SEOUL, April 20 — Jang Hyun-seung has officially left K-pop group BEAST to pursue a career as a solo artist.
Yesterday, Cube Entertainment confirmed in a statement that he would remain with the agency.
The news comes after months of rumours concerning the 26-year-old star’s alleged “attitude problem” and his reluctance to participate in group activities such as fan meet-and-greets.
Cube appeared to confirm as much in its statement, adding that the problems began when Jang disagreed with his band members over their musical direction, "which led to clashes on a personal level."
After much discussion, all members of the group (including Jang) agreed that it was best for him to go his own way, the statement added.
Despite the loss of Jang, Cube said that BEAST would carry on with its 2016 promotions as planned.
The full statement from Cube was published by Korean entertainment site, Soompi, yesterday, and it reads as follows:
“Hello, this is Cube Entertainment.
“We would like to thank the fans who love BEAST, and we have something to announce to you.
“As of today, Jang Hyun-seung has withdrawn from BEAST, and the group has been reorganised to consist of five members: Yoon Doo-joon, Lee Gik-wang, Yang Yo-seob, Yong Jun-hyung, and Son Dong-woon.
“Jang Hyun-seung will focus on making his own music as a solo artist instead of as a member of BEAST in the future.
“Jang Hyun-seung and the five members have been talking and consulting continually with the company about making a change to team activities due to differences in personality that began with different opinions on music. After long deliberation between all the members, it was agreed that the group would part company with Jang Hyunseung and the team would be reorganised.
“BEAST has been working hard for the past seven years without rest for the fans and their shared goal of reaching the top. Because of this, this decision was not easy for the members, company, or anyone.
“BEAST, which has now changed to a five-member group, plans to get ready to release a new album in 2016 and be active both domestically and overseas. Please continue to support and show interest in both BEAST and Jang Hyunseung, who will be doing their best in their own positions.”
As Zayn Malik has proved, there is life after leaving a successful boy bad. But whether Jang can make a similarly successful transition to become a solo artist remains to be seen. Watch this space.
