Former IZ*ONE member Miyawaki Sakura has spoken about her move to HYBE Labels’ Source Music in a letter to fans.
Yesterday (March 14), a representative from Source Music shared that ex-IZ*ONE members Miyawaki and Kim Chae-won had signed “exclusive contracts with the agency” and would be joining its upcoming girl group.
Later that day, the Japanese idol took to Instagram to personally share the news with her fans. “This time, I’ve moved to Source Music under HYBE,” she wrote in Korean and Japanese.
Miyawaki shared that she had been unable to post much on social media in recent months, and apologised for keeping her fans waiting. “While I was lonely during the period when I couldn’t meet you, it cheered me up when I saw the support you sent me,” she wrote.
“More than anything, I waited for the day I could tell you this news in person,” said the singer, who also added that she was “working hard” in a good environment. “Please show a lot of interest and support for our future activities,” she concluded.
HYBE founder Bang Si-hyuk also took to Instagram to post pictures he had taken with the two idols, officially welcoming them to the agency.
The as-yet-unnamed act will mark Source Music’s first new group since it was acquired by HYBE, and since the disbandment of GFRIEND last May. The agency has yet to provide details on the upcoming group’s name, projected debut date and remaining members.
Both Miyawaki and Kim joined Korean-Japanese project girl group IZ*ONE in 2018 after appearing on Mnet’s survival reality series Produce 48. The former had also been a member of Japanese idol group HKT48 since 2011. IZ*ONE disbanded last April following the expiration of their contracts, and Miyawaki left HKT48 shortly after.