Former SONAMOO’s Euijin Exposes The Circumstances Behind The Group’s Disbandment
Former SONAMOO and UNI.T member Euijin made her solo debut earlier this year with her new stage name Hezz.
She recently made her comeback with the song “Churup!” and was a guest on the YouTube show, KPOP IDOL OLYMPIC, appearing under her new stage name for the first time.
On the show, she discussed what unexpectedly happened after she placed first on The Unit, and the reality behind the disbandment of SONAMOO.
SONAMOO debuted under TS Entertainment in 2014 with seven members. The group never received the proper support from their company, and the members quickly became discouraged. In 2017, TS Entertainment even opened a crowdfunding project to fund the group’s comeback.
After the group’s comeback in the summer of 2017, it was confirmed that Hezz would compete on the idol survival show, The Unit. The show gave contestants who had already debuted a chance to demonstrate their talents and allowed them to debut in a new group if they were one of the final contestants.
Hezz’s strong talent and performance earned her first place out of the female trainees on the show, which allowed her to debut in the project group, UNI.T. This should have been an exciting win for SONAMOO and the boost in public attention they needed, but that wasn’t the reality.
While Hezz was busy competing on the show, things were changing back at her company. By the time she returned, ready for a new start for the group, her fellow members were looking for other jobs after losing hope in future promotions for SONAMOO.
Hezz revealed that the group felt stuck for about ten months as employees slowly left the company. The members discussed the possibility of sub-units or solo promotions as an alternative to a group comeback. Hezz took it upon herself to design the entire concept for their possible comeback, from hairstyles to plans for a music video since the staff was dwindling.
Despite their planning, it was another two years until they were able to make a comeback with their single “Promise You” in 2019, without members Sumin and Nahyun. The single was released without a music video, and there were no promotions for the song. It was their final single released by the group, and Hazz confirmed that they did officially disband last year.
When asked if she still keeps in touch with her former group members, she revealed they occasionally catch up. She recently reunited with former SONAMOO members D.ana and NewSun to film the “Churup!” dance challenge for TikTok.
When she met with D.ana, the older member had a message for Hezz that really cheered her up.
D.ana also wished Hezz the best in her solo promotions, telling her, “I hope you succeed as a singer.”
Check out Hezz’s most recent single below!