In this episode, Chris and Chantel Nicole break down the full Manon Bannerman situation from the beginning: the hiatus announcement, the theories, the leaked storyboard and dance rehearsal footage, the Deuxmoi report, the Zane Lowe interview, the Missy Paramo unfollow, and everything in between. We cover all four theories including the racial mistreatment conversation, the contractual obligations allegations, and the public support pivot. Then we review "Pinky Up," KATSEYE's first release without Manon, and react to their Coachella debut, including the accidental "Wild" project leak and the moment that broke the internet: Manon in the crowd.
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- 0:00 - Intro
- 1:28 - Pop Star Academy
- 7:38 - The Cut and Nylon Interviews
- 11:39 - Theory: It wasn't Manon's choice to leave
- 13:24 - Theory: Manon genuinely needed a break
- 15:29 - Racially-driven mistreatment and Daniela's father's comments
- 21:25 - Missy Paramo
- 22:40 - Alleged HxG internal memo
- 24:15 - Five-piece performances in South America
- 26:21 - "Pinky Up" pre-production materials leaked
- 29:52 - "Pinky Up" teaser release and Manon Weverse statement
- 32:14 - Deuxmoi report
- 33:15 - Theory: Label is accusing Manon of breach of contract obligations
- 34:55 - Theory: Manon was cut from "Pinky Up" and now she is done
- 39:24 - Zane Lowe Interview
- 40:30 - "Pinky Up" Review
- 49:10 - Coachella set review
- 56:30 - "Wild" announcement leak and what's next for KATSEYE?
References:
- “Pinky Up” MV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7F1ET2XHQfk&pp=ygUQa2F0c2V5ZSBwaW5rIHl1cA%3D%3D
- “Pinky Up” Live at Coachella https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMuLmvR1D_Y&pp=ygURa2F0c2V5ZSBjb2FjaGVsbGE%3D
- NYLON Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6Kvx8fAMdA&pp=ygUNa2F0c2V5ZSBueWxvbg%3D%3D
- Zane Lowe Interview clip: https://x.com/KatseyeSP/status/2042298969783517581?s=20
- @thesimplysimone video about black women in groups https://www.tiktok.com/@thesimplysimone/video/7609430097702997261
- Manon shoutout at Lollapalooza Argentina https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovaHpLfEkT4
- “Pinky Up” OT6 Practice Leak https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WK2MiQ3AVQ&pp=ygUScGlua3kgdXAgb3Q2IGRhbmNl
- “Pinky Up” Storyboard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msEeY8ngS4Y&pp=ygUTcGlua3kgdXAgc3Rvcnlib2FyZA%3D%3D
00:00:00 --> 00:00:05 One, two, one, two, three, my non's gone. It's gone.
00:00:08 --> 00:00:36 This is CCTV, the nonstop pop show where we provide our unfiltered, honest opinions on global pop music. And we have covered Cat's Eye a few times on our show. You've done music reviews. You've done honest opinions about their whole trajectory. We've definitely said some controversial opinions so far. So it's time for more. But I will tell you that every single time we've said something, it has rung true. So if you're into fortune telling, pop.
00:00:36 --> 00:00:55 music fortune telling where you're a show but but before before before we get into it so we'll let you guys know you can totally totally join in on the conversation and let us know what you think about all that's going on with cat's eye but view discretion is advised your faith will be criticized
00:00:56 --> 00:01:21 Okay, so we've had a lot of requests to talk about this whole situation with Manon. Yeah. We like to get the full picture here. So we were like, you know what? Let's see what happens with the next release first. Let's see what happens at Coachella. Yes. Now those things have happened, so let's talk about it. That's right. Okay, so the story actually begins, though, before...
00:01:21 --> 00:01:50 Before February, right? Right. Because this has kind of been bubbling up. So let's go all the way back to Popstar Academy on Netflix, right? Because as we remember, this docuseries was about the group's formation. And during that show, Manon was shown missing rehearsals, partly due to illness, of course. But it was a point of contention within the contestants as well as with some of the execs and, you know, the people involved.
00:01:50 --> 00:02:17 That's right. And other trainees, including some who became her bandmates, were shown talking behind her back and confronting her directly about missed rehearsal. And this was like a complete and utter trend on the show. Still confused as to why they had it so prominent on the show. But hey, despite this, she was consistently fan voted through the show and made it into the final group. And the lazy label attached itself to her publicly from this period onward.
00:02:18 --> 00:02:47 Yes, so once they debuted, fans did point out that in the original debut choreography, their very first single, Manon was visibly placed at the back or sides of formations in ways that the other members were not. And this is a detail that has since been re-examined a lot as all this drama has been coming up. And there were some other early situations that happened too. Like Manon was absent from the group's Gabriela performance video, and this was due to an ankle injury.
00:02:47 --> 00:03:03 Is what we were told. And she was also not present for some other events and stuff. Like the other five posed together celebrating their Glossier billboard. Yes. Yeah. I remember that very clearly. I also remember like Lara was fit into the Game Boy video so
00:03:03 --> 00:03:24 Again, it's one of those things where it's like, I heard what you said, but what was the reason? And then you don't want to question, like, give us medical records. Where's the leg brace? You know, you don't want to go there. But I mean, this was like the umpteenth kind of sort of thing that Manon was kind of missing in. But even when they first did, like, their debut performances,
00:03:24 --> 00:03:42 Megan had been missing for a little bit, you know, even in the music videos, she was like not present. But it didn't cause as much concern as it did with Monon because of the way things were portrayed and things. So I think, again, like this stigma was just kind of placed on her. Yes. And it's just unfortunate. Yeah.
00:03:42 --> 00:04:05 Yes, for sure. You know, going back to Popstar Academy, I think, you know, there was that whole segment where Manon sat down with the other girls and she was like, look, this K-pop machine is insane. I'm not used to this work ethic. I'm doing my best here to kind of match the rest of you and what you're doing. Yeah.
00:04:06 --> 00:04:34 So yeah, it does suck that this has kind of followed her around this whole time. And I think we talked about this a bit when we talked about debut. But we're both dancers. Yes. Like, formation-wise, it didn't seem to me that they were deliberately trying to hide her. Sometimes we just like symmetry, right? And I believe, doesn't she come out right to the center right after she's in the back? So they kind of wanted her close so that she could come back out.
00:04:34 --> 00:04:55 Yeah, it's like a little bit. It's just weird because, like, you know, when she's saying the debut part, it's like you're right behind her. I mean, you could just kind of plop her to the side because people have to take comparisons. Which they have since done. Yes, yes. So it's a little funky that it did happen and maybe she didn't know the steps. I think she did know the steps because, I mean, you've been practicing for, like, months, right? Yeah, yeah. So it was a little bit of a fishy thing and kind of like one of those...
00:04:55 --> 00:05:21 Do we say, hey, choreographer, why'd you do that? Because there is ways to avoid it. But if management's saying, yeah, we don't like the way that looks, they're going to change it, right? We don't really know the full story. And they're not going to say anything because everyone signed NDAs. Yes. Also, I do want to say, right, like before we jump ahead. Yeah. I have seen Cats Eye Live. I went to the last tour. Obviously, we've been keeping an eye on them these past few years and all their activities. Manon. Manon is a star.
00:05:22 --> 00:05:51 Right. She's a ton of star quality. She's so important to the group visually and on stage. She definitely stood out to me when I saw them live. She does have that charisma. She has that kind of pop star X factor. So it is noticeable when she's not there. Yeah, that's valid. And I think a lot of people have, especially like newer K-pop fans, a lot of people have gotten into K-pop with the world of dance style choreography. Like Issy was like third gen, right? And like their choreography was hard. It was like debut-
00:05:51 --> 00:06:07 This is gonna be an example of how hard choreography has gotten. Even since G-Friend, they were kind of on the cusp of like, oh, here's a coupe turn and a pirouette and a bunch of other random jazz moves in a K-pop dance. Like, when we were coming...
