Meet Manon Bannerman, whose hiatus from Katseye is sparking fan concern
The Swiss-born singer, who beat 20 other reality show contestants for a place in Hybe x Geffen’s global girl group, says she’s been unfairly targeted online
Bannerman later addressed concerned fans directly through a statement on Weverse writing, “Hi friends. I want you to hear this from me, I’m healthy, I’m OK, and I’m taking care of myself. Thank u for checking in! 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.”
The statement led fans to speculate that the hiatus may not have been Bannerman’s decision, and many expressed their disappointment with Hybe for continuing a pattern within girl groups where the only Black member of the group (Bannerman is half-Ghanaian and half-Swiss-Italian) is sidelined. However, many fans also pointed out that the 23-year-old was the only member who received repeated criticism from fans in the past for missing performances due to illness.
Here’s everything you need to know about Manon Bannerman.
She goes by her middle name
Born in Switzerland in June 2002, Meret Manon Sarpong Bannerman knew from when she was four years old that she wanted to be on stage. She composed her first song on the ukulele as a teenager, although never released anything on her own because she’s a “perfectionist”, per her interview with Tages-Anzeiger, a Swiss-German newspaper.
Having grown up in Lucerne and later Zurich, Bannerman didn’t go by her middle name Manon until she spent a year abroad in Los Angeles when she was 15. “At school, they pronounced Meret so strangely. So I switched to Manon. That worked better,” she said. Manon later went on to be her stage name.