KATSEYE has continued to win in life without lead singer Manon Bannerman.
Months after the Swidd singer's sudden hiatus from the HYBE x Geffen girl group, the Los Angeles popular band returned to the 2026 American Music Awards.
During the star-studded awards gala, the five-member girl gang bagged New Artist of the Year, leaving behind Alex Warren, Ella Langley, Leon Thomas, Olivia Dean, and Sombr, who were also nominated for the same category.
In their award acceptance speech, Katseye’s front singer, Sophia Laforteza, credited BTS for inspiring them to enter the hip-hop industry.
"I feel so thankful for being able to celebrate this moment with the members. Thank you so, so much to the AMAs. Thank you to our friends, family and to us. We did this together. Thank you, Eyekons," another member, Yoonchae and Daniela said.
Katseye earned the award following a breakout year in the US market, fueled by songs including Gnarly, Gabriela, and Internet Girl.
They also stunned fans with an epic performance on their superhit track, Pinky Up, which they initially released on April 9th, 2026. ‘
Katseye also took to their official Instagram handle to celebrate their historic win at the 52nd AMAs, as they stated in the caption, "We literally can’t believe this!! We just won 3 American Music Awards?? EYEKONS, we owe it all to you!"
As the new post of the girl gang gained popularity on social media, several fans rushed to the comment section to publicly apologise to Katseye's main member, Manon Bannerman, for excluding her.
Fans backlash on excluding Manon Bannerman's name in acceptance speech:
"Give us a break without Manon Ts is just boring," one commentator said.
Another said, "Manon girl, I'm so sorry they're doing this to you."
"Don't forget about MANON, she helped you reach here," a third lashed out.
What is Manon Bannerman and Katseye controversy?
For those unaware, the controversy emerged between Katseye and Manon Bannerman after HYBE announced that the singer would be taking a temporary break from group activities to focus on her health and well-being.
However, in February this year, Manon later reassured fans online that she was physically healthy, leading fans to speculate that the hiatus was involuntary or a result of internal conflicts.
