BY: DM
Published 4 hours ago
Manon Bannerman — the Swiss-Ghanaian model-turned-pop star who’s been serving brows, moves, and viral moments with KATSEYE — keeps her personal life guarded. However, fans want the tea on her love life.
HYBE and Geffen assembled KATSEYE through the joint project “Debut: Dream Academy.” In November 2021, HYBE, home of BTS, and Interscope/Geffen launched a worldwide audition for a new girl group. More than 120,000 applicants entered the contest. From that pool, 20 finalists trained for a year in Los Angeles. In Nov. 2023, a live finale in Los Angeles revealed the six winners: Sophia Laforteza, Lara Raj, Yoonchae Jeung, Megan Skiendiel, Daniela Avanzini, and Bannerman.
KATSEYE debuted in mid-2024 and quickly built a global fan base. The group released its first single, “Debut,” in June 2024 and followed with the EP “SIS (Soft Is Strong)” in August. Both established KATSEYE’s sound, a mix of dance-pop and R&B. By 2025, KATSEYE had already performed on major U.S. stages, including iHeartRadio’s Wango Tango and Chicago’s Lollapalooza, while continuing to release new music.
With their global rise came heightened interest in the members’ personal lives. Fans want to know if Bannerman identifies as part of the LGBTQIA+ community and whether she is dating someone. Here’s what we know.
Manon has never confirmed an LGBTQIA+ identity.
Bannerman keeps her personal life private. Unlike her bandmates, she has never publicly labeled her sexuality. In interviews she praises the group’s diversity but avoids discussing her own orientation. At Lollapalooza she told the Windy City Times, “One thing about our group is how diverse we are. Not only in our looks and the way we dress, but our sexuality.” Her comment referred to KATSEYE’s mix of identities, not a coming-out of her own.
Bannerman has never said she is gay, bisexual, or otherwise. She remains focused on music and usually laughs off questions about romance. In a Teen Vogue interview, she joked about writing a love letter to someone, only to admit it “failed” because “I was not ready for that person.”
Other than playful fan rumors, Bannerman’s dating life is not on record. She simply hasn’t announced any partner or queer identity publicly—the focus has stayed on her work and style, not her bedroom.
KATSEYE has become the face of Gap.
In addition to building a fan base and impressive music career, KATSEYE is making waves in a new Gap commercial – following the controversy surrounding American Eagle’s ad. The spot, set to Kelis’s “Milkshake,” shows the six girls dancing in low-rise Y2K denim and branded looks while a caption reads, “This is denim as you define it. Your individuality. Your self-expression. Your style. Powerful on your own. Even better together.”
The campaign exploded online, drawing millions of views within hours. Gap reported roughly 400 million views and billions of impressions across platforms in just days, according to the Associated Press. The ad dropped hot on the heels of a public backlash to American Eagle’s Sweeney campaign, which critics argued trafficked in tone-deaf beauty messaging.
Do you think Manon Bannerman should keep her love life private, or do fans deserve to know more?
