U-KISS Kevin Leaving The K-Pop Group To Pursue A Different Dream
U-KISS’ Kevin is officially leaving the group and the agency, NH Media confirmed. The reasons is that the K-pop star has decided not to renew his contract and the record label has agreed to honor his wishes.
Kevin to pursue a different dream
Kevin is apparently keen on pursuing a different path – one that will take him away from the boy band U-KISS. When his contract ends this month, he is off to try and fulfill a different dream. What exactly that dream is was not mentioned in NH EMG’s official statement regarding his departure.
“We apologize to fans who always cheer U-KISS on, for delivering such unfortunate news. Member Kevin has decided to walk a different path in order to fulfill his dreams, and the label and U-KISS have decided to respect his decision. He debuted as a member of U-KISS in 2008 and promoted as a trustworthy and reliable member of U-KISS from the beginning until now, for the last 9 years. We have come to the decision to announce his departure from the label and U-KISS after a long discussion and a long time thinking on the matter, respecting Kevin’s wishes.”
The decision was not easy. The management apologized for releasing this information late, as they were reportedly considering a lot of options for quite some time. Nevertheless, both Kevin and the agency managed to agree with him leaving.
Before Kevin permanently leaves the group in hopes for greener pastures, U-KISS will perform one last time as a six-member group in Japan and Korea. More news of this can be expected soon, Allkpop reports.
What will happen now to U-KISS?
Following his departure, U-KISS will regroup with only five members and will consequently release a new album within the year “to show fans an unchanging, bright side.” The group also plans to promote said album in Korea and overseas in the coming months.
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Kevin was one of the initial members of U-KISS, which was launched as a six-member boy band. When it debuted in 2008, the group also consisted of five other members namely Kibum, Alexander, Dongho, Eli, and Soohyun.
Kiseop joined the group as the seventh member in 2009, then Kibum and Alexander were replaced by Hoon and AJ in 2011. In 2013, Dongho left due to health reasons; the following year, Jun entered the group. AJ eventually left the group in 2016, and now Kevin is going as well.
The new U-KISS will now only feature Soohyun, Kiseop, Eli, Hoon, and Jun. Fans noted that the group will be different without Kevin, but nonetheless wish for the boy band’s success in the future.
Which path Kevin will take?
Kevin has yet to confirm what steps he will take next. Will he join another boy band, or will he work on his acting? As what’s normal with K-Pop group members, he has had several acting experiences outside his singing and dancing career, so it would not be unusual for him to star in more K-dramas hereafter. It’s also quite common in Korea for singers to quit their careers so they can focus on dramas.
While performing his duties as a member of U-KISS, Kevin already starred in two dramas: Mental Shooter in 2014 along with co-member Eli and the web drama Milky Love in 2015. He was also supposed to star in One and Only You in 2016 with Eli, but the drama was cancelled.
Kevin has also worked on numerous musicals, the first of which was On Air Live in 2010. He performed in three other productions from that time forward, with the latest being On Air – Night Flight in 2015. Apart from acting, he is also currently a host in the talk show After School Club together with Eric Nam and Park Jimin.
However saddening this news may be, fans are still hoping for both Kevin and U-KISS to find success wherever their chosen paths may take them.
[Featured Image by Ahn Young-joon/AP Images]