00:06:07 --> 00:06:36 up into K-pop, it's not so crazy. But if you're somebody who has dug back into older K-pop songs, you're like, why is the miniskirt dance so simple? Because the performance mattered more than how impressive the dance was, and all you needed was to zip up the skirt, right? And then they had visuals where their only job was to be beautiful, because as soon as you saw that person, you're going to say, who is that girl at this time? Who is the blonde one? Who is on the pink hair? And that's their job. Their job is to attract you, grab you, and then you listen to the rest of the music.
00:06:36 --> 00:06:50 so that you stick around, right? So I think she fits her role perfectly. She is the visual. Like they put a lot of effort into getting her on the show because of how she looks. And there's nothing wrong with that. Her job is to look good. The same way a main vocal,
00:06:50 --> 00:07:10 like Leah from Itzy, should be singing, but people get upset when she's not dancing. So it's not something you can really argue. If your job, if you're a piano and you're supposed to play melody, then play melody. I'm not going to go to the drum to play melody. You know what I'm saying? Yes, yes. She's a piano. She's not a drum. That being said...
00:07:11 --> 00:07:26 Let's hop right into what's going on right now. We're going to talk about the timeline with the hiatus and also give you a couple of theories that have been floating on the internet and give both sides of all the theories because here we're trying to be as objective as possible but interject some of our opinions. So if you don't like it,
00:07:26 --> 00:07:48 Then it is what it is because that's what the internet's saying as well. But yes, so let's hop right into this timeline. Starting with February 17th, 2026 with the cut interview. Just three days before the hiatus announcement, Manon told the cut being called lazy, especially as a black girl is not fair. Now I feel like I always need to put in extra work to prove something, even though I really don't.
00:07:49 --> 00:08:13 And about one week before the hiatus announcement, all six members sat down with Nylon for a cover story conducted over Zoom. This was not released until a month or so later, but we'll put it here just for timeline purposes, because this is when the interview happened. The shoot was done as part of the Pinky Up promotional cycle, meaning all six members were present, styled, and photographed for that era.
00:08:14 --> 00:08:31 Yes, and nobody showed any sign of what was to come. And two quotes from this interview has since become the most discussed things, where Sophia said, we're only as strong as our weakest member. We need to make sure that we're all showing up for each other and all going at the same pace. We cannot leave anybody behind.
00:08:32 --> 00:08:58 And Manon said, there's six of us. So obviously not everyone's always going to be on the same page about everything. But I think we all are at or have been learning and are finally coming to a point where the group's sake, you give and you take. You pick your battles. So Nylon noted in the published piece that the interview ended with Manon's Zoom connection cutting out entirely. And the other five continued without her. And they called this ominously prophetic.
00:08:58 --> 00:09:04 Yeah, that's like, oh, my God. All right. So...
00:09:05 --> 00:09:31 Another thing that people seem to forget as well is that even though you feel really connected to your idols, your singers, your artists, they are trained. If you've watched the show, you saw that they had like camera tests and things like that. Now imagine a camera test, but media training as well. That is something that's very important for artists. Even myself, when I was working on tours and things like that, I had to get trained to speak to media. I can't just say, oh my God, come see us because we're so amazing. I'd have to say, why you should come see the show? Yeah.
00:09:31 --> 00:09:40 Why? What's the best part of the show without spoiling too much? So their responses in this magazine were...
00:09:40 --> 00:10:08 fine friendly friendly friendly friendly friendly but they were friendly copacetic and that's what you want to portray right um i feel like it just stinks because when this magazine cover did finally come out like oh she's back she's back which i don't think is like it's not really using critical thinking y'all if you haven't seen her and then suddenly you're thinking that she's back this goes to what you were saying like there's six in the whole kind of setup but then you know it's a little
00:10:09 --> 00:10:29 It really is. And also there are some video interviews as well that came out with it because obviously they did the photo shoot in person. So there's some kind of bonus interview footage from that. And yet there's no noticeable tension or anything. But of course, again, you're media trained, you're not going to show that on camera. So we don't really know what was going on behind the scenes there. So
00:10:30 --> 00:11:00 Right. Hmm. So moving right along, on February 20th, Haim and Geffen posted a joint statement on Kat's Eye's Leaverse. The statement read, After open and thoughtful conversations together, we are sharing that Manon will be taking a temporary hiatus from group activities to focus on her health and well-being. We fully support this decision. Kat's Eye remains committed to showing up for one another and for the fans who mean everything to us. The group will continue scheduled activities during this time, and we look forward to being together again when the time is right.
00:11:01 --> 00:11:19 And within hours, Manon posted her own message directly to fans on Weverse. She said, I'm healthy, I'm okay, and I'm taking care of myself. 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.
00:11:19 --> 00:11:38 And this disconnect between those two statements was immediate and impossible to ignore. The label cited health and wellbeing, while Manon said that she was healthy. And the phrase, things unfold in ways we don't fully control is not typically how someone describes a break that they chose to take.
00:11:38 --> 00:11:53 Yes. So let's now get into some of these theories about what happened here. Right. So if you just look at this, sounds like this wasn't really her choice to leave or take this little hiatus here. Right. So I would say this is quite a broad question.
00:11:53 --> 00:12:10 umbrella theory because it can kind of split into various sub theories yes but one that a lot of people brought up as potential and we got a lot of reddit posts and stuff from supposed insiders which i don't know what you can believe here right so we're just going to talk through what we saw but
00:12:11 --> 00:12:29 there are possible internal group tensions, right? We just talked about those tensions that were already present in the Popstar Academy docuseries. And it's possible that actually continued, right? Maybe they weren't getting along. It got to a point where they were like,
00:12:29 --> 00:12:41 we need to remove this. We need to stop this. And maybe Manon was, you know, not necessarily the cause, but maybe she was the issue there.
00:12:41 --> 00:13:05 Now, before someone said, they love each other. Okay. If you've ever lived with your siblings, you can totally love them and then be upset that they're wearing your jeans. But instead of your jeans, maybe it is we're at a rehearsal and Manon has been on the record for saying, like, we should still be rehearsing. Let's go practice, like, late into the evening. We're not saying that she's not, quote, unquote, working. It's more just, like, something may have happened in terms of business.
00:13:05 --> 00:13:29 And with her being absent, maybe something got complicated. It can be as simple as that, literally. It can be something as simple as, she wasn't there, we wish she were here, and the tension could cause from there. Or maybe it is, she didn't give me back my hairbrush. I doubt it. They're old enough to talk through it, but that's not what we're implying here. And then theory number two is that she genuinely needed a break. And this one...
00:13:29 --> 00:13:51 Most straightforward, you know, maybe she did just want to kind of take a breather. People have cited her Swiss heritage as to why this is a possibility. And then also, I think just terms in terms of like, just her personality on the show. I don't think she's as severe as like, I don't really care. And maybe she was intimidated by the whole process. Everyone's like, I've been trained for two years. And she's like, I don't, I, I.
00:13:51 --> 00:14:09 I mean, I like music. I didn't know this could be like a possibility for me. Like, thank you for the opportunity. But maybe she felt she was intimidated. So she stepped away. But this one, maybe she was just like, there's a lot going on. The schedule's crazy. You know, supporting evidence would be like, you know, I'm happy and healthy statement that she said. And then...
00:14:09 --> 00:14:26 The group's Zane Lowe's quote framing the Weaver's post as something that she has, you know, got to do like on her own terms. So that's good. So it kind of gives the impression like it's, hey, I'm stepping away. I did need a break, but maybe I was like, oh, you're stepping away. Okay. Okay.
