T-ara performs during a press conference to promote KBS TV drama 'Dream High' at the Kintex on December 27, 2010 in Goyang, South Korea. (Photo : Getty Images/Chung Sung-Jun)
Fans are eagerly waiting for T-ara member Jiyeon's debut as a solo artist, but it may not happen anytime soon. Many were baffled when the 23-year-old K-pop idol has decided to temporarily suspend her comeback preparations.
Nearly eight years after she debuted as a member of T-ara, Jiyeon is finally making a big step up in her career. After a three-year hiatus, the idol-turned-actress is said to be busy working on her solo comeback album, which was initially intended to be released in late March or early April.
Since she temporarily suspends her comeback preparations, the solo album's release date has inevitably been pushed back. The main reason behind the postponement is the latest controversy involving T-ara, former member Ryu Hwayoung and her twin sister Ryu Hyoyoung.
In the recent episode of tvN's "Taxi," Hwayoung and Hyoyoung opened up about T-ara's scandal from 2012, putting the six-member girl group back into the spotlight. Due to the timing of the incident, preparations for Jiyeon's solo debut were put on hold until everything calms down again. Her label does not want fans to mistake that the idol-turned-actress is using the controversy to promote her solo album.
"It is true that we have delayed Jiyeon's solo album release," MBK Entertainment said in a statement obtained by Korean newsoutlet Star News, as cited by Korea Boo. "We believe this is not the correct time to release an album. We are willing to take our time and wait as currently, there seems to be a lot more interest in things others than music."
This comes weeks after Jiyeon has confirmed reports that she and actor Lee Dong Gun have called it quits after two years together. The two have decided to end their romance because their respective busy schedules keep getting in the way, Soompi has learned.
Jiyeon and Lee met through the Korean-Chinese film "Encounter." Their romance was then introduced to the public in mid-2015 after they were caught holding hands while out for a walk in South Korea.
For now, check out the official music video for Jiyeon's "Never Ever" here:
