Chuu is no longer a member of the K-pop girl group LOONA, and the events surrounding the exit have raised eyebrows in Korea’s media and music industry.

BlockBerryCreative, the K-pop girl group’s label, announced through LOONA’s online “fan cafe” on Friday that Chuu had been expelled and withdrawn from the 12-member outfit. The fan cafe post is only available to subscribers of the Korean site, but local media widely shared the news and statement. In the report, the agency cited an investigation that found Chuu using “violent language” and “misuse of power toward staff” (as shared by translations from Soompi).

BlockBerryCreative and Chuu’s relationship has been a source of concern among fans and prone to media speculation in the past year.

In the spring, rumors surfaced that Chuu took legal action in 2021 to cut parts of her exclusive contract with BlockBerryCreative. By summertime, the stories evolved to Chuu joining a new management label and setting up her own agency. BlockBerryCreative denied any management changes. Still, the 23-year-old did not participate in LOONA’s world tour that visited North America, Europe and Asia from August to October this year or their recent Japanese single “Luminous.” Chuu has stayed busy, with many television appearances, growing a YouTube channel, and releasing solo singles as LOONA’s most visible member.

In the spring, Chuu was rumored to have taken legal action in 2021 to cut parts of her exclusive contract with BlockBerryCreative. By summertime, the stories ranged from Chuu joining a new management label to setting up an agency all on her own. BlockBerryCreative denied that she was transferring management. Still, the 23-year-old did not take part in LOONA’s world tour that visited North America, Europe and Asia from August to October of this year, or their recent Japanese single “Luminous.” Chuu has stayed busy, with many television appearances, growing a YouTube channel and releasing solo singles as LOONA’s most visible member.

On Nov. 28, BlockBerryCreative followed up with another statement saying that the expulsion was not in retaliation. The label said it’s up to the parties involved to share specific evidence. It asked the media to refrain from speculative reporting, after noting articles that doubted BlockBerryCreative’s claims and intentions.

Billboard repeatedly reached out to a BlockBerryCreative representative for comment as the stories unfolded. The rep confirmed Chuu’s removal from LOONA and pointed to previously shared statements.

Several K-pop stars and industry professionals have shown public support for Chuu. Singer Sunmi posted a selfie of her with Chuu after the expulsion news dropped, while Korean music journalist Joy Park shared her memories of Chuu and a signed LOONA album on her Twitter account. Kim Do Heon, another Korean music critic, criticized BlockBerryCreative’s statement through a Twitter post.

For her part, Chuu shared a short statement through an Instagram Story post. On Monday, the star wrote that she was not contacted about nor does she know anything about the recent events. She shared that she would release another statement soon but told fans she hadn’t done anything they would disapprove of.

Another report surfaced on Monday saying that nine of the remaining 11 LOONA members (Heejin, Haseul, Yeojin, Kim Lip, Jinsoul, Choerry, Yves, Go Won and Olivia Hye) were taking legal action to break their contracts with BlockBerryCreative. The agency dismissed the rumor. A BlockBerryCreative representative told Billboard that the report is “groundless.”

LOONA (whose Korean name translates to “Girl of the Month”) began their journey in 2016 with the ambitious plan of introducing each member with her own solo music and splinter units between the members before all 12 members finally came together in August 2018 for the [+ +] EP. LOONA has since earned multiple entries on World Albums and even sent their [12:00] album to the Billboard 200. The group hit No. 1 on World Digital Song Sales with their songs “365” and “Shake It” and also became one of the few K-pop acts to enter the Pop Airplay chart with an English single, “Star.”

Jessie James Decker recently enjoyed a vacation in Mexico with her family, and like many parents, shared some adorable photos of her kids having fun in the sun on Instagram. However, the “I Still Love You” singer received some backlash, with critics claiming that she photoshopped the children’s visible abs or even accusing her and husband Eric Decker of “overtraining” their kids.

In a follow-up post on Monday (Nov. 28), Jessie addressed the “bonkers” accusations. “Being accused of photoshopping abs on my kids (I can’t help but laugh) or … the polar opposite over ‘overtraining’ our kids makes me realize how bizarre our world has gotten regarding the body and what’s normal and what’s not,” she captioned a series of videos of the couple’s three children — eight-year-old Vivianne, seven-year-old Eric Jr. and four-year-old Forrest — playing outside on the same vacation.

“We preach about body positivity and acceptance but my kids having a mass amount of genetic and built muscle from athletics is ‘weird’?” she continued. “I want to raise my kids to feel proud of their bodies and hard work from either Vivis elite competitive gymnastics to Eric Jr wanting to be like dad as an NFL receiver to little Forrest who spends hours dancing his heart out. Let’s not pick and choose what we normalize regarding bodies and be accepting of all people and children. If we wanna do ‘better’ then do better. I’m proud of my children and encourage them to live their dreams. So we’ll see y’all at the 2032 Olympics, and wearing Bubbys jersey in the stands and dancing at Forrests rock concert.”

Jessie’s husband and NFL wide receiver Eric commented on the post in support, writing, “U get mama bear [raised hands emoji] [lion emoji].”

