- Sophia Laforteza announced a temporary hiatus from KATSEYE after missing recent group appearances, prioritizing her health and recovery from illness while promising to return stronger.
- The Filipina singer sat out the group’s Hinterland Music Festival headlining performance in July and their documentary premiere in August to focus on healing and rest.
- Sophia’s break follows bandmate Manon Bannerman’s February hiatus, though Manon remains featured in KATSEYE’s upcoming documentary film despite her continued absence from performances.
Sophia Laforteza has officially announced a temporary hiatus from KATSEYE after being noticeably absent from several recent appearances. The Filipina singer announced the news with a written statement posted to her Instagram Stories on Friday, August 7. The announcement was also shared on KATSEYE’s social media profiles and sent in a Weverse blast to fans.
“It truly breaks my heart to have to miss out on a lot. 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,” she wrote, in part. “I’m realizing 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. Thank you for being so patient, understanding, and always showing me so much love. It means more to me than I could ever say.”
She continued, “I promise I’m going to work as hard as I can to get through this, heal properly, and come back stronger. ’Til then, please continue to be kind and give KATSEYE all your love and support as we fulfill our promise to show up for you in every way we can. I’ll be here as one of the EYEKONS in the meantime with y’all, See you soon.”
Her announcement comes ahead of the release of the group’s EP, WILD, and their upcoming doc, KATSEYE: WILD HEARTS. She missed several recent appearances with the rest of the group at the premiere of WILD HEARTS on August 4 and at their first-ever headlining performance at Hinterland Music Festival in Iowa on July 30.
“We’re sorry to share that due to illness, Sophia will not be able to perform at the Hinterland Music Festival on Thursday, July 30. She is resting and focusing on her recovery,” a Weverse message announced at the time. “Daniela, Lara, Megan and Yoonchae will perform at the festival as scheduled. Thank you for your understanding and for supporting Sophia and KATSEYE.”
HYBE and Geffen separately confirmed that Sophia will “be temporarily unable to participate in upcoming promotional activities.”
“We plan to reassess her condition in September and will share a further update with fans at that time,” they wrote in a Weverse announcement in tandem with Sophia’s personal message. “We sincerely appreciate your understanding and continued support for Sophia, and we look forward to her being back with KATSEYE. Thank you. HxG.”
Sophia’s break also comes six months after Manon Bannerman announced her temporary hiatus from the group back in February. She has yet to return for any appearances, but Lara Raj confirmed that she still appears in their upcoming film.
“She will forever be such an integral part of the journey of KATSEYE, and of course she’s included in the film,” Lara told Entertainment Tonight at the film’s premiere. “It’s so lovely, and we’re so happy to see it. The fans, I think, will be so excited to see it.”
We’re wishing Sophia nothing but the best on her upcoming break!
