Former 9MUSES’s Kyungri Reveals The Real Struggle That Came With Her Group’s Sudden Disbandment

In the June 20, 2020 episode of On & Off, former 9MUSES member Kyungri shared her thoughts following the group’s disbandment in February 2019.

She looked back in her diaries which she kept since her trainee days…

… and pointed out that she marked the final day she remained a member of 9MUSES, February 24, 2019. She revealed that the disbandment came unexpected to the members too.

By that point, I’d been a part of 9MUSES for about 7-8 years. But it was totally out of the blue that the team disbanded… We had an album ready to release too, but that ultimately got cancelled. Just like that, we were told that the group is no longer together.

— Kyungri

Over the abrupt end to her K-Pop idol career, Kyungri admitted that she felt completely bummed and lost.

I was really bummed… The end came in such an abrupt manner. So I… Yeah, it was a rough time for me.

— Kyungri

Kyungri then briefly tried to “fly solo” — but her broken heart made it difficult for her to embark on a new adventure that quickly. She shared, “That’s why I decided to drop everything.”

At first, I felt like I needed to be doing things. So even without an agency, I tried to go about my schedules and stuff. But… I realized my heart felt broken all the same. I didn’t feel any better. That’s why I decided to drop everything. For a couple months, I stopped. I didn’t want to keep working with that sadness in my heart.

— Kyungri

During this hiatus, Kyungri was able to pull herself back together. Her industry sunbae Yubin — who also went through a similar deal with her group Wonder Girls — praised Kyungri for making the healthy decision to put herself first to recover.

I think it’s amazing that you were able to take that time away and focus on yourself. I also had those moments… and that’s when I learned more than ever. It opened my eyes to different things. So I’m glad you went through those ‘off’ periods. You seem so strong and stable now.

— Yubin

Watch the full clip here: