South Korean singer Bae Jin-young has left the K-pop boyband CIX after five years, with the group set to continue on as a quartet.
In a statement today (August 5) on social media, CIX’s label C9 Entertainment announced that it has “decided to terminate the exclusive contract” it has with Bae Jin-young as of the beginning of the month.
“We express our gratitude to Bae Jin-young for his hard work as a member of CIX and ask for your continued support [in his] new chapter,” it continued. The K-pop agency also added that the boyband would continue on as a quartet with remaining members BX, Seunghun, Yonghee and Hyunsuk.
“They are currently preparing for a new album to be released in the second half of the year, along with various performances,” C9 Entertainment said of the group’s future. “We sincerely thank all the fans for their unwavering support and love for CIX.”
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CIX(씨아이엑스) 향후 활동 관련 공지 pic.twitter.com/F7dceZBgrp— CIX_Official (@CIX_Official) August 5, 2024
Bae Jin-young first shot to fame in 2017 as one of the winners of the second season of reality TV competition Produce 101, through which he earned a spot in the temporary boyband Wanna One.
Following the disbandment of Wanna One, the K-pop star would make his debut as part of CIX in mid-2019. Since then, the boyband have released one studio album, six mini-album and one single album, the latest of which was ‘0 or 1’ in January 2024.
In other K-pop news, G-Dragon has acquired the trademark rights to his stage name from former agency, YG Entertainment. This comes months after his new label, GALADY Corporation, announced that the K-pop star would be releasing new music this year.