She was missing from the Hinterland Music Festival shape connected July 30, and sat retired the premiere of KATSEYE’s documentary Wild Hearts earlier this week, wherever Lara Raj (who was first voted leader of the group earlier they switched to Sophia) stepped up arsenic informal spokesperson, telling reporters her bandmate was nether the weather.

Raj besides repeatedy addressed the truth that footage of Bannerman featured successful the documentary, saying it was not their spot to remark connected erstwhile aliases if she would return to the group.

Beyond the upcoming Rose Bowl set, the remaining 4 members will navigate the first promotional rollout for Wild connected their own.

Head successful the Clouds astatine the Rose Bowl connected August 8 will person to proceed arsenic 4 members. The Wild EP promotional rhythm opening August 14 will tally without her. KATSEYE’s first ever headlining world tour kicks disconnected successful September, and will see 2 nights astatine Crypto.com Arena successful Los Angeles connected November 21 and 22, making it the largest upcoming committedness by venue capacity whose position remains unconfirmed.

Where KATSEYE Are Right Now

"Animal," written by Ed Sheeran, released July 24, debuted astatine No. 24 connected the Billboard Hot 100 and reached No. 5 connected Spotify’s Daily Global Chart pinch 3.346 cardinal streams connected its opening day. KATSEYE won New Artist of the Year, Breakthrough Pop Artist, and Best Music Video astatine the 2026 American Music Awards and scored a Grammy information for Best New Artist little than 2 years into their career. Wild arrives August 14.