Girl Group’s Agency Gives Fans The Worst Christmas Present Ever

A rookie girl group’s fans may want to send urgent letters to Santa Claus to ask for one more present this year.

ME:I is an 11-member Japanese girl group that was formed through the survival audition program PRODUCE 101 JAPAN THE GIRLS. They debuted in April 2024 under the label LAPONE GIRLS. On December 22, LAPONE GIRLS broke the news that major changes will soon be made to ME:I’s lineup.

The contracts for four members–Ran, Cocoro, Shizuku, and Kokona–will end on December 31, leaving ME:I with seven remaining members.

The agency’s sudden announcement has given fans less than two weeks to say goodbye to the departing members. LAPONE GIRLS apologized for the sudden announcement but did not provide any details about the members’ final activities or ME:I’s future promotions.

However, what is known is that three of the four soon-to-be-former members, Cocoro, Ran, and Shizuku, paused their group activities earlier in the year due to health issues, while Kokona performed as usual with the rest of ME:I.

Fans have reportedly speculated that Shizuku’s previous rule-breaking, which was announced in a statement in October, may have factored into ME:I’s restructuring.