00:14:26 --> 00:14:50 you're not coming back for this. And she was like, I just needed a week. Why is this a thing? We don't know. But, you know, again, everything about those words, things unfold in a way we don't truly control does not describe a chosen break. Like, she was healthy enough to attend Coachella and other events. So the complete erasure, though, is unheard of. And I think that is the issue that is...
00:14:51 --> 00:15:06 Right. Yeah. And as we get into some more that happens in the timeline, this theory becomes a little more murky or more unlikely, I guess I would say. But look, she's already been injured, right? Like multiple times. Yeah, all of them, really. Yeah.
00:15:06 --> 00:15:24 Like clearly they are being pushed to the limit. So it's not so far fetched that someone is just like, whoa, I need a break mentally and or physically. This is a lot, right? So it's understandable in concept.
00:15:24 --> 00:15:47 Right. But we're not saying this is true. Again, this is theories. Right. Exactly. So moving right along, during this time, the Instagram creator, TheSimplySimon, posted a video examining the historical pattern of mistreatments of Black members and music groups. Manon liked this post. And screenshots spread everywhere and shifted the conversation from a health break to something so much more larger than that.
00:15:47 --> 00:16:17 And Manon's rumored boyfriend further amplified the narrative by sharing an Impact article making similar arguments about the music industry's treatment of Black talent. Yes, and then an account widely believed to belong to Daniela's father, Rafael Avanzini, left multiple comments on videos about Manon's departure, including, quote, The group is bigger than one girl. We need girls who can grind. And another quote,
00:16:17 --> 00:16:40 So these comments were later deleted, but screenshots had, of course, already circulated widely. And the fallout from all of this was quite significant, right? So it intensified the speculation about the internal dynamics within the group. It triggered hate directed at Daniela. And it also prompted some people to publicly agree with his comments, right? So there was already a lot of discourse even among the fans then.
00:16:40 --> 00:17:01 Mm-hmm. Yeah. And throughout all of this, the other cat side members appeared to be instructed to post as normal on social media, like just straight up TikTok-ing their way through this with no acknowledgments or statements of any kind. And on the non-side of the internet, a wave of celebrity solidarity followed from the outside of the group.
00:17:01 --> 00:17:30 Leanne Hinnock from Little Mix said, we need to protect each other on X. Normani, Ray, SZA, Chloe Bailey, and Halle Bailey all publicly followed Manon on Instagram. And then Melody Thornton, the Pussycat Doll's only Black member, also showed support. Now we're going to get into the whole conversation around racially driven mistreatment. And this, of course, is a very sensitive topic. So we're going to approach this first objectively and acknowledge the different angles presented.
00:17:30 --> 00:17:43 So there is a well-documented pattern of black women in Gokrus being sidelined. You have Normani, Leigh-Anne, Melody Thornton. They're all examples. And Manon, as the only black member of Cat's Eye, has entered a similar dynamic.
00:17:44 --> 00:18:13 And of course, as you mentioned before, that lazy narrative did follow her from the docuseries into her career. And some do argue that it stuck in a way that felt racially coded, especially given that she had said she was dealing with health issues. And as Chantal also mentioned earlier, there has been visible support from other Black women in the industry, including those women that you just mentioned. And this does suggest that this situation resonated beyond just cat's eye. Yes. So...
00:18:13 --> 00:18:23 we're going to examine everything from every angle like we said so i think it's a little bit difficult to say is just because she's a black woman right um
00:18:25 --> 00:18:47 I do not like that all of this crap has happened and she's gotten all of this like stereotypes and such. But as I mentioned before, Mandan was one of the most prominently featured members during Dream Academy and was directly scouted, which points more toward prioritization rather than sidelining. And even her role as like a visual slash center stands at a contradictory point. It's like
00:18:47 --> 00:19:09 We want her, we're putting all this effort to get her. She's beautiful. Like literally one of the high people during that Netflix documentary was like, I like basically was begging this girl. Not quoting directly, but it was just, we needed to have her. She'd be great for this program. You know what I'm saying? I guess they weren't expecting her to be a normal girl who just happened to be really beautiful.
00:19:09 --> 00:19:38 Yeah, it is worth mentioning, Cat's Eye obviously is a very diverse group overall, and multiple members have faced different forms of public backlash. And we do need to state here, there is no direct evidence that Hybe or Geffen acted with any racial intent. And look, looking at this from a business perspective, a contractual or professional breakdown of some sorts does explain this whole situation without involving race at all.
00:19:39 --> 00:20:08 Right. I don't think... Like I said, I'm not trying to be like, oh, yeah, no, no, no, I'm taking both sides. I'm not defending a conglomerate that... I'm not defending Hybe or Geffen whatsoever. But just looking at everything, it just stinks because as a Black woman or a Black performer, we have to perform 10 times better. So I get what she was saying. But unfortunately, everything just stuck. Even with the season's readings, there was something about her being lazy. So I think Hybe in general just kept the...
00:20:08 --> 00:20:36 stereotype kind of up in a sense inadvertently especially with that season's greeting like quiz trivia thing i hated that hated it hated it but yes the whole broader conversation about how black women are treated in pop is valid and important i'm a black pop girl myself i've auditioned for a k-pop girl group almost got it i didn't get in which is completely fine but you know they've had members that are international and things are happening over there and i'm like oh my god is it because she's black i don't know but then they have another black member it's a whole thing
00:20:36 --> 00:21:02 thing it's a whole thing and it's not fair i totally get it it's totally valid we talk about it on our show mel b as a spice as a spice girl member like where did scary spice come from he was just calling because she was really high energy is it that like we've talked about it in naz ad nauseum on our show you know but i don't think this is what it is this time it's just kind of i think just supplementing the the
00:21:02 --> 00:21:23 not supplementing, not even like enhancing the issue. But the most grounded view in all of this is that, like he said, something more professionally has gone wrong and not, you know, something racial, but within the context where race may have shaped how it's been perceived, that's really important to kind of like, we're talking about it, but we don't think that is the final decision. Right. Yeah.
00:21:24 --> 00:21:54 I think this might be a good time to also mention Missy Paramo here, because she is a pretty important player, right? She was one of the main development managers in Dream Academy, and she has continued to work with the group after they were formed. And, you know, in the docuseries, Missy did state that she would not add Manon to the group based on her attitude. And there was kind of a confrontation that happened after that as well. But in March, Manon did actually unfollow Missy on Instagram.
00:21:54 --> 00:22:19 So, again, this kind of points to something professional. Exactly. Yeah. And not like, oh, I just don't like this girl because she is, etc. Right. Although I have seen statements online that have also perceived maybe some microaggression from Missy as well. So this conversation is so deep. It is. And there's so many layers to it. So we're just trying to acknowledge...
00:22:19 --> 00:22:34 all the different sides to it. We'd love to hear your opinion if you want to add to the comments here. But yeah, I think we're trying to kind of take it from kind of hopefully, right, from a more kind of professional viewpoint.
00:22:34 --> 00:22:58 Yes. Right. And speaking of that, there was an alleged internal Hybe-Geffen document that began circulating that purported to show a termination review and a roadmap for transitioning Cat's Eye to a five-member unit. The document was, of course, never verified, and neither Hybe nor Geffen confirmed or denied its existence, but it has circulated amongst the fandom here. Yes. I will say that.
00:22:58 --> 00:23:24 I have worked at multiple record labels, including Universal, which Geffen is a part of. That memo did not look real at all. I have never seen internal comms distributed like that in all my years in music. Yeah, no, same. I've done Korean companies and American and nothing has ever, even the Korean ones, doesn't look like that. So, you know, this was really bad. It was really bad. Yeah.
00:23:25 --> 00:23:54 But that's the thing. Somebody is feeding information through these interwebs, and some of it is catching, and some of it is... All of it's catching, basically. But some of it's true, and some of it is not. But, you know... It's not a good look to have a centered, aligned Canva font internal. Not Canva. No shade to Canva. We love Canva.
