On a desert stage at Coachella in April, KATSEYE stepped out for their festival debut with one familiar voice missing, a reminder that even rising groups must learn to hold a crowd while their own shape changes. Five members carried the set, and when they were joined by the performers from Huntr/x for a surprise reading of "Golden," the night briefly felt like a gathering of kindred voices meeting in the dark. A playful, unscripted moment between two members then turned into the thing strangers passed along to one another afterward. What lies ahead is still open, and the questions of absence a
KATSEYE Brings Huntr/x and 'Golden' to Coachella 2026 as Five-Member Set Draws Viral Moment
Eight voices harmonising in sync, almost a one-night-only supergroup
Mark
So what actually happened at the Sahara stage on April 10?
Mimi
KATSEYE played their Coachella debut as five members: Daniela, Lara, Megan, Sophia and Yoonchae. Manon Bannerman is on hiatus, so it was their first major show without her.
Mark
And the setlist?
Mimi
They opened with "Pinky Up," then went into "Debut" and "Touch." Then came the surprise, "Golden" with Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami from the Huntr/x side of KPop Demon Hunters.
Mark
Why did that moment land so strongly?
Mimi
It started in darkness, the crowd recognised the song before they could see anyone, and the lights came up to a roar. Eight voices on one track.
Luke
Careful with "seamless" and "supergroup." That's the outlet's description. We have no audio analysis or crowd numbers, just one account of how it felt.
Mark
Fair. What about the viral clip of Lara and Megan?
Mimi
Lara playfully licked Megan's face during a pink-lit segment, and it spread on social media quickly.
Luke
"Viral" is the report's word too. It gives no view counts or figures, so we can't say how far it travelled.
Mark
And Manon's absence?
Luke
That's the biggest gap. We know she's on hiatus. We don't know why, how long, or whether she returns. The report doesn't say.
Mimi
So the open questions are her status and where the five appear next.
El Pulso
- Manon Bannerman's absence from the Coachella lineup puts the five-member KATSEYE under immediate pressure to prove they can carry a major festival stage alone.
- A surprise eight-voice 'Golden' collaboration with Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami sent the crowd into a roar the moment the lights came up.
- Lara Raj's playful face-licking moment during a pink-lit segment spread across social media almost as fast as the set itself.
- The group is steering toward a reputation for bold, unpredictable stagecraft rather than hiding the lineup change.
- The story is still unresolved: Manon's hiatus, her return date and the group's next public appearances remain unannounced.
On a desert stage at Coachella in April, KATSEYE stepped out for their festival debut with one familiar voice missing, a reminder that even rising groups must learn to hold a crowd while their own shape changes. Five members carried the set, and when they were joined by the performers from Huntr/x for a surprise reading of "Golden," the night briefly felt like a gathering of kindred voices meeting in the dark. A playful, unscripted moment between two members then turned into the thing strangers passed along to one another afterward. What lies ahead is still open, and the questions of absence and return are left for time to answer.
On April 10, KATSEYE made their Coachella debut on the Sahara stage with five members instead of six. Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel, Sophia Laforteza and Yoonchae Jeung performed while Manon Bannerman stayed off the lineup during her hiatus, making this their first major show without her. The set opened with "Pinky Up" and moved through fan favourites like "Debut" and "Touch," showing the confidence and stage chemistry that have carried the group so far.
The centerpiece arrived as a surprise. Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, performers tied to Huntr/x from KPop Demon Hunters, joined the five members for "Golden," the Oscar-winning song, bringing eight voices together. The stage went dark, the crowd recognised the opening before any light appeared, and the roar that followed felt like a one-night supergroup.
Another moment spread just as quickly online. During a high-energy, pink-lit segment, Lara Raj playfully licked Megan Skiendiel's face mid-performance, a gesture the coverage reads as part of the group's bold, unfiltered presence. The report does not explain Manon's hiatus or give a return date, so the next questions are about her status and where the five-member lineup performs next.
On April 10, KATSEYE walked onto the Sahara stage at Coachella 2026 for their festival debut, and they did it with one fewer member than fans are used to seeing. The five who performed were Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel, Sophia Laforteza and Yoonchae Jeung. Manon Bannerman, who is currently on a hiatus, was not part of the lineup, which made this the group's first major performance without her.
The set opened with "Pinky Up," the group's latest track, and moved into fan favourites including "Debut" and "Touch." The Free Press Journal's account points to the group's confidence, vocals, daring couture and stage chemistry as evidence that they could hold a large global audience even while the lineup shifts.
The centerpiece was a surprise. KATSEYE shared the stage with performers tied to Huntr/x, the fictional act from KPop Demon Hunters, for a rendition of "Golden," the song that won an Oscar. Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami joined the five members, putting eight voices on the track together.
The song began in darkness. The crowd recognised it before anything was visible, and when the lights came up the reaction was immediate, a roar from the audience. The coverage describes the blend of the two groups' voices as seamless, and says the moment had the feel of a one-night-only supergroup.
The other talking point came from a different kind of moment. During a pink-lit, high-intensity segment of the show, Lara Raj playfully licked Megan Skiendiel's face mid-performance. The moment was picked up quickly on social media and drew fans' attention almost at once.
The report frames the gesture as consistent with the group's reputation for bold, unfiltered stage presence and playful chemistry. It adds that KATSEYE once again showed they are comfortable leaving a performance unpredictable.
What the coverage does not do is explain Manon Bannerman's hiatus or say when she might return. That question, along with where the five-member group appears next, is what to watch after a set that fans were still discussing once the lights went out.
Citas Notables
The set was described as showing the group is ready to command a global audience even amid lineup changes.— Free Press Journal
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