She claimed that Lara “held on to” black girls.
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On August 21st, Netflix previewed the highly anticipated docuseries Pop star Academy: KATSEYE. The formation of the K-Pop group follows MOVES AND Geffen Recordings international girl group KATEYE before the survival show The debut: Dream Academy.
One trainee who failed to make it into the survival show was a dancer from London I finished. She was kicked out after sharing a new, unreleased song via a private Instagram account. According to the Geffen Records and HYBE team, the private account had followers who were not part of the program, leading to the controversy.
@gwenchannaur Naisha was eliminated at Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE © Netflix #katseye #geffen #hybe #netflix #dreamacademy
♬ original sound – gwenchannaur – POOKEY푸키
Many were initially outraged by Naisha’s departure. Some felt she had been treated badly.
I just started Pop Star Academy and they really made a mistake cutting Naisha out, but to be honest the young lady didn’t like her from the beginning and I have a feeling she was waiting for a reason. photo.twitter.com/dyiFEjIesn
— Ivan Ooze (@papaGemini) September 4, 2024
watching this pop star academy documentary and they definitely hurt Naisha… this Geffen team is so weird too
— ☆ (@miniijun) September 7, 2024
Others felt that Naisha’s behavior was inexcusable. They have since been alarmed by her actions as well.
Naisha’s elimination has nothing to do with her being black, why does everyone assume that?? 🤦🏼♀️ her silly ahh shouldn’t she have released a PRIVATE ORIGINAL song??? And now she’s on the Manon hate bandwagon?? Womp womp
— Saechu (@saesaechix) September 2, 2024
Naisha is weird as hell people she is literally so manipulative and using the fact that she is a poc to justify her behavior towards Manon is insane because Manon is also a black woman she made that comment to shade Manon now she is trying to say it was just to praise Lara as my best friend
— 🪷Nessa🪷 (@heart_manon) September 9, 2024
His biggest controversy after the show is his interaction with a post made by a KATSEYE member LaraShe commented on one of Lara’s Instagram updates, claiming that Lara was “having to hold it down for the black girl[l]S.” Netizens thought it was an incredibly weird thing to say, considering Lara is Indian, so she would be considered brown, not black. Most fans had no other way to interpret this comment than as a shade towards another KATSEYE member. Big handwhich is black.
Now Naisha responds to his comment in a new video posted on her TikTok.
First, Naisha thanked those who sent her love and support. On the other hand, the majority of the video addressed the hateful comments and death threats she received.
Naisha revealed that she commented on Lara’s post about a year ago. She said that Lara was a friend who had supported her and inspired her a lot. She defended her comment, saying that Lara, a black woman, always tries to uplift others, which in turn will inspire all black women. She said, “That comment was about no one else but her.”
When I saw her win, I was so, so happy for her that I was like, “Man, you’re not just going to do this for black girls, you’re going to do this for everybody…” I said, “You’re going to do this for black girls eventually.” … You’re not just reaching the hearts of black girls, you’re reaching the hearts of black girls, you’re going to reach so many people with that attitude. Because as a black woman, she did nothing but pour and inspire and uplift and elevate everyone around her…
– I finished
Naisha said that “holding it down” did not mean “representing” in that context. She also denied that the comment had anything to do with Manon, even though the original post showed Manon in the center of the group photo.
@naishawaters Thanks for watching and red hearts to everyone ❤️ #fyp
♬ original sound – Naisha
Naisha said she deleted the comment after realizing how it was interpreted. She also denied rumors that Lara had unfollowed her.
There are followers who continue to support Naisha. Many have tried to encourage her.
However, most of the comments do not believe her explanations. Some still think that Naisha was “overshadowing” Manon, and did not believe her excuses about being close to Lara, since they had not seen interactions with them on the show.
While the video has only gotten 80,000 views on TikTok, it has a combined total of 600,000 views on X (formerly Twitter) as of this writing, after two posts went viral. Netizens deemed her apology video to be inane and gaslighting.
HOW DID I MISS THIS PART? YOU CAN KNOW HE’S LYING BECAUSE HE WAS JUST DOING SOME NONSENSE LIKE TF DOES THIS MEAN TOO? HELPSKSKSKSKSK #KATSEYE #KATSEYE_Manon #PopStarAcademy_KATSEYE photo.twitter.com/JRugnHjZUB
— muse 🇸🇩 (@politicalblink) September 9, 2024
there’s a black girl in the center who’s black in the center who’s black in the center who’s black in the center https://t.co/obzhUYFNFV
— julia (@meiyokies) September 9, 2024
Death threats and harassment are useless but there is no way to turn it around. Telling an Indian girl that she is holding out for black girls too when there is a half black girl in the group?! Naisha girl 😭💀 https://t.co/16fMBFsiJ1
— Ayush (@aishaacity) September 9, 2024
Previously, another controversial topic Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE star responded to the hate comments. Read more below.
Controversial ‘Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE’ Star Responds to Netflix Docuseries Backlash
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