K-pop girl group bugAboo have disbanded, label announces

K-pop rookie girl group bugAboo have officially disbanded, A Team Entertainment has announced.

The announcement was made earlier today (December 8) by the South Korean music label via the band’s fan café page, where it was revealed that group activities for bugAboo have been halted and all members’ exclusive contracts with the agency have been terminated.

“bugAboo, who have worked hard since debut until now while receiving love from fans, will be halting group activities from today,” the statement read, as translated by Soompi. “The agency and the members decided to halt group activities and terminate all the members’ contracts after lengthy consideration and discussion.” However, A Team Entertainment notably did not share the circumstances or reasons behind the decision in its statement.

“We once again express our gratitude for all the support, and we sincerely apologise for delivering sudden news to fans who loved bugAboo. Please show your unchanging warm love and support for the members ahead of their new start,” concluded the label’s brief notice.

bugAboo – which consisted of members Choyeon, Eunchae, Yoona, Rainie, Cyan and Zin – made their official debut just a little over a year ago with an eponymous single album. The record included a title track of the same name alongside a B-side song titled ‘All Night Play’. Both tracks were both co-composed and -produced by K-pop producer Ryan Jhun, who is also the CEO of A Team Entertainment.

In an interview conducted days before their debut, bugAboo told NME about how they hoped to inspire others. “We want to become a good influence to lots of people,” said Cyan. “I want people around the world to realise they can become whatever they want regardless of where they’re from and what language they speak,” added Yoona. “I want to give them the courage to pursue their dreams and know that anything is possible if you work hard.”

The band later made their first-ever comeback in June this year with a follow-up single album ‘Pop’, headlined by a title track of the same name. That three-track record also included B-side ‘Easy Move’ as well as an instrumental version of ‘Pop’.

bugAboo were the first-ever girl group launched by Jhun, who has spent the past decades creating hits for several top K-pop groups such as TWICE, SHINee and Red Velvet. The girl group were originally set to debut in 2020 but ended up delaying their debut due to the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic.