Recently, the incident of member Heeseung of Kpop boy group ENHYPEN suddenly announcing his departure from the group has shocked the Kpop fan community.
Belift Lab's management company said that when discussing the group's future, Heeseung expressed a clear musical vision that he wanted to pursue, and the company decided to respect his choice.
Heeseung is not the only case. More and more Kpop idols are turning their attention to personal projects.
Wonpil of the famous rock band DAY6 will return as a solo artist after 4 years. Meanwhile, Yuna of the girl group ITZY will also perform solo on March 23 with her debut album "Ice Cream" - nearly 7 years after debuting with the group.
Industry experts believe that the increasing global popularity of Kpop groups has significantly expanded the private fan base of each member, thereby encouraging many artists to pursue solo careers.
Solo debuts have existed for a long time in Kpop, but previously, this path was mainly for the most prominent members of the group, with strong personalities or special talents.
In many cases, other members often participate in small groups, instead of operating separately.
Music critic Lim Hee Yun commented: "What we are seeing now is that each member has built a large enough fan base to support solo activities. Even members who are not representative faces of the group can expand to personal activities, because there is a strong enough fan community ready to support them.
He also said that this is unlikely to happen when Kpop previously mainly focused on the domestic market.
This expansion can only happen thanks to the support of international fans. Without the global market, maintaining each member's solo career will be much more difficult," the critic said.
However, the circumstances of Heeseung, Wonpil and Yuna are quite different.
Heeseung completely left ENHYPEN to pursue a solo career; while Wonpil and Yuna continued to operate with the group in parallel with personal activities.
In cases like Blackpink or BTS members, the success of solo activities can also benefit the group.
Personal projects can enhance the identity of each member, while attracting new fans who can later become fans of the group.
Solo activities also help members maintain their presence in public during the group's break between promotional periods.
A representative of a major Kpop company said that Yuna's solo debut could create new motivation for ITZY: "In a way, ITZY is a case that has not been fully utilized in JYP company.
The group once attracted great attention when debuting with "Dalla Dalla", then had many hits such as "Wannabe", "Cake" and "Sneakers", but recently their development momentum has slowed down".
He added: "If Yuna's first solo project is successful at this time, it could play an important role in helping ITZY once again develop into a larger group.
