KATSEYE showed up for their own documentary premiere without one of their own, and fans immediately wanted answers.
KATSEYE: WILD HEARTS hit the carpet in Los Angeles this week with Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel, and Yoonchae Jeung in attendance, but leader Sophia Laforteza was nowhere in sight.
The absence came at an already tender moment for the group. Fellow member Manon Bannerman has been on her own hiatus since February, and the documentary itself reportedly features footage of Bannerman, a detail Raj has been careful not to overexplain on the carpet.
With the WILD EP dropping August 14 and a fall tour looming, every missing member at every event carries extra weight right now. So when reporters caught up with Raj at the premiere, the question was inevitable.
Lara Raj Addresses Sophia Laforteza’s Absence
Raj kept it simple when Variety asked where Laforteza was. “She’s not feeling well, but she says hi.”
It was a brief answer, but it lined up with what the group would confirm just one day later. On August 7, HYBE and Geffen released a joint statement announcing that Laforteza is stepping back from KATSEYE’s upcoming promotional activities to focus on her mental health and wellness, following consultations with medical professionals who advised her to take dedicated time for rest and recovery.
Laforteza followed the group’s statement with her own note to fans on Instagram. “It truly breaks my heart to have to miss out on a lot,” she wrote, adding that she’s learning “health has to come first.”
The timing lines up with what Raj described on the carpet. Laforteza’s absence from the WILD HEARTS premiere wasn’t a one-off; it was the first visible sign of a break the group had already been preparing to announce. She’d also already sat out KATSEYE’s Hinterland Music Festival set in late July.
That leaves Avanzini, Raj, Skiendiel, and Jeung to carry the WILD rollout as a foursome for now, including the group’s Head in the Clouds set at the Rose Bowl. HYBE and Geffen say they’re focused on Laforteza’s long-term well-being and are looking forward to having her back with the group when she’s ready.
WILD arrives August 14, with KATSEYE’s Rose Bowl performance following soon after.
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