August 19 marks the anniversary of K-pop girl group Loona, which debuted in 2018 under label BlockBerry Creative (BBC).

The 12-piece act began attracting attention in the K-pop scene with its unique pre-debut project: beginning October 2016, each member was revealed through a solo release. After introducing about three to four members, they would also drop music as a sub-unit (which, in K-pop jargon, refers to a smaller team within the main group).

A Forbes article referred to the project as a "reverse engineering" of the usual process in K-pop, wherein companies would first debut a group before launching sub-units and its members' individual careers. But Loona's distinct method — though ambitious and costly — helped the group build a sizeable following.

After years of solo and sub-unit promotions, Loona finally entered the scene as a full group with the extended play "+ +" and its single "Hi High."

Watch more News on iWantTFC

Over the years, the ensemble would continue to grow its global fan base, with South Korea's culture ministry even tapping them to promote Korean culture in other countries.

Leaving BBC

But cracks in the girls' relationship with their company would later emerge, beginning with Chuu, who in January 2022 reportedly moved to have her exclusive contract with BBC suspended over "unreasonable contract terms."

Months later, the company "expelled" Chuu — arguably the most popular and busiest member — from the group, accusing her of verbally abusing staff members. The singer denied the allegations while industry colleagues came to her defense.

• K-pop: Chuu removed from Loona

Chuu's bandmates later filed their own injunctions to have their contracts with BBC suspended. By June 2023, all of the members parted ways with the agency after the courts ruled in their favor.

Watch more News on iWantTFC

Last Thursday, Chuu's contract with BBC was officially terminated through a court decision, the Korea JoongAng Daily newspaper reported.

In a separate article by the JoongAng Daily, member Kim Lip clarified that Loona "did not disband and we are open to the idea of coming together as one with our members."

For those who haven't been keeping up, here's where the Loona members are now and what they've been up to:

CHUU

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 츄 CHUU (@chuuo3o)

The "Heart Attack" singer signed with new agency ATRP and continues to run her YouTube channel Chuu Can Do It, which currently has around 1.36 million subscribers.

In July, Loona members Hyunjin and Vivi even appeared in a video on the channel, to the delight of the group's fans.

ARTMS

Heejin, Haseul, Kim Lip, Jinsoul and Choerry signed with Modhaus, headed by Loona's former creative director Jaden Jeong. They are part of a team called ARTMS.

Watch more News on iWantTFC

Under ARTMS, Kim Lip, Jinsoul and Choerry returned as the sub-unit Odd Eye Circle, releasing the EP "Version Up" in July before embarking on a Europe tour.

Heejin is also preparing to release a solo album, according to reports.

LOOSSEMBLE

🚀

𝑳𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒘 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒇𝒊𝒍𝒆#루셈블 #𝑳𝒐𝒐𝒏𝒂𝑨𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒍𝒆 pic.twitter.com/35o8tTMTHq

— Loossemble (@Loossemble_twt) August 2, 2023

Hyunjin, Vivi, Yeojin, Go Won and Hyeju (who previously went by the stage name Olivia Hye) signed with agency CTDENM and are set to re-debut as Loossemble, a combination of Loona and "assemble."

YVES

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by YVES 이브 (@yvesntual)

The "New" singer, who now runs a blog, has decided to go solo and is currently "meeting with many labels," according to an article from K-pop news portal Allkpop.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Watch more News on iWantTFC