LOONA is truly one of the most fascinating groups in K-pop. From their individual pre-debut project beginning in 2016, to its multiple sub-units and, of course, the legal battle between their music company (which the members won). Keep reading to meet LOONA.
Who Are LOONA?
The 12-member girl group was originally formed under Blockberry Creative. Starting in October 2016, each member was introduced to the public through a solo promotional single and music video that was posted nearly every month. They officially debuted in August 2018 with title track “Hi High.”
The group is composed of members Heejin, Hyunjin, Haseul, Vivi, Yeojin, Kim Lip, Jinsoul, Choerry, Yves, Go Won, and Olivia Hye. Originally a twelve-member group, Chuu was removed from the line-up in November 2022, due to a contract dispute.
Why Did LOONA Sue Their Company?
On November 28, 2022, South Korean news outlet JTBC reported that all LOONA’s members, excluding Hyunjin and Vivi, had filed for provisional injunction to suspend their contracts with Blockberry Creative. This was due to concerns over the company’s decision to transfer LOONA’s contracts to Universal Japan without the consent of the artists involved.
HeeJin, Kim Lip, JinSoul, and Choerry were granted preliminary injunctions two months later, and the trio then signed with record label Modhaus in March 2023. The next members to be granted preliminary injunctions were HyunJin and ViVi, who would both sign with music label CTDENM two days later.
In June 2023, Seoul Economic Daily reported that the remaining members had won the lawsuit against the label, terminating their contracts.
Nearly all of the members of LOONA have since reacted to the news with posts on Instagram. Yves posted an image of actress Nicole Kidman after her divorce from Tom Cruise in 2001 and Yeojin uploaded a screenshot of Dobby from the Harry Potter films, with the character saying: “Dobby is free.”
Where Are LOONA Now?
Since ending their contracts with Blockberry Creative, the members of LOONA have started to sign on to different music labels, and hopefully will kickstart their own solo music soon!
On top of that, LOONA’s subunit titled Odd Eye Circle, which features members Kim Lip, Jinsoul and Choerry, are set to make their long-awaited comeback this summer.
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