Joel Pimentel is leaving CNCO to move on to a new chapter of his career, Billboard has learned.

The band announced Pimentel’s departure on Sunday (May 9) with a statement posted in Spanish and English. His last official appearance with CNCO will be at a livestreaming concert this Friday (May 14).

“We’re sad to tell you that after five and a half unforgettable and life changing years together, Friday, May 14th will be Joel’s last day as a member of CNCO,” the group, who just released the covers album Déjà Vu in February, wrote on Twitter. “We want you all to know that while Joel is leaving and will be pursuing new opportunities, we are and will always be brothers. We support him in his next chapter, and will always, most importantly, remain a family.”

“We know this news is saddening and is going to be as hard for all of you as it is for us,” they said, addressing the band’s future, “but we appreciate you sticking with us. While it will be different, we are so excited to continue into this new era of CNCO, and can’t wait for all of you to see what we have in store for you!”

CNCO wrote, “You guys are what keep us going and have us so excited to continue together stronger than ever. For that reason, we wanted to give you a final gift all together. On Friday, we will perform, the five of us, one last time for our global livestream concert event.”

Pimentel retweeted the note on his Twitter account and updated fans with some words of his own.

“It’s time for me to grow an explore new artistic avenues, it’s time to start building my own path and career. This is why I’ve decided to leave the band,” the Mexican-American artist explained.

“To Erick, Chris, Richard and Zabdiel, I truly wish you the best as you continue on with the CNCO legacy,” wrote Pimentel. “We’ve lived through so much together that we’re family now.”

He added, “I can’t wait to share my new project with y’all. This is just a new beginning.”

See their posts below.

The opening number of Global Citizen’s Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite the World was especially sentimental. Jennifer Lopez treated the crowd to a live cover of “Sweet Caroline” — a touching performance not only dedicated to her mother, but also featuring her.

“When I was thinking about what song to sing tonight, I remembered the song she used to sing to me as a baby,” J. Lo told the crowd after explaining that she missed spending Christmas with her during the pandemic.

She then introduced her vaccinated mother to the stage to help her out with the Neil Diamond classic she would sing to her as a baby.

“When I used to rock you,” her mom sweetly said, “I would say, ‘Sweet Jennifer.’”

Vax Live was put on with the mission to seek wider, more equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines around the world, with the help of some big stars.

The Selena Gomez-hosted fundraising event aired on May 8 on ABC, ABC News Live, CBS, YouTube (stream it here) and iHeartMedia broadcast radio stations.

NCT 127 were thrilled to bring “Kick It” to Global Citizen’s streaming Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite the World.

“Get ready for a new level of visual art with our powerful song, Kick It!! It was a thrill for us to perform this stage while having the AR do its thing and putting twist to the performance. Excited to finally let you guys see it!!” the group tweeted just before the show streamed on Saturday night (May 8).

NCT 127 owned the stage with their smooth performance and slick choreography, all a part of the fundraising concert that was put together to address the widespread need for more equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines around the world.

Vax Live, led by host Selena Gomez, was broadcast on May 8 on ABC, ABC News Live, CBS, YouTube (via the extended stream here) and iHeartMedia radio stations.

Watch NCT 127’s full performance on YouTube below.