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The LA-based girl group KATSEYE functions as a grand experiment, a chance to see whether the K-pop idol model will work in the US and across the rest of the world. In some ways, it’s a tremendous success. KATSEYE have made a lot of social-media noise, and they’ve got a few genuine viral hits. They got a Best New Artist nomination and then gave a standout Grammys performance<\/a>. They do brand deals all the time. They’ll make their much-hyped Coachella debut tomorrow. But in other ways, KATSEYE are very much an open question. At the moment, the group’s membership isn’t quite settled.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, KATSEYE’s team announced that the Swiss-born Manon Bannerman, the group’s only Black member, would take a hiatus to focus on “personal health and wellbeing.” Since then, the other five members have been performing without her. Last week, Manon released a statement<\/a>, thanking everyone for “patience and kindness” and adding, “[HYBE and Geffen] and I are having positive conversations and I feel supported. I’m happy and I’m healthy. I’ll share more soon.” She also removed KATSEYE from her Instagram bio.<\/p>\n