00:23:54 --> 00:24:13 Right, but no one's going to sit there and center a line of memo. Yeah, they made it look like a press release. It was just like, this is not how this would be formatted. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But yes, like we said, drama, race-related, we don't think it's that, just that. So...
00:24:14 --> 00:24:44 With all that's going on, things did get a little bit quiet in March, where Cat's Eye performed at Lollapalooza, Argentina, Lollapalooza, Chile, and Estereo Picnic in Colombia, all as a five piece. And not one of the five members made a public statement about Manon during this entire period, except for Lier Sofia, who shouted out Manon from the stage at Lollapalooza, Argentina, saying, Let's give it up for Manon! And this was the only on-record acknowledgement from any member across this entire hiatus.
00:24:44 --> 00:24:44 Thank you.
00:24:48 --> 00:25:15 Yes, so far. We'll get there. So far. So far, yes. And Manon was spotted in Los Angeles during this period, attending concerts with friends, appearing healthy, and socially engaged. Yes. And fans were very eagle-eyed, of course, watching every single action from every member. I do remember seeing people were like, oh, Manon just followed this producer. Like, she just followed this writer. Or like, maybe the other way around, right? Oh, this producer just followed Manon. Look. Look.
00:25:16 --> 00:25:46 Regardless of what's going on here, she's on a hiatus. I guess just, you know, get that network going now. Yeah. Do what you need to do, girl. This is true. Yeah, yeah. Taking a little bit of seriousness out of it. Like, I'm honestly, I'm, like, good for her. Because in wrestling, there's this concept of a work. And a work is, like, where talent is expected to fake an injury for a storyline. And Manaw is not partaking in that whole she's sick work. Like, she's out and about. So, if she's reinforcing what she said, I'm fine. Yeah.
00:25:46 --> 00:26:07 Maybe she did need a little, I need to break this one little weekend and it turned into this whole, okay, the break for the rest of your life. We don't know. Yeah. But she's like, I'm not dying. So. But again, I'm a little bit worried about how that looks because then you have that lazy conversation. Well, if you have all this time and I'm just like, oh, you got to play this a little bit better. I'm not saying don't live your life.
00:26:07 --> 00:26:26 But just don't be like, I don't know. I don't know what the right answer is, but I am glad she's not playing, you know, doing the work. She's not playing up that work. Yes. You know, very interesting point. Yeah. It's hard. So many layers, as we said. Yeah, man. Okay. So before Pinky Up officially dropped, some pre-production material did leak. Yeah.
00:26:27 --> 00:26:56 There were a bunch of demos that also leaked. Some real, some not, which was interesting. But yeah, so the music video storyboard for Pinky Up did leak, and it did show Manon clearly present in the original concept. And dance practice footage also leaked of Pinky Up, showing all six members, including Manon, rehearsing the Pinky Up choreography together. So clearly, Manon was a participant in the lead-up to the Pinky Up era. And yeah, did all the rehearsals, or maybe not all the rehearsals, but at least did learn everything.
00:26:57 --> 00:27:25 and was preparing for this release. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, goodness. Yeah, so it's interesting that all this stuff leaked, right? Because, again, some of it, I couldn't tell if it was real or not, like with those demos and stuff, but it's like clearly some insiders were wanting to show the fans this footage, right? Like, rehearsal footage, that's hard to get, right? Dude, the hardest to get. The whole entire storyboard for the Piggy Up music video as well. Like, clearly, there's some people that are close...
00:27:25 --> 00:27:40 To the girls in some way or another. Right. I don't know from which angle, but clearly they're also not too happy with the situation. Yeah. They were like, which I do appreciate. Yeah. Right. Cause, cause honestly do like, why the heck would you say this? We were planning.
00:27:41 --> 00:28:03 why would you say why would you do that essentially yeah I'm curious what the motivation was right is it trying to show support for Manon or is it in that same vein actually just trying to like take away from the release because it's like well you guys have been excited for the song well it leaked here you go you know what I mean like taking away some of that or was it really or it could be the other way around it could be just softening the blow a little bit
00:28:04 --> 00:28:29 Ooh, I'm hoping it's the first one. Cause I'm like, that's kind of messed up that you guys took her out. And you know what the interesting is? I think what ends up happening a lot with the Manon being edited out of things like the Monster High video or like certain behind the scene feature as that they do or like the Glossier situation. I think what ends up happening is that creative gets a tap. Why didn't you have so-and-so in the video? Why didn't you have so-and-so in the video? So whoever released it was like, uh-uh, uh-uh.
00:28:29 --> 00:28:59 Maybe try to cover their own, but it's not me. Because think about how many single times people, what other article came out? Was it the cut where Megan wasn't there? And people like, she's allergic to grass. Like, it just starts rumors. Like, she just, like, what is this conversation? Like, but there was an interview that they had where Megan wasn't present. And it turned into a thing. I think at this point, other people that are involved are tired of getting yelled at. Like, why didn't you do this with the Monster High thing? They were like, we didn't get, we didn't get stuff sent to us. We didn't edit her out. It wasn't sent to us.
00:28:59 --> 00:29:19 Mm-hmm. So, you know, weird stuff has been happening. So whoever was like, I'm covering my tracks. I'm not laughing at the situation. I'm laughing at them being like, here's everything. I mean, I do remember some people were floating around like, is this all a PR stunt? And she's going to show up in the Pinky Up music video at Coachella. Like, she's actually a part of it this whole time. And it was all just that-
00:29:19 --> 00:29:35 They were trying to play off this whole, because, you know, they have Gnarly and stuff that is a commentary on pop culture and viral moments and all of this. They were like, is this like a long, crazy, like PR stunt? A work. A work. But unfortunately, that's not what happened to her.
00:29:35 --> 00:29:56 No. Although people would have been so... I feel like people would have also been really mad if that happened too, right? Yes. Yes. Because, you know, what? Yeah. You sat here and did all this for what? But yes, as the story progresses, it gets a little bit stickier because on April 2nd, Cat's Eye dropped the actual first pinky up teaser.
00:29:56 --> 00:30:19 Five members. No Manon. That same day, fans noticed Manon had quietly removed Cat's Eye from her Instagram bio, which now simply reads, Mademoiselle Manzanita. And a compelling fan theory has emerged. She found out that she was cut from the teasers at the same time as the public, and the bio removal was her immediate reaction. Mm-hmm.
00:30:19 --> 00:30:49 Yes, and Cat's Eye's official accounts, of course, never tagged her in any of these posts. And even once the Nylon cover story appeared, they didn't tag her in that either, which is interesting. But yeah, so Manon did post again on Weverse, and this time she said, Hybe and Geffen and I are having positive conversations, and I feel supported. I'm happy and I'm healthy. I'll share more soon. No mention of the other members, no timeline, just a very meh statement.
00:30:49 --> 00:31:13 You know, she's not dumb. She is. She's doing what I wish Danielle could have done with the whole new jeans thing with Hani in them. I wish they could have been a little bit more like just strategic. I'm not saying she planned all of this, but I like that she's not doing the full on that I'm going to sue. I'm going to she's.
00:31:13 --> 00:31:39 waiting watching then reacting as opposed to trying to be on the offensive all the time so i do respect her being like on the defense because now they're asking her please release something say something because fans are so quick and i will icons and even if you're not an icon icons are so quick to pick up on something and leave comments like it's really impressive you
00:31:40 --> 00:32:06 I do appreciate the attempt to pacify, but like this is, it's not a work. I don't think it's a work anymore. So a day later, after the pinky up teaser is dropped on April 3rd, the Korea Herald reported that Hybe had confirmed that Manon would perform at Coachella and the France celebrated. The next day, the publication revised his report stating that Hybe had declined to comment.
00:32:06 --> 00:32:17 and no correction note was issued. And this whiplash understandably made fans more annoyed. Okay, so then a dou-moi report came out.
00:32:18 --> 00:32:46 So we do have to say, Dumois is unverified celebrity gossip. Nothing in this report has been confirmed. This is all alleged. Okay. Right. Okay. So this report claims that Manon does not plan to return. She is communicating with the label through a mediator. She is no longer on speaking terms with most of the members, except for Sophia as the only reported exception. And it also suggests that she is exploring early contract termination.
00:32:46 --> 00:33:13 According to these claims, the label views her hiatus as legally protected and potentially extendable for up to three years. That's right. And the report further alleges that Manon recorded Pinky Up and participated in promo shoots, but after seeing the public support, decided not to return. And it also claims that the label could cite missed obligations, including rehearsals, meetings and brand commitments as grounds for potential legal action.
00:33:13 --> 00:33:37 Yes, so now we get to the next theory that she was removed for breach of obligations. Oh, no. Multiple people claiming insider knowledge have said that Manon has had an ongoing pattern of skipping scheduled obligations, and not just rehearsals, but contracted appearances, brand commitments, and label meetings.
00:33:37 --> 00:34:07 And the claim is that Hive and Geffen were actually required to pay significant financial penalties to third parties on multiple occasions as a result, and that the hiatus was the label removing her as a contractual consequence. So if this is true and the group has not been speaking with her, clearly this situation is not in a good place. So the du moi situation, again, all alleged. Yes, yes. All alleged.
00:34:08 --> 00:34:16 Alright, so we're going to move right along because it does get a little bit messier. That nylon photo shoot magazine thing I was talking about, people getting all excited.
00:34:16 --> 00:34:43 I wish they hadn't because the cover story went viral and the details were a little, you know, not fishy. But when the Nylon cover story was published, fans connected the dots that the shoot was done as part of the Pinky Up promotional cycle. Manal was fully present in it. And yet here she is absent from every piece of official Pinky Up content. The conclusion was drawn very easily and widely. She was cut.
00:34:43 --> 00:35:13 actively from the campaign after being a full participant and resources were spent editing or reshooting a six-member production just to remove her yes so here we are at another theory that she was actually cut from pinky up and then she was done right so this theory actually has a decent amount of evidence here because as we can see she did appear in early materials like the storyboard like the dance practice that leaked like this nylon shoot where they're clearly styled in pinky up era
00:35:13 --> 00:35:40 Yeah. And she did reportedly record the track, right? So, as you mentioned, the teasers dropped and she wasn't there. So, yeah, I guess... It's a mess. It's a mess. Like, clearly, they planned to have her there for Pinky Up, right? Yes. So, it would be kind of crazy if the plan was...
00:35:40 --> 00:36:05 look, you have to take a break for a minute, but you can come back for Pinky Up and Coachella. And then, according to this theory, she saw all the public support and fan support around her, and she was like, well, you know what? I don't want to come back. Oh. And it forced the group and label to have to redo everything as five. Yeah.
00:36:05 --> 00:36:26 You know It's possible Right We're not saying we agree with this Just wanna Cause I feel like someone's gonna Not listen I'm just saying this is an option Right I mean it's also possible That the labels Change their minds as well Like she was supposed to come out For Pinky Up But then like the conversations Between them weren't Actually going well And they were like Look we're gonna keep it going As five for now You're still on hiatus Right
00:36:27 --> 00:36:51 Yeah, maybe. Maybe. You know, it's tough. Nothing's verified. It's very messy. I agree. I don't think she was like, oh, deuces, this ain't working. I think, I personally think, I'd be really tacky. I don't think so. I'm really thinking that maybe, just maybe, it was like, let me take a little bit of a breaky break. And it turned into a, stay on that break. Yeah.
00:36:51 --> 00:37:19 You know? And there was, maybe she had the hiatus and they were like, oh, you know, we're going to film Pinky Up. We'll postpone it. But they don't want to postpone it because they have Coachella. So it's like, well, you're on this hiatus, babe. We've already, we're already shooting. Yeah. She's like, okay, well, I'm in it, right? Teaser comes. You're not. Maybe when she dropped that teaser, when they, when they dropped that teaser and she saw that she really wasn't a part of something that she probably just needed a quick second away from.
00:37:19 --> 00:37:37 Yeah, I feel like, again, she's reacting. It was like, well, I'm not in the group. Y'all didn't tag me, so why am I going to put Kat's eye in my bio? You know? Like, I'm not saying that's what she did, but if that were me, I'm like, well, don't stand part of this group if you won't even act like I exist. Yeah. You know? It's whack. I will say, Nylon...
00:37:38 --> 00:38:04 I mean, they got lucky with this. Did they get the last OT6 photo shoot ever? You know? And obviously, I'm sure that the release date was a planned release date, right? It's like, oh, this will release the week of Coachella. So like, yeah, and here they are at this very awkward time. So I'm sure they were happy with that. Manon did, I believe, repost some footage from behind the scenes of the photo shoot after the release, which was interesting. So she did kind of acknowledge that.
00:38:04 --> 00:38:23 Yeah, she pulls out pretty she looked. I don't blame her. Exactly. She looked great. Look, here's what I'll say just from a business perspective. It is a ton of work to have to remove a member from everything. Obviously, we don't know how far it got, right? We don't know for sure that Manon actually did film the Pinky Up music video, right?
00:38:23 --> 00:38:41 But let's say that that happened, right? Or at the very least, we know the choreography had to be redone as five, right? Potentially the song had to be re-recorded and mixed and mastered. Maybe they already did all the other photo shoots too. They had to redo the photo shoots or like airbrush her out. Like, I don't know. Look, from a business perspective,
00:38:41 --> 00:39:09 No one would ever want to take this on unless they absolutely had to, right? And again, also from this perspective, they're not stupid. They know that Manon is very popular. They know that Manon missing from all this is going to cause a ton of drama and probably overshadow, which it has, right? It's overshadowed the Coachella performance. It's overshadowed the Pinky Up release. So to me, this does feel like
00:39:09 --> 00:39:38 either last resort kind of thing, or she really was actually supposed to be there, and I don't know. Like, to me, it just, that doesn't make more sense. Oh, what a mess, what a mess, what a mess. Yeah. Well, April 9th came around, and Pinky Up dropped, and Manon was not in it. Now, we did not say anything, but we have been in the school of thought, like, she was probably not gonna come back for this comeback, but a lot of fans were holding out this hope,
00:39:38 --> 00:40:03 um hey it is what it is but high confirmed to the career herald with four words manon remains on hiatus she would not be at coachella also on april 9th katsai appeared on the zane lowe show on apple music for the first time in 48 days after complete public silence from every member aside from sofia at argentina lalapalooza they said manon's name out loud
00:40:04 --> 00:40:30 Manon has been on hiatus and we love her so much and we know that she's doing well. She got to talk to the fans about it and we're just really excited and we're really just rooting for all of us, like all each other. We've gone through so much with each other. At the end of the day, we just all want each other to win and to be good and to feel good.
00:40:30 --> 00:40:53 Okay, let's take a moment here because we are a music podcast. Right. Let's talk about Pinky Up. It is a rave and EDM-influenced hyper-pop track done by Justin Tranter, Hitman Bang, France, Skylar, Stone Street, Serana, Magzi, and Dwilly. So what do you think of Pinky Up?
00:40:54 --> 00:41:15 Okay, so for pinky up, like, I enjoy a good little rave techno moment. So let's see how the elements there, I'd say. And I think we need to get over the fact that these girls are like the pop EDM group. Like, we've said this multiple times on the show. Do we want more for them? Yeah, sure. But we're probably not going to get that because this is their brand.
