There are six KATSEYE members: Sophia, Lara, Manon, Daniela, Megan and Yoonchae. But only four of them were on stage for most of the group’s 2026 tour. Two members stepped back for their health this year, and a third got hurt in November. Below you’ll find each member’s full name, birthday, age, hometown and current status, checked against news reports from February to November 2026.
KATSEYE Members at a Glance
| Member | Born | Age (Nov 2026) | From | Status |
| Manon Bannerman | June 26, 2002 | 24 | Switzerland | On hiatus since February 2026 |
| Sophia Laforteza (leader) | December 31, 2002 | 23 | Philippines / U.S. | On hiatus, back January 2027 |
| Daniela Avanzini | July 1, 2004 | 22 | U.S. (Atlanta) | Active |
| Lara Raj | November 3, 2005 | 21 | U.S. (Stamford, Connecticut) | Active |
| Megan Skiendiel | February 10, 2006 | 20 | U.S. (Honolulu) | Active, recovering from a concussion |
| Yoonchae Jeung | December 6, 2007 | 18 | South Korea | Active |
How Many Members Are in KATSEYE?
KATSEYE has six official members, and none of them has left the group. Still, the lineup you see on stage has changed a lot in 2026. Manon went on a temporary hiatus on February 20, and Sophia followed on August 7. So the Wildworld Tour, which opened at the 3Arena in Dublin on September 1, has been a four-member show with Daniela, Lara, Megan and Yoonchae.
KATSEYE Members’ Ages, Oldest to Youngest
- Manon, 24. She is the oldest, about six months older than Sophia.
- Sophia, 23. She turns 24 on New Year’s Eve.
- Daniela, 22.
- Lara, 21. Her birthday was on November 3.
- Megan, 20.
- Yoonchae, 18. She turns 19 on December 6 and is the youngest member.
Meet the KATSEYE Members
Sophia Laforteza
Sophia Elizabeth Guevara Laforteza is the leader of KATSEYE. Born in Queens, New York, she grew up in Manila, and her mother is the Filipino musical theater actress Carla Guevara Laforteza. Sophia has sung since she was three. In 2022, a year before Dream Academy, she even showed up as a contestant on Family Feud Philippines. When she announced her break in August 2026, she wrote that “health has to come first.”
Lara Raj
Lara Rajagopalan was born in Stamford, Connecticut, to Tamil immigrant parents. She spent her early childhood in Dallas and then moved to New York City, where she went to LaGuardia High School. Lara is also the reason the group spells its name with a K. In October 2026, KATSEYE released “Unloveu,” a ballad that Lara wrote and produced.
Manon Bannerman
Meret Manon Sarpong Bannerman comes from Lucerne, Switzerland, and grew up in Zurich. Her mother is Swiss-Italian and her father is Ghanaian. Before KATSEYE, she built a following with fashion clips on TikTok and Instagram and did some modeling at home. Manon was also the first Black artist to sign with a HYBE label.
Daniela Avanzini
Daniela Andrea Avanzini Llorente is from Atlanta. Her mother is Cuban and her father is Venezuelan, and she speaks English and Spanish. Dance came first for Daniela. She competed in ballroom as a small child, appeared on America’s Got Talent in 2013 and made the top 10 of So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation in 2016.
Megan Skiendiel
Megan Meiyok Skiendiel was born in Honolulu to a Chinese Singaporean mother and a Swedish-American father. Her middle name, Meiyok, means “beautiful jade.” She started dance training at four and took voice lessons by six. Injuries have been her biggest hurdle, though. A back injury kept her off the road in fall 2024, and a concussion paused the tour in November 2026.
Yoonchae Jeung
Yoonchae is the only South Korean member and the group’s youngest. She became a K-pop trainee in 2020, three years before she joined the Dream Academy lineup.
Which KATSEYE Members Are on Hiatus?
Two of the six KATSEYE members are on a break right now.
Manon stepped away on February 20, 2026, to focus on her health and wellbeing, as Variety reported. She is not on the Wild EP or the Wildworld Tour. As of early November, no return date had been announced, and the group has not said she is leaving.
Sophia began her own hiatus on August 7, 2026. In October, HYBE and Geffen confirmed she will rejoin the group in the first week of January 2027.
Megan is still in the lineup, but she had a rough November. The group postponed its November 3 show in Detroit, then its Chicago and Minneapolis dates, while she recovered from a concussion, Deadline reported. When the tour picked up again in Austin on November 10, she performed seated and in sunglasses.
How the KATSEYE Members Were Chosen
HYBE and Geffen Records began searching for the group in November 2021. More than 120,000 people applied, and 20 made it onto the competition show The Debut: Dream Academy. The finalists trained in Los Angeles for a year, using methods from the Korean idol system. Then, on November 18, 2023, the show named the six KATSEYE members. Netflix later told the story in the documentary Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE.
What Does the Name KATSEYE Mean?
The name comes from the cat’s eye gemstone, a stone that seems to change as light hits it from different angles. Sophia told InStyle that this fits a group of six very different people. The plan was to spell it “Catseye,” but Lara suggested the K.
KATSEYE’s Biggest Songs and Wins
- “Touch” (2024): it went viral as a TikTok dance challenge and reached No. 2 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100.
- “Gnarly” (2025): their first Billboard Hot 100 entry.
- “Gabriela” (2025): peaked at No. 21 on the Hot 100 and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. The group was also up for Best New Artist.
- Wild (August 14, 2026): their first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200. Its single “Animal” topped the chart in Australia.
In May 2026, KATSEYE won all three American Music Awards they were up for, including Best New Artist, the same night sombr also took home a trophy. They also played Saturday Night Live for the first time in September and performed at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in October, a lineup that included Tate McRae. Next up, Wild came out inside the eligibility window for the 2027 Grammy nominations, which arrive on November 16.
FAQ
How many members are in KATSEYE?
Six: Sophia Laforteza, Lara Raj, Manon Bannerman, Daniela Avanzini, Megan Skiendiel and Yoonchae Jeung. Only four of the KATSEYE members are touring right now, because Manon and Sophia are on hiatus.
Who is the oldest KATSEYE member?
Manon, born June 26, 2002. She is 24.
Who is the youngest KATSEYE member?
Yoonchae, born December 6, 2007. She is 18 and turns 19 in December 2026.
Who is the leader of KATSEYE?
Sophia Laforteza is the group’s leader.
Is Manon still in KATSEYE?
Yes. She is on a temporary hiatus that started in February 2026, and as of November 2026 there is no announced return date.
When is Sophia coming back to KATSEYE?
HYBE and Geffen say she will return in the first week of January 2027.
Photo: KATSEYE on stage at Wango Tango in Huntington Beach, California, May 10, 2025, by Warmtoned via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0. Cropped and text added by MusiccStar.