On March 10, also the 2000th day since ENHYPEN was made, Belift Lab announced that Heeseung will be parting ways with ENHYPEN.
Heeseung, the eldest of the group, a 24-year-old, is preparing a solo album and will continue on under the label as a solo artist. The company, Belift Lab, said the decision came after they spoke with each member about their thoughts on the future, as their contract ends soon.
This has been shocking news for many, including me. Enhypen has been seven members for so long. And I do not think it will ever be the same with six members. Heeseung has been such an important part of ENHYPEN, in my opinion. He was the all-rounder and was very caring and popular to the ENGENES. I think this is such important news to me because Enhypen will always seven.
“Through in-depth discussions with each of the members about the future they envision and the direction of the team, it became clear that Heeseung has his own distinct musical vision, and we have decided to respect it,” reads the company statement, sent out on Weverse, an official global fandom platform. “As such, Heeseung will be parting ways with ENHYPEN.”
ENHYPEN will now continue official activities with six members, including Jungwon, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo, and Ni-ki.
In the group’s Weverse community, Heeseung shares a message with fans about the news. “For me, six years was a time filled with moments that were overwhelming and precious beyond words. Thanks to the members who shared countless emotions and the ENGENE who always filled the vacancy, I was able to approach my dream step by step, which I felt I could not reach.”
Many ENGENEs are in shock, as well as the community, and they are making a petition to bring back Heeseung. They are also making many social media posts to tell the rest of the community about the news.
“I genuinely can’t see ENHYPEN the same without him, I cry every day thinking about it,” seventh grader Razan Issa said.
“I have been an ENGENE for so long, and I can’t imagine ENHYPEN without all the members,” seventh grader Elyse Kwon said.
There are also posts on social media about Heeseung crying and fainting in the Hybe hallways. One staff member from Hybe has also posted about this and claims that Heeseung’s leaving was the company’s decision for whatever reason, like Hybe’s recent court case with the past manager of NewJeans, Min Hee Jin. Many reports have said that the company purposely made Heeseung leave ENHYPEN to draw attention to him instead of the Hybe court case. Although Heeseung indeed wanted to make a solo album, many strongly believe that he would have wanted to pursue his dream while still staying in ENHYPEN. Many think this is very unfair because other groups like TXT, BTS, and Blackpink have all pursued solo careers while also pursuing their group careers.
As soon as the news of Heeseung leaving ENHYPEN came out, a petition to let Heeseung pursue a solo career while staying in ENHYPEN has already gotten over a million signatures in just two days.
This was very sudden and surprising for many ENHYPEN members since ENHYPEN had lots of plans for this month of March, like going to Australia for a concert. During one fancall, one ENGENE asked Heeseung if ENHYPEN was planning on coming to the U.S., and he answered saying that they were planning on it. ENHYPEN was planning on another tour/concert very soon this year. This just adds to the fact that this was very unexpected.
Lots of people in South Korea have been protesting in front of the Hybe building. ENGENEs have also made official protest dates with specific times, like Mar. 12 and Mar. 13. Many fans are upset about Heeseung leaving and are protesting endlessly to bring him back. News reports have shown many trucks and people in front of Hybe protesting. The trucks say, “ENHYPEN is 7, not 6,” “Bring Heeseung Back!”, and many others. People have said they have seen as many as 18 trucks outside protesting for his return. But recent news has announced that there are around 60 trucks outside of Hybe now.
Heeseung’s departure hasn’t just affected the fans, but also ENHYPEN. ENHYPEN has recently temporarily paused their TV program, En-O’Clock, which is a variety show aired on ENHYPEN’s YouTube channel weekly on Thursdays with new videos. This isn’t all. ENHYPEN will have to change all their choreos and songs. Heeseung served as the main vocalist, center, and lead dancer for ENHYPEN, often regarded as the group’s “ace”, aka all-rounder, and musical backbone due to his versatility. He was especially famous for his stable and high-pitched vocals; he was central to the group’s sound.
Fans and the community are watching how Hybe will handle this. ENGENEs are hoping to convince Hybe to let Heeseung back before the industry spotlight shifts to other major HYBE projects, such as the upcoming BTS album and world tour.
I think in the future, Heeseung will either show his appearance by coming back to ENHYPEN at the request of many fans or make a solo album. Many ENGENES want Heeseung to come back to ENHYPEN. I also want Heeseung to come back to ENHYPEN, but if he doesn’t want to, I think I am fine with Heeseung becoming a solo artist too.
I encourage you guys to also join the action! Post social media posts, sign the petition, tell others about it, and more so, Heeseung has a chance to come back if he wants to!
