Another girl group bites the dust and this time, it's the legendary Wonder Girls from JYP Entertainment. It is a sad time for 2nd Generation k-pop fans as several iconic groups like 4Minute, Kara and 2NE1 have officially disbanded last year. Now, 2017 is definitely starting with a similar tune as the Wonder Girls announce their disbandment after a decade of making music together.
Rumors about Wonder Girls disbanding first spread when news of the members' contracts expiring hit the tabloids. At first both the Wonder Girls and JYP Entertainment were mum about the rumors but several news sites then reported that members of the girl group had been looking for other agencies that would sign them. At the time, JYP stated that they were still negotiating whether or not the Wonder Girls would be renewing their contract with the company. However, there was a sort of 'finality' when the Wonder Girls banner was removed from the JYP building which in itself is probably a major red flag or even a confirmation that the group will be parting ways.
Billboard, along with several news sites, now confirm that the Wonder Girls are in fact disbanding and while it may be quite devastating to the fans, it's actually not that surprising as it had been in the news for quite some time now. News of the disbandment first came after JYP Entertainment posted a video on YouTube titled "THANK YOU FOR BEING SO WONDERFUL," thus confirming what everyone had been guessing and dreading.
According to Rappler, members Yubin and Hyerim will remain as solo artists under JYP while Yeeun and Sunmi will be leaving the label. JYP also confirmed that like 2NE1, the Wonder Girls would be releasing one final song on February 10 as a thank you to the fans who have stuck with the group for 10 years.
Debuting in 2006, the Wonder Girls went on to become one of the most successful and most internationally known k-pop groups and are in fact the first Korean group to ever chart on the US Billboard charts with their hit single "Nobody." Who else is sad about their disbandment? It truly is the end of an era indeed.
