KATSEYE's Pinky Up Is Coming But Where Is Manon?
The comeback EYEKONs have been waiting for arrives April 9, just before KATSEYE's historic Coachella debut. But with Manon still on hiatus, one burning question overshadows the excitement.
Pinky Up: What we know so far
After months of anticipation, KATSEYE made the announcement EYEKONs have been waiting for. Their upcoming single "Pinky Up" is officially set to drop on April 9, 2026 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET, one day before the group makes their long-awaited Coachella debut on April 10.
The campaign kicked off quietly on March 30 with a cryptic teaser: a clip of the Mona Lisa elegantly sipping tea, pinky raised. The next day, another teaser dropped an arcade claw machine branded with "KATSEYE," its robotic arm pulling a sword from a sea of bejeweled stuffed animals.
The caption? "We're screaming from cloud nine!!" Equal parts playful and bold, the teasers hint at a sound that leans into confidence and fun.
This release is particularly significant, it marks KATSEYE's first new music since the announcement that member Manon Bannerman would be stepping back from the group. It also comes right before the group's biggest stage yet: Coachella 2026, where they are set to perform as a first-time festival act alongside Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber, and Karol G.
The Manon question: everything that happened
To understand why "Pinky Up" carries so much emotional weight for the KATSEYE fandom, you need to know what's been going on behind the scenes. On February 20, 2026, HYBE and Geffen Records announced via Weverse that Manon Bannerman the only Black member of KATSEYE would be taking a "temporary hiatus" from the group to focus on her "health and wellbeing."
"After open and thoughtful conversations together, we are sharing that Manon will be taking a temporary hiatus from group activities to focus on her health and wellbeing. We fully support this decision." — HYBE × Geffen, February 20, 2026
But Manon's own statement on Weverse struck a notably different tone. She wrote that she was "healthy" and "okay," leading fans to read between the lines. "Sometimes things unfold in ways we don't fully control, but I'm trusting the bigger picture. Thank you for standing by me. I love you endlessly and can't wait to see you again," she told fans a message that sparked immediate speculation about the real circumstances behind her absence.
More than a hiatus: the bigger picture
Since the announcement, fans have connected multiple dots pointing to what they believe was a pattern of sidelining before the hiatus even began. Manon was absent from the music video for KATSEYE's single "Gabriela." Her face was reportedly covered in photos posted in front of the group's Glossier billboard, while the other five members posed in front of it together. She was also the only member not to receive solo promotional content during the group's Monster High collaboration.
The online conversation grew louder when Daniela Avanzini's father made comments on social media suggesting the group could function without Manon, reportedly stating "5 is OK too" and "Come back when you're ready to work." The controversy drew comparisons to the experiences of other Black women in multiracial pop groups, with artists including Normani publicly showing support for Manon.
Context: In a February 2026 interview with The Cut, Manon had said: "Being called lazy, especially as a Black girl, is not fair. Now I feel like I always need to put in extra work to prove something, even though I really don't." The interview was published just days before her hiatus was announced.
To her credit, Manon herself had expressed wanting to stay. "When One Direction split, that was really hard. I don't want our fans to go through that. I don't want to be responsible for breaking so many hearts," she told The Cut. "KATSEYE is going to stay KATSEYE for a while." Meanwhile, Sophia Laforteza previously told Billboard: "We're still going to be six as KATSEYE moving forward."
Will Manon be part of "Pinky Up"?
As of the release announcement, neither HYBE, Geffen Records, nor KATSEYE have confirmed whether Manon is featured on "Pinky Up" either vocally on the track or visually in the music video. This is the question the entire fandom is holding its breath over.
Fan reports: Some fan accounts on social media have claimed leaks suggesting Manon appears front and center in the "Pinky Up" choreography and music video concept art. These have not been verified by any official source and should be treated as unconfirmed rumors. That said, EYEKONs are choosing to remain cautiously hopeful — and the Coachella timing has fueled speculation that the comeback could be the perfect stage for Manon's return.
What this moment means for KATSEYE
"Pinky Up" arriving at this exact moment between Manon's unresolved hiatus and the group's most high-profile performance to date makes it one of the most emotionally loaded comebacks in recent pop history. KATSEYE is a group that was built on the idea of six girls showing up for each other, and right now, the question of whether they'll show up as six again is impossible to ignore.
Whatever the music video reveals on April 9, and whatever happens on that Coachella stage on April 10, one thing is clear: EYEKONs worldwide will be watching. And they'll be watching with their pinkies up and their fingers crossed for Manon.