00:41:15 --> 00:41:38 This is their concept. And it's like either get on board or get off the bat. You know what I'm saying? So I feel like it is what it is. So I think for what it is in terms of like a techno vibe, like a rave influence kind of thing, it's not bad. Yeah. I like that the verses are a lot more melodic than usual. That's my note as well. Oh my goodness. Yeah. And I can hear them actually trying to sing. I'm like, thank goodness. Yeah.
00:41:38 --> 00:41:55 I appreciate that they are able to actually vocalize a little bit more here. Like Laura's using her falsetto. And like Sophia's kind of, even Megan's projecting. Like everyone is singing. Yes. To a certain extent. I think where the song kind of falls flat is in the chorus.
00:41:56 --> 00:42:17 It's, it's okay. It's barely a chorus. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Oh, pinky up, up, up. It's just, it's a little bit, I would say, lazy. Not saying you have to have words, but if you are trying to blend that concept of bringing, you know, the rave to the stage, then you need to be a little bit more, in my opinion, a little bit more thoughtful in doing that. They're a singing group. They were...
00:42:17 --> 00:42:34 essentially forced to sing and dance and prove themselves to get songs where they're not even singing it's a little funky so you can combine the concept of the rave the techno that woo and have them sing like slater for example slater is a good example of great example i love her
00:42:34 --> 00:43:03 Love her down. Love her music. Even if you're listening to something that's a little bit less of a vocalist, think of Chase Icon. She's a doll that makes pop music. Even Kesha's older stuff, she understands the concept of a club. That's a really pop version. I'm not going to sit down compared to EDM DJs because they're not a DJ group. They're a singing group. So that's my only kind of thing. At the end, I do appreciate the energy of it. It does not jump to a lot of people, which sounded like another song from like...
00:43:03 --> 00:43:32 Yeah, it sounds like Jump, and then it sounded like another song from 1997. I forgot the name of it, but... The Venga Boys song? I'm crying! I got the Venga Boys! It literally sounds like the Venga Boys. That is hilarious, which is hilarious, like I said. But a lot of people do hear the whole, you know, Dubai chocolate matcha, la boo boo concept in this song, and I could understand why. Wow.
00:43:33 --> 00:43:51 You know, like, I like the genre. I just don't think this was executed the best way, especially, like, with who I listen to. Like, even, like, just listen to Sophie's old stuff. If you want to hear, like, crazy, like, commentary on consumerism, kind of crunchy hyperpop, you know? Sophie, let's quit that.
00:43:51 --> 00:44:16 Look, this makes sense to me as the single for Coachella, right? It kind of fits the whole vibe. And even the visuals, like, they fit kind of what Coachella kind of looks like. Like, stereotypically kind of looks like, I would say, which is interesting. Yeah. Yeah, I kind of have the same notes as you. Like, there are some decent melodies here in the verse and the pre-chorus. I personally just don't love the super bratty.
00:44:16 --> 00:44:42 thing like they don't seem like super approachable girls to me they do give me mean girls a little bit i personally just don't um connect to that as much um and yeah and yeah i think the way the production is it actually is a pretty good production for this kind of rave hyper pop situation yeah right yes yeah i'm the same don't love the chorus the dance break moment at the end
00:44:42 --> 00:45:06 look they kill it yes kill it oh my god yeah i've said this before for some of their other songs too do i actually want to listen to this song though no that's valid that's not and i think it's understandable yeah and i will say i i did see a funny um trending uh situation um with the song people were trending pinky down oh
00:45:06 --> 00:45:18 Not you laughing, because it's true. I'm sorry, I agree. With all the drama, I think you and I have said this before, like on our previous episode about internet girl, like,
00:45:18 --> 00:45:39 It's at this point where it's like, you're going to stress me out, cause all these injuries to my body. For us to release songs like this only once every six months. Take a break. Come back with a full body of work that we can all stand behind to justify why you're pushing us so hard. But going back to that music video and things like that, I...
00:45:39 --> 00:46:06 I'm not really fond of how the girls were postured and such. Like Yoon Jae on the horse and she's living really slow on it and things like that. I just don't care for certain imagery like Megan in these little itchy-looking panties. No, you can say, well, they're young and they have a good time. Whatever. Personally, for me, I feel like once you hit... If you're still college age, you don't need to be dressing that scantily clout where I can see your booty cheeks.
00:46:07 --> 00:46:30 like yeah i have no problem girls put some clothes on oh my god i'm kidding no because this generation is not gonna know that generation that sounds crazy in that generation this like the k-pop the k-pop fandom is not gonna know nasty girl by desi's time sorry yeah please look up that reference that was not me making up those lyrics i'm sorry no yeah i don't know like literally the song has not aged well because beyonce has worn crazier clothes now it's amazing
00:46:30 --> 00:46:53 I agree with you. They are very, very young. And it did feel very sexual at times. Yeah. And my thing that kills me is like they put the ad of the true fruit in there right before the booty popping moment because they know that would be the most played moment in this video. You cannot tell me that things are not planned out. I edit my own music video.
00:46:53 --> 00:47:09 I've edited other people's stuff. We've all seen things. It's done on purpose. It doesn't have to be like, oh, you know, Illuminati. But it can also be like, ew, that's kind of gross. Why are we trying to sell something? Why are we having these girls, you know, writhe and, you know...
00:47:09 --> 00:47:25 you know so yeah but again they can dance their booties off i'm never going to take that away from them but we're not talking about you know that we're talking about the whole overarching theme of what they're being presented as and i don't know if it's like the best thing
00:47:26 --> 00:47:50 Yeah, I actually did see some theories around it. Like, I believe the director, I forget his name, but he also did like Justin Bieber's Yummy. You know, some of these other videos that have had some questionable imagery. Yeah, he does it on purpose. Yeah. Like, we're not understanding the gag. I get it. But here's the thing. Even if as an adult we get it, children that watch this video are not going to get it.
00:47:51 --> 00:48:13 Yeah, yeah, yeah. This is a commentary. What kid is going to sit there and think, oh my gosh, Jun Chao on a horse. Like, oh my gosh, he's talking about how like, you know, how life is just so grand and vast. We don't know anything like Socrates. And no one's going to think that. They're going to look at this and see girls shaking their butts. They're going to see true fruit and say, oh my God, that's what Daniela was eating in the back of the trunk. Like, they're not going to think...
00:48:14 --> 00:48:30 There's a grander story here. So as an adult, as a teenager, if you get it, cool. As an adult, if you get it, cool. But the people that are consuming this music, like en masse, I don't think. I agree. You know? Yeah. All right. So what do you rate this song?
00:48:30 --> 00:48:58 Um, it's okay for what it is. I give it a seven. Like, I don't like it as much as Internet Girl or as Gnarly. I like Gnarly. Yeah. But this one, I'm kind of just like, it might need to be the last one, girl. That's what I said about Internet Girl. And it wasn't. Yeah. So it is what it is because, you know, seven. It's okay. I'll give it a six. Like, I still stand behind their talent. Like, when I look at Lara and Sophia and you learn about their musical influences, I
00:48:59 --> 00:49:10 Is this really the music they want to be making? Yeah. I'm guessing no. Yeah. I'm guessing no. Mm-hmm. You know? I agree. No, I agree completely. All right. Well, let's move on to Coachella. Yeah.
00:49:11 --> 00:49:34 Because, of course, we did watch their set. They did perform at the Sahara stage as a five-piece. And the production concept was Cat's Eye City with a little kind of cityscape built on stage. And the surprise of the night wasn't Manon. It was the appearance of the Huntrix trio, EJ, Audrey Nuna, and Ray Ami from K-pop Demon Hunters, joining them on stage for a rendition of Golden. Yeah.
00:49:34 --> 00:49:50 And unfortunately, Manon was not mentioned by name at any point during the set. And I'm pretty sure she wasn't seen in any of the visuals. Yeah, no. And fans were on the lookout, though. She may not have been on stage or on the screen, but she was at the merch table.