See her post below.

Alexander “Al” Mair, Canadian music industry pioneer, one-time manager of Gordon Lightfoot and co-founder of successful indie label Attic Records, died Nov. 25 at Toronto’s Sunnybrook Hospital of cancer. He was 82. 

Former publicist and indie promoter Richard Flohil broke the news about his long-time friend’s passing on Friday, posting on Facebook that Mair “was a kind and generous man who will be missed — and always remembered — by his family and the organizations and individuals whom he helped and mentored. Al was always one of the good ones.” 

Mair’s son, Sebastian Mair — who followed his dad into the music industry and now lives in Japan where he co-founded Music Solutions — tells Billboard, “My father was passionate in his love for music and championing Canadian culture. He was a mentor to many people in the global music industry, including myself. My family and I miss him very much.” 

In June, Mari was named an appointee of the Order of Canada, the country’s highest honor bestowed upon a citizen, “for his visionary and enduring contributions to the Canadian music industry.” On Nov. 22, Ontario Lieutenant-Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell presented him with the medal in his hospital room. 

Among other industry recognitions, Mair was inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame in 2014 during Canadian Music Week and received the Builder Award from the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) in 2016. 

In a statement released Monday, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (CARAS) noted that Mair was “foundational in establishing industry infrastructure” in Canada. Allan Reid, president & CEO of CARAS/The JUNO Awards, who worked alongside Mair and his team at Attic Records for many years as part of the A&M family of labels, added, “Al was a pioneer in the Canadian music industry and helped shape the landscape as we know it today. I’m saddened to hear of his loss and my heart goes out to his loved ones.” 

Mair got his start in music in the 1950s when he was still a teenager, working at a record store and deejaying at dances and weddings. His first industry job was at Capitol Records overseeing royalty payments, followed by roles at London Records and Compo Company. He next joined United Artists, promoting such acts as Gordon Lightfoot and The Irish Rovers. In 1968, he began managing Lightfoot, a relationship that lasted until 1976.  

In 1974, Mair co-founded Attic Records with former Warner exec Tom Williams. Over its nearly three-decade run, the label’s roster included Triumph, Anvil, Lee Aaron, The Nylons, Teenage Head, Patsy Gallant, Hagood Hardy and rapper Maestro Fresh Wes, Canada’s first Black artist to go platinum. The company also distributed such international acts as Creed, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Jennifer Warnes and Katrina and the Waves. Its publishing division represented the Canadian rights to such acts as The Beatles, Elton John, Genesis, ABBA, James Brown and The Cars. 

In 1984, Mair bought out Williams’ stake in Attic and, after running it solo for the next 15 years, sold the label to newly formed The Song Corporation in 1999. Song Corp. declared bankruptcy in 2001, and Attic’s Canadian catalog and masters are now owned by Unidisc Music.  

According to a press release announcing Mair’s induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, Attic Records boasted sales of over $100 million in Canada and scored over 100 gold, platinum and multi-platinum albums in Canada, the U.S., U.K., Holland and Japan.

Mair was remembered by those across the industry as news of his death began to circulate. A Facebook post by female-owned Six Shooter Records paid tribute to Mair as a mentor and called him “a giant in our music community. A true builder. Staunchly independent and staunchly Canadian, he was a leader in helping to build our infrastructure through CIMA (then known as CIRPA) to create tools like Cancon and FACTOR so that a domestic industry was able to take root and grow.”  

Others who paid tribute on Facebook included songwriter and publisher Vince Degiorgio, who praised Mair as a “trailblazer and legend,” while publicist and author Kevin Shea called him “a visionary leader [and] a wonderful boss.” Also on Facebook, Cadence Music Group vp of artist and label relations Linda Bush called him “more than a mentor to me, he was my industry Dad. His constant encouragement and critiques really gave me the confidence to turn a music obsession into a career.” In his own Facebook post, Curve Music founder Brian Hetherman added that Mair was ”a building block of the Canadian music industry,” who “not only gave me some of the best advice about starting a label I have ever had, he walked me through all the things I needed to do to survive.” 

After selling off Attic Records, Mair remained active in the music industry as a consultant. During this period, he became known for filling friends’ Facebook Messenger inboxes with links to the latest industry news and amusing tidbits. Over the last couple of years, a select number of his industry colleagues were invited for one-on-one chats at his local Shenanigans restaurant while indulging in a chocolate sundae, including Flohil, Greek-Canadian guitarist Pavlo and former Warner Music Canada vp Steve Waxman. 

“They actually took the chocolate sundae off the menu last week but I’m trying to get it reinstated,” Mair wrote after musician Pavlo posted a photo of the two of them at Shenanigans. It’s unclear whether he achieved that particular mission, though there are few executives who can rival his achievements in the Canadian music business. 

In a comment on Flohil’s Facebook post, Mair’s daughter, Jen Mair – a publicist at the National Film Board of Canada – noted that no funeral service will be held. “We will scatter his ashes as he wanted, and my brother and I have talked about doing some kind of celebration of life next year…stay tuned,” she wrote.