Jihyo, leader of K-pop group Twice. [Herald Muse]
Jihyo, leader of K-pop group Twice. [Herald Muse]

Jihyo, leader of K-pop group Twice, is leaving JYP Entertainment after 21 years to launch her own agency and begin a new chapter as an independent artist.

On Wednesday, Jihyo posted a handwritten letter on Instagram alongside a video of herself as a trainee, announcing that she was "wrapping up the journey" with JYP that had begun in her childhood.

"Trying to sum up 21 years in a few sentences is harder than I expected," she wrote. "From childhood through my teenage years and into adulthood, I spent most of the moments of my life at JYP."

"There were good days and days that weren't, but one thing is certain — all of that time has made me who I am today," she added. "I sincerely thank everyone at JYP who stayed by my side for so long and helped me grow."

Her new company is named EMITHAUS.

"Going independent feels less like a conclusion to the time I've lived through and more like a choice about how I want to live going forward," Jihyo said. "Like the word 'emit' — to radiate outward — I want to freely explore even the possibilities in myself that I have yet to discover."

EMITHAUS plans to begin with Jihyo's solo activities and expand into discovering and signing other artists, broadening its scope across music and content.

Jihyo was clear that the move does not signal a break from Twice. "This choice does not mean farewell to the team I have been with for so long. Twice is an irreplaceable and precious part of my life," she said. "I want to keep sharing the stage with the members and continue building the time we create together for a long time to come."

She also expressed gratitude to the group's fandom. "I thank all of Once — the Twice fandom — who have believed in me and watched over me for the past 11 years," she wrote.

Jihyo joined JYP in 2005 and spent roughly a decade as a trainee before debuting with Twice in 2015. She has served as the group's leader and main vocalist, and in 2023 expanded her career as a solo singer with her first solo album, "Zone."


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