00:49:51 --> 00:50:20 She was. They had a photo card, right? They had a photo card. Still selling her face. Don't even get me started on that. It's so ratchet. And it pissed me off a little bit, but not only that, she was in the crowd with other celebrities enjoying the show. She was spotted and photographed at Sabrina Carpenter's headlining set, and she was seen with Chapel Rowan and reportedly also Ice Spice. And then she posted an Instagram story during the night, a smiling selfie caption, six million views, sending warm hugs and kisses to all of you. Thank you.
00:50:20 --> 00:50:40 Because she was celebrating reaching 6 million Instagram followers. Damn. Good for her. Good for her. Good for her. Yeah. So what did you think of the Coachella set? Okay, so I watched it. I really enjoy their little silly clown-ish inspired costumes. Sure. I think...
00:50:41 --> 00:51:06 I will never take away from them that they can perform. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever take away from them. My biggest thing is kind of maybe just the costuming. Again, it's just booty cheeks. Yeah. Again, I just, it's hard. Because as adults, we're like, oh, it's okay. It's okay. It's okay. But like also, you and Jay still has your booty cheeks covered. And the other girls do not.
00:51:07 --> 00:51:28 They may feel it's okay now, whatever. But I'm just like, whatever. I don't think it's ever going to change. But what happens for me as like, okay, it's kind of pushing the sexy thing is when they do MIA and Lara and Megan are choreographing a licking of the neck. Listen, whatever you guys decide to do,
00:51:29 --> 00:51:57 behind closed doors ain't my business but to sit there and do that on stage when people are a little upset because they were just like um you know they have boyfriends that hunt they these both these women have been said have said like oh listen i'm you know i measure well they've said it whatever not my business but the point is you don't have to lick each other on hotel stage like every time you do mia you don't have to go further and further away you know what i'm saying because again it perpetuates this we're really hot and we're going to keep doing it and it just
00:51:57 --> 00:52:18 again, when I was like 21, 19, I thought I was hot stuff. I still think I'm really hot. Don't get me wrong. But here's the thing is, it's like you don't have to act like that when you are 21. You can act like that when you're 30 as well. Or even as 40, when you're a grown person who has lived life, blah, blah, blah. But licking each other on stage, I don't know.
00:52:19 --> 00:52:42 It did feel like it took it to just a step too far, I would say. Like I'm saying, you could be sexy. Go ahead, girl. She a little. I love when the girls are curling. Like Addison Rae's set. I love her concept. It's the whole like pop star that doesn't really know anything, but it's very cognizant of how her body's being used. I love that concept. There is a way to do it. But you know, she didn't do it with one of her dancers. I don't know, like pretend to jerk him off. Like it doesn't.
00:52:42 --> 00:53:03 You don't have to go so far to say that I'm hot. That's my problem. And also, at this point, the performances are getting a little, like, same-samey. Which goes back to my whole pick time. Yeah, that's actually my main note, actually, is that it felt a bit stale, right? Because it kept...
00:53:04 --> 00:53:24 saying in interviews, and of course, this is just a PR thing. They were like, we've been preparing so much for this set. They went on Zane Loan. We're like, we were inspired by Beyonce, like all this stuff. And I was like, dang, what are they going to pull out at the show? And it ended up mostly just being the same stuff they've been doing for the last year. The same dance breaks, the same arrangements.
00:53:24 --> 00:53:42 Yes, they had some new vocal melody changes in my way, which I appreciated because as I said, they can sing and most of these songs do not really let them do that. So I'm glad they got to do some runs and stuff in there. Yeah, and golden was fine. But something about it didn't actually make it feel like a real moment.
00:53:42 --> 00:54:09 No, it just felt like barbershop quartet. Because also, Golden has been performed to death. There are so many other great songs on that album that those girls could be singing. But yeah, everything just felt very like... I'm jaded by it now, I think. Yeah. And I think going back to your whole kind of like trying to show you're hot kind of situation, I feel like...
00:54:09 --> 00:54:38 that's kind of the whole aesthetic the entire time. Like, it did feel at times that they were kind of, not necessarily fighting for attention with each other, but it was kind of like every time they had a line, they were all doing the absolute 150% too much. You know what I'm saying? Like, it was like the hair was going and like, there's like the eyes, like it was just like a little try hard. Like, it didn't feel like they were kind of just being natural performers, which they are.
00:54:38 --> 00:55:08 It could be the excitement of being on Coachella, so I will say that in her defense. Fair. I get what you mean, because, like, Laura was hitting notes that she doesn't usually do. Yeah. And then, like, at one point she did go a little bit flat. That could be because of the wind and the dust, but I was just like, babe, we know you can sing your booty off. I mean, everyone, even Sabrina Carpenter, she was belting her face off with her headlining set, right? I think everyone's, like, kind of pushing it, but because they're so high-octane all of the time, hair flip, hair flip, you know, it's getting sass, it's giving, you know, it's giving them a pussycat.
00:55:08 --> 00:55:30 yeah it's giving cutting edge if you catch my see you next tuesday every five seconds it gets a little bit exhausting yes you know exactly love them down like we've seen them a couple times yeah you know we we would we enjoy them whatever like we root for these girls yes but they do need to take time yeah especially after it's monoday sit down
00:55:30 --> 00:55:55 yeah not their fault not their fault though i creative right management oh y'all exactly exactly yeah overall though i think they did a good job right um but there just wasn't anything about it that was like i want to see this again you know yeah like for example tame ends i i really want to watch it again yeah me too it was really good you know really good yeah and then just to bring it back to manan for a second yeah
00:55:56 --> 00:56:25 Again, she is so important to them visually. Yeah. It really is a noticeable gap. It is. I was watching with a Katai fan that she liked Pinky Gap. She was singing it every... She knows the full second verse. She loves it. Wow. And she was like, I don't know if I want to watch this. My nose is not here. And I'm like, oh. But I can understand the sentiment for sure. It's hard not to have her there. Yeah. And I think subconsciously, if you are someone who does not like what's happening...
00:56:26 --> 00:56:55 It is going to be hard to reconnect with this group, period. You know? Yeah. Yeah, it does leave a bad taste in the mouth for sure. Yeah. One more thing to note before we wrap this up. Hours before Cat's Eye actually took to the stage for Weekend 1 of Coachella, the livestream accidentally broadcast a video announcement from the group that was clearly intended to air before Weekend 2 instead. And in the video, the five members announced a new upcoming project called Wilde.
00:56:56 --> 00:57:15 So let's talk about what's next What's gonna happen next Will Anon come back No What's next for Katzai What's next for Manon then Okay I'm sorry So Manon I'm not saying because I'm laughing Because I don't want her to come back I think at this point They have disrespected her
00:57:15 --> 00:57:45 Yeah, it's gone too far. Yeah. The whole editing her out. I'm not saying you have to wait for this girl because you guys haven't had her in the video for Gabriela, right? Whatever. Fine. Whatever. It's happened before. But I think this whole like not tagging her thing and make it at least so that she can at least feel like she's part of this group. You know what I'm saying? I'm not saying you have to postpone anything. Or maybe you do postpone it. Who knows? I don't, we don't know what the issue was, but I don't think she's coming back. Before they even dropped this teaser, I was like, I don't think she's coming back.
00:57:45 --> 00:58:03 Yeah. Because something just... It just doesn't feel right. Like... Yeah. You know, before I was like, oh, she's just a little sick. Hiatuses, people, if you are new to K-pop, or mostly K-pop, or any Asian pop, when they say hiatus, they're out. When they put your favorite group on hiatus for longer than six months...
00:58:04 --> 00:58:24 Unless it's army for a man, they're done. And it's a way to keep fans kind of like latched on. Like, it doesn't look good to get rid of Manon. Whatever happened, maybe it was going to work out completely fine. But whatever happened, whoever said what, when she unfollowed Missy, whatever. So now, if she wants, she could.
