A couple weeks ago there were rumors that Lovelyz were in the process of disbanding at the end of the years when their contracts with Woollim Entertainment expired. Sure enough, as the calendar turned to November there was an exclusive report that seven of the eight members have left the company, and it was subsequently confirmed by the company that the group were officially done on November 16, as every member except Baby Soul left the company.
Hello, this is Woollim Entertainment. Here is our official position regarding the expiration of Lovelyz’s exclusive contract. The exclusive contract between our company and the Lovelyz members will expire on November 16, 2021. After lengthy and in-depth discussions, seven Lovelyz members — Yoo Jiae, Seo Jisoo, Lee Mijoo, Kei, Jin, Ryu Sujeong, and Jung Yein — have decided to prepare for a new chapter in their lives, and we respect and will support their decision. Among the Lovelyz members, Baby Soul has renewed her contract with us based on the trust we have formed together over a long time. As her support, we will make full efforts to support her new chapter and future activities. As an artist for Woollim Entertainment for the past seven years, we would like to thank the eight members of Lovelyz for shining and doing their best, and we sincerely support the members’ new chapters. Also, we would like to express our sincerest gratitude to all of the fans who support, cared for, and loved Lovelyz. We ask for your continued support and encouragement for the members, and we sincerely thank you for your love and interest for the past seven years.
We’ve known for a while that the “seven-year curse” is real simply because that’s when their first contracts run out and idols have the freedom to pursue other things with whatever fame they’ve built up during their idol time. However, it’s still a bit jarring that a group with good public recognition just packs it in without much fanfare.
Hopefully they can at least get a send-off and this won’t be abrupt as GFRIEND’s disbandment.