KG of American K-pop group VCHA leaving because of 'abuse and mistreatment' by label's staff; JYP calls claims 'false'
Keira Grace Madder, also known by her stage name KG Crown, announced the lawsuit and her departure from the K-pop sextet on her Instagram story on Sunday (Dec 8). On Monday, the group's agency JYP USA responded by calling the singer's claims "false and exaggerated".
KG Crown (left) was part of VCHA, an American girl group based in Los Angeles formed by JYP Entertainment and Republic Records. (Photo: JYP Entertainment)
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KG Crown, a member of the all-American K-pop act VCHA, announced on Sunday (Dec 8) that she is exiting the band following "incidents of abuse and mistreatment" from certain employees at her agency JYP Entertainment.
In her announcement posted on her Instagram story, the 17-year-old, whose real name is Keira Grace Madder, added that she filed a lawsuit against the agency at the Los Angeles Superior Court on Dec 6.
"I made this decision back in May and am still waiting for release from my contract," she said on her Instagram story.
The singer added that she does not hold any individuals responsible, believing that "this is an issue that lies deep, embedded in the K-pop industry".
"I am not in support of working and living conditions that led a member to attempt suicide, nor do I support an environment that encourages eating disorders and has caused members to self-harm," she said.
JYP'S RESPONSE TO KG'S CLAIMS
On Dec 9, JYP USA issued a statement in English and Korean on X addressing KG's allegations, describing them as "false and exaggerated". The agency denied the US-born singer's claims of abuse and mistreatment of VCHA members by JYP Entertainment.
JYP USA further stated that KG's actions have "caused significant harm to the other members of VCHA and JYP USA who have been working diligently on their upcoming album and projects for early 2025".
The rest of the members are Lexi, Camila, Savanna, Kendall and Kaylee.
In the statement, the agency also said that KG left the group residence in May, leading to a temporary suspension of VCHA's scheduled activities.
"We have not received any response from KG’s representatives, leaving our legal representatives awaiting further communication," the agency said.
"JYP USA will take all necessary measures to protect the other members of VCHA and the agency from further harm caused by this situation," the statement concluded.
VCHA is a collaborative project between JYP Entertainment, the South Korean company behind popular artistes like TWICE, Stray Kids and ITZY, and Republic Records, a prominent US-based label representing stars such as Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande.
This all-American girl group was formed through A2K (America2Korea), a girl-group audition programme jointly organised by the two agencies from July to September 2023.
