February 28, 2023, brings the uneventful news announcement about Rocky (Park Min-hyuk) leaving the K-pop boy group ASTRO. The fans of the group, i.e. AROHAs are devastated to say the least and already using Twitter and other social media to cope with the sad happenings of the day. Just five days ago, on February 23, the group members celebrated their 7th debut anniversary, however, now that Rocky’s contract with the company has terminated, he’s decided not to go ahead with a renewal, and will rather be bidding farewell to this part of his journey as an artist.
The six member group debuted in 2016 with the mini album titled Spring Up, and last came out with the third full album Drive to the Starry Road in May 2022 collectively. Ever since then, special unit or solo activities have continued as MJ, one of the six members headed out for his mandatory military service tenure. His contract discussions are yet to be concluded, which will further decide his fate as a fellow member of the South Korean music act as well.
For now, hoping that MJ renews his stint with the music label Fantagio, the group will move ahead as a five member act with JinJin (Leader), Cha Eun-woo, Moon Bin, Yoon San-ha and MJ. The other four members (except MJ) have already renewed their terms with the agency and confirmed their status in the group.
Rocky took to his Fancafe account earlier and shared his thoughts on the matter, while also conveying his thanks to the fans for having stayed with him for so long, especially since he contributed nearly 14 years of his life to the band’s name (training and post-debut). He apologised for not being able to relay good news, and also took a moment to recount all the memories he’s shared with the members till now in his farewell letter.
On the other hand, Fantagio’s letter, that broke the news to AROHAs, concluded by stating that the group will follow a five-member system and the existing members will focus on the group, unit and solo activities. Whereas, the label will support them through it all so that they can stay as active as possible in the industry through various channels. This letter ended with the agency asking the fans to support the group members in future as well.
Despite all the warming notes that were shared, it’s going to take quite some time for the fans to come to terms with this groundbreaking change, especially since Rocky played such a significant role in building the boy group’s musical identity over the years. Here are some responses shared by AROHAs on Twitter following the announcement, as for them, the OT6 agenda will live on in their memories.
Fan Reactions to Rocky’s Departure From ASTRO
Have you been a long time fan of the group? What are your thoughts on this news? Let us know how you feel in the comments section below.
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It’s the worst news I’ve ever had… I really can’t believe it until now I wish someone would tell us it was just a bad joke ????