Manon pulled from Coachella set
HYBE officially confirmed that Manon will not perform with KATSEYE at Coachella, a last-minute lineup adjustment that prompted debate among fans online. (x.com). The announcement itself drew roughly 8.5k likes as followers reacted to the change and speculated about its impact on the set. (x.com)
A day before KATSEYE’s Coachella debut, HYBE confirmed that Manon will not be onstage in Indio on Friday, April 10, and said only that she “remains on hiatus.” The answer ended weeks of guessing, but it came late enough that fans had already been trying to read clues from teasers and social media changes. (koreaherald.com) Manon’s absence did not start with Coachella. HYBE and Geffen Records said on February 5 that she was stepping back from group activities to focus on her health and well-being, which meant every new KATSEYE appearance after that was being watched for signs of a return. (koreaherald.com) The timing made the Coachella question bigger than a normal scheduling change. KATSEYE is booked for both festival weekends, April 10 to 12 and April 17 to 19, and the group’s own site lists Coachella as one of its next live dates in 2026. (coachellavalley.com, katseye.world) KATSEYE was built to be watched closely from the start. Netflix’s “Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE” followed the creation of HYBE and Geffen’s first global girl group, turning the members’ training, lineup decisions, and group chemistry into part of the public story. (netflix.com, katseye.world) That background is why even small changes now get treated like plot points. When Manon removed KATSEYE from her social media profile on April 3, rumors jumped from “Will she make Coachella?” to “Is she leaving the group?” and HYBE declined to comment on that second question. (koreaherald.com) The speculation got louder because KATSEYE’s new single “Pinky Up” arrived at the same moment. The Korea Herald reported that the concept photo for the release was issued without Manon, and the group’s official site listed “PINKY UP out April 9th at 9AM PT” as Coachella week began. (koreaherald.com, katseye.world) So the Coachella set now becomes a five-member test in front of one of the biggest festival audiences in pop. The group is still expected to perform in Indio and is expected to debut “Pinky Up” live there, just without one of the six members who helped define the group’s original lineup. (koreaherald.com, katseye.world) What HYBE has not said is almost as important as what it did say. The company confirmed Manon is still on hiatus, but it did not announce an exit, did not give a return date, and did not explain whether the same change applies to KATSEYE’s second Coachella weekend on April 17. (koreaherald.com, katseye.world)
