LOS ANGELES \u2013 Sophia Laforteza, the leader of global girl group Katseye, is temporarily stepping back from promotional activities to focus on her mental health and well-being, Hybe and Geffen said on Aug 7 in a joint statement posted on Hybe\u2019s fan-to-artist platform Weverse.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are very sorry to share that Sophia will be temporarily unable to participate in upcoming promotional activities,\u201d the statement from the South Korean and American music companies said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSophia has been receiving the utmost support, and following thorough consultations with medical professionals, it has been advised that she take dedicated time for extended rest and ongoing care to ensure a full recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n
The companies added that despite the setback, Sophia remains eager to return to performing alongside fellow members Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel and Jeung Yoon-chae.<\/p>\n
They said her condition will be reassessed in September and updates will be shared with fans then.<\/p>\n
Hybe did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.<\/p>\n
Laforteza also posted a story on her personal Instagram page saying that this decision breaks her heart.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know how much I love being on stage, performing, and sharing these moments with you,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
She noted that taking care of her mind and body now will enable her to keep doing what she loves.<\/p>\n
Laforteza thanked fans and asked that they continue to support Katseye despite her absence.<\/p>\n
The announcement comes days before the worldwide premiere of the group\u2019s first documentary, Katseye: Wild Hearts, on Aug 12 and the release of its third EP, Wild, on Aug 14.<\/p>\n
Laforteza is the second Katseye member to take a temporary hiatus for mental health and wellness reasons. Manon Bannerman\u2019s hiatus was announced on Weverse on Feb 20.<\/p>\n
While fans have speculated about the reasons for Bannerman\u2019s absence, Hybe, Geffen and Katseye\u2019s members have not provided additional details.<\/p>\n
Katseye is a Los Angeles-based multinational pop group known for combining K-pop\u2019s training model with Western pop influences.<\/p>\n
The group, whose members come from the Philippines, South Korea, Switzerland and the US, was formed in 2023 after the finalists of Hybe and Geffen\u2019s survival-style competition The Debut: Dream Academy were selected to debut together.<\/p>\n
Katseye gained widespread attention with singles including Touch, Gnarly and Gabriela, the latter earning a Grammy nomination.<\/p>\n
The name Katseye is derived from the chrysoberyl gemstone known as cat\u2019s eye, a reference to the group\u2019s diverse talents and evolving artistry. REUTERS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LOS ANGELES \u2013 Sophia Laforteza, the leader of global girl group Katseye, is temporarily stepping back from promotional…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":586805,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[93,61,60,278],"class_list":["post-586804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586804","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=586804"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586804\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/586805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=586804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=586804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=586804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}