00:58:25 --> 00:58:46 do what Olandria Van Carthen is doing from Love Island and go on her full, like hit the red carpet, be at events, have that turn into an acting career. Like she'll be fine. She's beautiful. She's beautiful, right? I'm personally like, okay, I need you to allow on your beauty. I think I've always said this with her. I was like, okay, you're pretty, but what else? But at this point, girl, we ain't got to do nothing else.
00:58:46 --> 00:59:16 you ain't gotta do nothing else yeah seriously and get opportunities it just sucks because if she is like locked into this this contract she can't make music she can't do that you know so she's gonna have to shift into something else to support herself modeling but again it's funky like how do you navigate this without essentially getting shelled as a human being but too many eyes are on them to like really screw her over
00:59:17 --> 00:59:33 But just enough to make sure she doesn't put music out. So no music, but definitely something more like red carpets and fashion and movies, TV show, whatever. Netflix, whatever. HBO shows. Yeah, I'm assuming that
00:59:33 --> 00:59:59 Or I'm actually curious to see kind of what their contract actually is, right? Because, look, it's so weird, right? We've talked about this kind of like K-pop dynamic versus the Western dynamic, because it is two labels coming together. So I'm kind of curious what aspects were taken from what, right? Yeah. Because maybe there's a clause in there about solo music or, you know, about solo things, right? Because wasn't there also a whole thing? We didn't even really put in the timeline, but...
00:59:59 --> 01:00:29 There were rumors, you know, because she had participated in like a Friends short film or whatever. And people were saying that Hybe and Geffen didn't actually want her to do that. And she did it without asking for permission. It was like a whole thing. Um... Again, that could just be fans just kind of looking for everything they possibly can though, but we don't know. But yeah, I mean speaking of the hiatus thing, I feel like if it were a real hiatus, and they were, even if they were still at the point where it was like, okay, you still need to continue this for a while, you're not gonna be in this next promotion.
01:00:29 --> 01:00:50 I mean like sometimes they're at least still on the song you know we've had instances where like the version that's released on like Spotify etc is the full member version but they're not in the music video right or something like that so the fact that she was just completely cut out makes me feel like this is this is it and it would be really awkward at this point for her to come back
01:00:51 --> 01:01:01 Yes. Like, fans will just analyze their interactions for the rest of time. Yeah. At that point. You know what I mean?
01:01:01 --> 01:01:25 I think it would overshadow everything all the time. Obviously, this is overshadowing the group already. But if they just make a clean break. Yes. Look, we've all gone through this before. You've already mentioned Zane. You've already mentioned Jesse. Like, Jerry from the Spice Girls. Like, so many of these pop groups through time. And we have a whole episode about it. Have had members leave. Yeah.
01:01:25 --> 01:01:47 Right. Yeah. So fans can get through this. But the longer they let this drag on, it's just going to make it worse. I'm hoping maybe they were just waiting for Coachella to be over, you know, to kind of return the ticket. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, there's even rumors, right, that they Hyben Geffen do owe Coachella because obviously Manon was part of the contract. Right. So.
01:01:47 --> 01:02:14 I don't know. I'm just looking forward. I would be curious if Manon does release solo music, what she would go for. She's not the most vocally talented, but I don't know enough about her and her musical influences to kind of understand kind of what she'd go for. So I think there is potential, and there's going to be so much attention on her that honestly, the first thing she puts out would probably do well regardless. Yeah.
01:02:14 --> 01:02:22 But just looking at Cat's Eye, I'm going to be honest, I'm not really looking forward to the next project because I'm kind of over this whole brain rot situation.
01:02:23 --> 01:02:45 Yeah, because when you brain rot people to death, there'll be no brain left to rot. And then people are not going to listen to you. And then you have Prelude coming, which I don't care for how they're rolling things out with this new member, whatever. But their music is leaning more toward R&B. They have Paris Alexa, who wrote Supernova for SM, for Aespa, working on their stuff.
01:02:45 --> 01:03:13 Like, their music's gonna feel a lot more homey, warm. Like, if you don't like their optics, you're gonna like the sonics, and that's all they need to actually work. And now that they have Hybe as well, they're gonna be freaking fine. You know what I'm saying? With Cat's Eye, because you have those music, like you said, it's gonna be very hard to, like, wash the stink off a little bit. This is why I feel like they really need to take a break. After a while, sit down. Come out with a full body of work.
01:03:13 --> 01:03:40 Let Lara produce. Let Megan produce. Let Sophia songwrite. Because Sophia can sing. I'm pretty sure she can figure out what she can do with her own voice. Either way, let them be more involved. And maybe they are more involved here. But I think the whole, like, we're so hot, techno girls, needs to end after 2026. Ride the wave out completely fine. But you cannot sit here and keep doing it. Because the next step is, you can change turns 20 years old. And it's like, we have no clothes on except maybe some, you know, some floss and some slices of cheese. Right.
01:03:40 --> 01:03:57 I will say I do like their outfit. I just wish they covered their booties a little bit more because, unfortunately, there are people in this world who look like girls who are super young, super just like, oh, my gosh. Not saying they have to worry about that, but it's just...
01:03:57 --> 01:04:12 their influence is just too broad right now. They need to chill with all the freaking collaboration with all the brand deals. Like literally, if you look in their comment sections, as soon as Pinky Up came up, Victoria's Secret pink line was like, oh my gosh, we were called?
01:04:12 --> 01:04:41 Everyone is on these girls And you are That's why I'm saying The whole way they dress Has to be re-evaluated as well Because you are influencing people Which is why you have Ad placements every five seconds Which is why people are reaching out to you Every five seconds But then your music Isn't reflecting The care that you have The taste that you have So even Daniela likes rap music They haven't done anything R&B-ish pop yet Like Daniela wouldn't I don't think Daniela would listen To her own
01:04:42 --> 01:05:09 stuff if she wasn't in this group and that's really important for them so we'll see what happens i still like them a lot but i think the unknown thing is a little bit funky and again i'm starting to feel like i'm being like you know amazon started with amazon that became prime and then it came video and now it's like it has medical things and now it's just it just feels like that you know it's too much like everything around is is more important than the music
01:05:10 --> 01:05:39 Yeah. Yeah. They are a capitalistic vehicle and I'm not getting into it, but unfortunately it's causing their artistry to suffer, which could cause more issues down the line where if you get a member who's like, I am so sick of this crap, you lose another girl because my non's out. And if she's not. Like you said. Yeah. So you might lose another member if you keep doing things. I'm pretty sure these girls don't want to lose their dream, but year five of this. Yeah.
01:05:40 --> 01:06:06 You know? Yeah. Well, stay tuned because when Wild comes out, we will be here talking through all the songs unfiltered. So get ready for our honest opinions. Yeah. But in the meantime, Icons, let us know what you all think of this drama going on with Manon. What do you think of Pinky Up and the Coachella performance? And tell us what else you'd like to hear us discuss in the meantime while we wait for Wild to come out.
01:06:06 --> 01:06:32 Huge shout out to our CCTV crew on Patreon. We have Hillary, Lily, Emily, Darius, Phoenix, Ren, George, Julianne, Jonathan, Janelle, Luke, Ivana, Wyatt, Ryan, and Celeste. Thank you all so much. And for everyone else, you can follow us at CCTV Pops on all social media. And if you're watching on YouTube, don't forget to like, subscribe, and turn on notifications. And if you're listening on a podcast app, a follow, rating, and a share really helps us out. Because we're going up the charts.
01:06:33 --> 01:06:45 We are. We're almost at 10K. Until next time, that's Chantel. That's Chris. And we are CCTV, the nonstop pop show. Thank you. Oh. Oh.