JTBC has announced that "Purple Rain" has ceased all activities and the members have disbanded to go their separate ways.
Chae Bo-hoon, Kim Ha-jin, Yang Ji-wan, and Jeong Kwang-Hyun, who are serving in the military, will return to their respective agencies, and Ina Woo will sign an exclusive contract with the JTBC studio for future work.
Purple Rain is a South Korean rock band formed during JTBC's television talent show titled Superband in 2019. Superband is a South Korean talent show produced by JTBC in 2019, where indie musicians were invited to perform and eventually create a "superband," competing against each other. The winning band was Hoppipolla. The same production team produced the show as Phantom Singer and Hidden Singer.
The average viewership rating was around 3%, and the show received positive and negative feedback. The concept and its genre diversity were praised, while the media heavily criticized the lack of female participants. Only involving the viewers in the decision process at the end of the show drew criticism.
Besides the winning band, the 2nd and 3rd place bands also signed with different production companies after the show. Purple Rain finished in third place in the competition and signed with JTBC Studio on 24 October 2019. They released a single in February 2020, titled "The King Must Die." The band's vocalist, Chae Bohun, is also the vocalist and guitarist of alternative rock band The VANE. The band appeared in Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend several times, winning the trophy for the night's best performance twice. They also contributed a song to the Korean television series My Country: The New Age. The band was received very well and appreciated for their characteristic "art rock" music style.
Even though the group has officially disbanded and fans couldn't be sadder about the news, we hope that this ushers forth a new beginning for the members.
