Chaeyoung's departure from JYP Entertainment is reshaping the group's future, as she becomes the latest TWICE member to leave the agency and pursue an independent music career.
Chaeyoung posted a message on SNS Thursday afternoon addressed directly to the group's fandom, ONCE, announcing she would begin activities under her independent music brand, LIL FANTASY.
"I wanted to share the news with ONCE, my family, first," she wrote. "I want to pursue original music in my own LIL FANTASY world."
She also expressed gratitude toward JYP Entertainment and her fellow members, with whom she has shared a 14-year bond dating back to her trainee days. "I sincerely thank and love the staff at JYP Entertainment, the TWICE team, and the members who steadfastly cheered me on — all of you who supported and believed in this wild one," she said.
Despite leaving the agency, Chaeyoung pledged to continue as a member of TWICE. "I will carry on with TWICE activities without change," she said. "I will be an artist who brings meaningful music to people's lives — both as Chaeyoung of TWICE and as Chaeyoung of LIL FANTASY."
Chaeyoung had already signaled her solo ambitions last year, releasing her debut solo album "LIL FANTASY Vol.1" in September 2025. The record landed at No. 86 on Rolling Stone's Best Albums of 2025 list and ranked seventh on both Forbes' and Billboard's lists of the best K-pop albums of 2025, drawing wide critical attention.
Her move follows a broader trend of TWICE members parting ways with JYP Entertainment in quick succession.
On Monday, Jeongyeon ended her 11-year run with JYP and joined Baro Entertainment — the agency of her older sister, actor Gong Seung-yeon — officially signaling a pivot to acting. Jeongyeon also announced she had been cast in the film "Sinbyeong: The Movie" while reaffirming that group activities would remain her top priority.
TWICE debuted in 2015, and in 2022 all nine members renewed their contracts with JYP Entertainment as the group cemented its status as a global act. Now, as those contracts come up for renegotiation, members are increasingly going independent — marking a shift to a "together apart" model in which the group continues as a unit while each member pursues solo work under her own banner.
shee@heraldcorp.com
