VVS Break Up After a June Contract Exit and Lineup Cut to Four Members

VVS announced on the 11th, through their official fan platform, that they will "not continue team activities," ending the girl group's run 18 months after debut. The four remaining members (Brittany, Lana, Lena and Riwon) said member departures and investment and infrastructure problems left them unable to carry on.

The group was produced by Paul Brian Thompson, a producer who has worked on K-pop releases with RIIZE, Taeyeon, EXO, Red Velvet and Kang Daniel. VVS debuted in April of last year with the single TEA.

What the members said

The statement was blunt about the business side. The members wrote that they began the journey because they loved music, dance and above all performing, but that after debut everything became "tangled in the vines of business" until they could not breathe. In their words, the current music industry "choked" them.

They said they had tried to keep moving forward regardless, but departures, investment and infrastructure issues combined into a crisis. Working across several countries on minimal support became harder over time. The mountain ahead, they concluded, was too high to climb on their own, and they were stopping with sadness and humility.

A split that started in June

The breakup follows a notable move in June, when the group's exclusive contracts were terminated. Thompson, who is CEO of MZMC as well as the group's producer, said at the time that the termination made the members independent artists. He argued that leaving the existing Korean music system was important to widen their possibilities, adding that this did not mean leaving K-pop, but that the established K-pop ecosystem did not suit VVS and that he wanted the group to expand.

It was a rare structure for a rookie group, and the final statement suggests it did not solve the funding and support problems the members describe. Independence also meant the team had no agency to absorb the cost of promoting across multiple countries.

What comes next

The members said they have not given up on their dreams. "We are evolving," they wrote, promising to pursue individual goals as artists and to keep in touch with fans through personal social media accounts. They hope to return "stronger and renewed" in the near future.

They also thanked fans for the support, saying it let them accomplish something meaningful. "Pioneers always lead with arrows in their backs," they added, asking fans to keep the memories they made together.

The practical read: with no agency and no team account, any reunion is unlikely in the short term, and the likelier next step is solo releases or new projects under each member's own name. The members have not announced any.