Katseye's Sophia Laforteza Will Rejoin the Group in January 2027

By Daniel Okafor

Sophia Laforteza will return to Katseye in the first week of January 2027. The group's labels, Hybe and Geffen, confirmed the date Thursday. She will miss the rest of this year's touring and promotion.

The announcement settles the question fans have asked since August. Laforteza will not appear on the North American leg of the Wildworld Tour, which runs Oct. 13 through Nov. 28. Neither will Manon Bannerman, who announced her own mental health break six months before Laforteza did. Two of six members, in short, will sit out the run.

The labels framed it as support, not discipline. "Sophia has been prioritizing her health and well-being with our full support and resources," Hybe and Geffen said in a statement. "While Sophia will not be participating in THE WILDWORLD TOUR in North America, or promotional activities for the remainder of this year, we look forward to welcoming her back as Katseye continues this next chapter together in 2027."

What did Laforteza herself say?

Laforteza has been direct about the cost of the decision. "Making this decision wasn't easy, but I'm learning that health has to come first," she said in August, when she announced her hiatus.

In October, two months after that statement, she addressed the "Eyekons" — the group's fan base — on social media, thanking them for their "patience, grace and understanding." The message ran longer than most label statements, and it read like someone doing the work rather than performing recovery.

"Your kindness during this time has given me more strength than you know. It hasn't been easy, but I have been putting in the work by receiving the care I need, learning the tools to better support myself, and doing everything I can to nurture my well-being," Laforteza wrote on Instagram.

She was blunt about missing the tour. "It pains me deeply that I won't be able to participate in the remainder of the tour this year," she wrote. "I'm going to use this time to continue training and get myself to where I need to be again. As much as I wish I could simply push through, I've come to understand that sometimes having the courage to take a step back is what allows you to move forward."

She closed with a promise. "My hope is to return feeling happier, healthier, stronger, more grounded, and ready to give you everything I've been wanting to give you. I'm holding onto that so tightly. I can't wait to share the stage with my sisters again and look out to all of you!"

What does the return mean for the tour?

Not much, this year. Katseye plays the North American dates as a four-piece, and the labels have drawn a clean line between 2026 obligations and the January restart. Laforteza said she will spend the interim training.

The pattern is worth noting, though. Two members of the same group taking mental health breaks within six months of each other suggests something structural, not personal, and the labels' ready-made language — "full support and resources" — reads like a template built for repetition. The real test comes in January, when a group that spent a year at reduced strength tries to prove the pause was worth it.