LE SSERAFIM's Sakura has been active in the Korean music industry for a long time and has built a huge fanbase for herself.
However, fans claimed that she was not promoted by her previous agency Off The Record as much as she should have been.
Recently, fans have also called out HYBE labels for specifically not promoting Sakura in Korea as they should've done. Fans have taken to social media sites to complain that she has not been supported by Hybe labels or Source music for her solo jobs in Korea at all.
This they claimed, has not been the case with other members of the group.
Fans call out HYBE for not promoting LE SSERAFIM's Sakura like the others
Netizens defend Hybe for focusing only on group promos instead of Sakura's solo jobs
Many fans also spoke up to defend HYBE's decision to support the group together instead of letting them pursue solo careers due to the recent controversy with former member Kim Garam.
HYBE supporters hailed the decision to ensure that the group as a whole did not have to go through unnecessary harassment from media and agencies at a time when their presence in the Korean industry was not completely established.
About Sakura, the Japanese sensation in K-pop group LE SSERAFIM
LE SSERAFIM's Sakura is a Japanese singer-songwriter, actress and model under Source Music and A.M. Entertainment. She is a former member of the project girl group IZ*ONE and the Japanese idol girl groups HKT48 and AKB48.
In 2018, she participated in Mnet's survival show Produce 48. She finished the competition in second place, thus becoming a member of IZ*ONE. The group officially debuted in 2018 with the mini album Color*IZ and its title track, La Vie En Rose.
In 2021, it was announced that Sakura would be launching her own cosmetics line called 'CRAN' in partnership with the Japanese color contact lens brand 'MOLAK'. Product sales began in December of the same year. 50,000 products from the line were reported to have been sold in just one week.
In March 2022, it was announced that Sakura and IZ*ONE's former groupmate Chaewon had officially signed to Source Music and would be debuting in their upcoming girl group, LE SSERAFIM.
In March 2022, media outlets reported that Sakura had signed with Japanese agency A.M. Entertainment to manage her solo activities in Japan.
Sakura is also the new model for the LILY BROWN brand and has launched her own clothing collection in partnership with the brand.
LE SSERAFIM is a South Korean girl group formed by Source Music and Hybe Corporation. The group consists of five members: Sakura, Kim Chae-won, Huh Yun-jin, Kazuha and Hong Eun-chae. Originally a sextet, Kim Ga-ram was removed from the group on July 20, 2022, after the termination of her exclusive contract. The K-pop group debuted on May 2, 2022, with the release of their first EP FEARLESS.
The group is now gearing up for the release of their second EP, ANTIFRAGILE.