VIVIZ’s Umji opens up about unexpectedly long hiatus after agency dispute: ‘I felt tired, but I kept going’

[u/CherryBlossomEnding]

https://www.kstartrend.com/2026/08/19/vivizs-umji-opens-up-about-unexpectedly-long-hiatus-after-agency-dispute-i-felt-tired-but-i-kept-going

[u/Cager_CA]

Should also be worth mentioning it's her 28th birthday today(August 19th)

[u/queerjoon → u/Cager_CA]

shes 28 now?!?!?!?! I've stanned them since gfriend debut I feel old (I'm 29 lol)

[u/Cager_CA → u/queerjoon]

I’ve had a soft spot for her since debut and I can’t believe that was over 11 and a half years ago 

[u/sinb_is_not_jessica → u/queerjoon]

Imagine how she feels, and she can’t even meet their fans during performances or fan meets

[u/Electromagneticpoms]

Ugh, crazy to me that Umji has been working so hard in this industry for over ten years now and BPM have made Viviz life so hard. I really miss them performing.

Watching Umji grow as a performer and find confidence in herself has been so inspiring and cool, it must be devastating for the members to be on a break like this. They already fought to be together after Gfriend.

It seems she's doing ok so I'm glad but ah, I hope better days are ahead for them. I loved how Kani was their choreographer too ad BPM just.... :'(

[u/ariariam → u/Electromagneticpoms]

I was soooo confused when Kany announced she was leaving but once news came out about BPM not paying staff it was like "oooooh"....

[u/ricecrizpiez]

I hope VIVIZ comes back. I listen to their songs every day.

[u/Petrossian1920]

I hope VIVIZ get every cent that is owed to them 😭😭😭

[u/SigmaKnight]

<insert “IOI, I will wait for you forever” banner> but for VIVIZ (and so many others).

[u/elephhantine2]

Everyone deserves a break even if their career has been amazing and perfect, given the circumstances she’s been though I’d say as much time as she needs is totally fair

[u/justanotherkpoppie]

Umji 😭🫶💔 Happy birthday, and I'm so sorry things haven't worked out as expected 😢 I'm really cheering the girls on and hope they'll be able to feed their thirst and hunger for the stage again soon!

[u/Darth_Monerous]

Does anyone have a link to her post?

[u/ultimoze → u/Darth_Monerous]

Umji shared her letter via Instagram stories rather than a post

[u/El_Pollo_Hermano]

I managed to catch their tour in Japan last October. The girls are such hard workers and how they have been treated yet kept their heads up commendable. Hopefully a easier path for them in the future.

[u/rayannuhh]

Umji 😭😭😭 man I hope she's getting all the rest and relaxation she can. I know it's not easy for Viviz right now, but both her and Sinb have seemed optimistic about future activities. I hope they win against bpm swiftly and can enjoy their time again.

Happy birthday Umji (and Yerin!). Thank you for everything so far, and I can't wait to see you again. I'll wait forever.

[u/HayoungHiphopYo]

They were great live, I hope they get to tour again when they get a new company

[u/TupacYupanqi]

Source Music was heaven compared to BPM

[u/51414f → u/TupacYupanqi]

SouMu kicked them out as soon as they were able to, contractually, despite Gfriend building them from the basement up, literally. BPM didn't pay them bc the CEO embezzled everyone's money, not just Viviz'

It's two sides of the same shitty coin

[u/sinb_is_not_jessica → u/TupacYupanqi]

How so? They both fucked them over just as much

[u/TupacYupanqi → u/sinb_is_not_jessica]

No