Vcha (Korean: 비춰; RR: Bichwo; stylized in all caps) is an American girl group based in Los Angeles formed by JYP Entertainment and Republic Records through the reality competition show A2K. The group consists of five members: Camila, Lexi, Kendall, Savanna, and Kaylee.[1] Originally a six-piece ensemble, former member KG announced her departure from the group on December 7, 2024, citing abuse and mistreatment by staff, resulting in the temporary suspension of group activities.[2]
Name
Vcha is derived from the Korean word "비춰" (RR: Bichwo), which translates to "to shine upon" or "to illuminate."[3][4] The name references the group's purpose to illuminate and inspire fans around the world.[5] Fans of Vcha are known as "Vlights," styled in all caps.
A2K was a 2023 American reality competition show. A2K is also the short form for "America to Korea." The series was a collaborative project between JYP Entertainment and Republic Records, with the goal of forming the first American girl group using the K-pop system, intended for a global audience.[6][7] Following A2K's bootcamp in Los Angeles and the group's formation, Vcha spent months training for debut at JYPE's Seoul headquarters.[4]
Their pre-debut extended play, SeVit (New Light), was released on September 22, 2023, supported by the lead single "Y.O.Universe".[8] On September 23, 2023, they performed this song on Show! Music Core as their first public performance.[9]
Their second pre-debut single, "Ready for the World," originally the A2K theme song, was released on December 1, 2023.[10]
2024: Debut, KG's departure & lawsuit
Debut
The group's official debut single, "Girls of the Year", with b-side "XO Call Me", was released on January 26, 2024.[11] In January 2024, it was announced that the group would perform as the opening act of Twice's Ready to Be World Tour in São Paulo, Mexico City, and Las Vegas for a total of five shows.[12][13][14] On March 10, it was announced that member Kaylee would be taking a hiatus due to a health condition.[15][better source needed] The group's second single, "Only One" and b-side "Favorite Girl," was released on March 15.[16][17][18]
In May 2024, Vcha had its first cover story as part of Teen Vogue's Girl Group Week.[4] The members revealed that in January 2024, they moved into a house in Los Angeles together and share rooms in duos, a practice common among K-pop groups.[citation needed]
Vcha was originally set to make their first music festival appearance at Lollapalooza on August 2, 2024. However, the festival announced in July that they were no longer performing due to "unforeseen circumstances".[19][4]
KG's departure and lawsuit
On December 7, 2024, KG announced that she had decided to terminate her contract with JYP Entertainment and leave Vcha, citing "incidents of abuse and mistreatment by certain staff members".[20] She filed a lawsuit against JYP USA at the Los Angeles Superior Court on December 6.[21][22] According to KBS News and Hankyung, she said in her statement that, although she endured high-intensity work and extreme restrictions on her personal life, she received little salary and ended up in debt. She later stated that she did not want to blame anyone but the industry and also attributed her decision to leave to controversial issues in the industry, including a member's suicide attempt and the development of eating disorders. She closed her statement by saying that she hopes her decision to leave will help other trainees who are also struggling and that she would continue to work towards becoming a singer.[2][23] JYP later disputed her claims, citing them as "exaggerated", while also confirming the group's activities have been temporarily suspended as a result of the label's dispute with KG.[24]
