Sophia Laforteza misses Katseye’s UK and European tour dates
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
Katseye's label has confirmed that member Sophia Laforteza did not take part in the European and UK leg of the group's "Wildworld" tour, which ran from 1 to 17 September, as she continued to prioritise her wellbeing following a hiatus first announced in early August. The label said it remained "fully committed" to supporting her with "all the support and resources needed" and asked fans for "warm understanding", while Laforteza herself later posted on Instagram apologising to fans and revealing she had been in "ongoing treatment", adding that "you can't pour from an empty cup."
The tour went ahead as planned, opening at Dublin's 3Arena and continuing to Paris, Amsterdam and Copenhagen without her, before Katseye was due to move on to a North American leg beginning 13 October at Miami's Kaseya Center. Her absence capped a turbulent year for the group: bandmate Manon Bannerman took a temporary hiatus in February after their Grammys performance, and Katseye also withdrew from Olivia Rodrigo's Daisy Chain Fields Festival citing member Megan Skiendiel's ankle injury. Despite the disruption, the band's commercial momentum continued unaffected, having scored their first US number one album with "Wild" in August.
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In short
- Sophia Laforteza sat out Katseye's European and UK "Wildworld" tour dates
- She cited ongoing treatment and prioritising her mental wellbeing
- Tour proceeded regardless; group had first US No. 1 album in August
How this story developed
- 2 months ago The "Wildworld" tour went ahead as scheduled, opening at Dublin's 3Arena on Tuesday without Laforteza as the group heads toward its Paris, Amsterdam and Copenhagen dates before the October North American leg.
- 2 months ago Laforteza herself broke her silence with an Instagram post apologising to fans and disclosing she has been undergoing "ongoing treatment," explaining simply that "you can't pour from an empty cup."
- 2 months ago The label expanded on its statement, pledging Laforteza "all the support and resources needed," and fresh details emerged pinning the tour opener to Dublin's 3Arena on Tuesday and the North American leg's launch to Miami's Kaseya Center on 13 October.
- 2 months ago Katseye's label confirmed Sophia Laforteza would sit out the group's UK and European "Wildworld" tour dates, running 1–17 September from Dublin to Copenhagen, as she prioritises her wellbeing after an early-August hiatus, capping a tough year that also saw Manon Bannerman's February hiatus, Megan Skiendiel's injury-forced festival withdrawal and the band's first US number-one album with "Wild."
Full account
Katseye has confirmed that member Sophia Laforteza will not take part in the United Kingdom and European dates of the group's forthcoming Wildworld tour, extending an absence that began with a hiatus announced earlier in August. In a statement shared across social media and the fan platform Weverse, and signed by the group's label partners HYBE and Geffen Records, the company said Laforteza was continuing to prioritise her well-being and that she would sit out the run of continental shows. The message asked fans, known as EYEKONS, for patience and understanding, stressing that the artists' long-term health remained the label's foremost concern and promising further updates in due course.
Laforteza's step back from group duties was first announced by HYBE x Geffen at the start of August, when the label said she would pause promotional activities to focus on her mental health and overall wellness. According to the company, she had already been receiving support and, after consulting medical professionals, was advised to take an extended period of rest and ongoing care, with her situation due to be reviewed again in September. Away from the group, her mother, the actress Carla Guevara-Laforteza, recently gave a glimpse of how her daughter has been spending the time off, telling Vogue Philippines that Sophia has been keeping to a deliberately gentle routine of trips to Disneyland, baking and painting as she works towards feeling well again.
The development adds to what has been an unsettled year for the seven-piece pop act. Fellow member Manon Bannerman took her own temporary break from the group in February, shortly after Katseye's Grammy Awards performance, also citing her health and well-being. More recently, the band pulled out of Olivia Rodrigo's Daisy Chain Fields festival lineup, attributing the withdrawal to an ankle injury sustained by member Megan Skiendiel, though the remaining line-up of Lara, Daniela, Yoonchae and Megan went on to make a brief appearance at the festival regardless.
None of this has dented the group's commercial momentum. Katseye recently landed its first number one on the Billboard 200 with the EP Wild, which spawned the Hot 100 hits 'Pinky Up' and 'Gnarly'. The Wildworld tour is due to open at Dublin's 3Arena, with further European and UK stops including Paris, Amsterdam and Copenhagen, before the group heads to North America for a more extensive leg beginning in mid-October at Miami's Kaseya Center.
Where outlets differ
From the full account, which is AI-written from the sources:
The two reports give slightly different end dates for the European/UK leg Sophia is missing — one cites 1–17 September, the other 1–7 September — likely a discrepancy in one outlet's reporting rather than a genuine change of plan.
One outlet frames the Daisy Chain Fields withdrawal as the whole group dropping out over Megan Skiendiel's ankle injury, while the other clarifies that the remaining four members still made a brief festival appearance, suggesting only a partial pull-back rather than a full cancellation.
Only one report includes background on Sophia's mother's Vogue Philippines interview describing her low-key daily routine, and specifics from the original 7 August hiatus announcement (medical consultation, planned September reassessment) — details the other source omits.
Only one report provides the North American tour details (Miami opener, October date) and the earlier context of Manon Bannerman's February hiatus after the Grammys; the other outlet's focus stays more narrowly on Sophia's status and family commentary.
Explained simply
Katseye are a seven-member girl group formed through a global talent competition run by Hybe (the South Korean company behind BTS) and Geffen Records, blending members from different countries and backgrounds. They found rapid mainstream success, and 2026 has seen them touring behind their album "Wild" while dealing with a run of health setbacks affecting different members at different times.
Sophia Laforteza is one of the group's members. She stepped back from group activities in early August, and her current absence from tour dates is part of that ongoing break rather than a new development.
This matters because it affects fans buying tickets for the affected shows and raises broader questions about the pressures faced by young performers in intensively scheduled pop groups, an issue that has come up repeatedly across the K-pop and Hybe-linked industry in recent years.
Coverage · 3 sources
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Originally published by Variety as “Katseye’s Sophia to Sit Out European Leg of ‘Wildworld’ Tour to ‘Focus on Her Well-Being’”.