Red Velvet’s Joy reportedly moving on from SM Entertainment

According to the report, Joy is exploring new opportunities and has been meeting with agencies that specialise in actor management.

Red Velvet's Joy is reportedly preparing to leave SM Entertainment as her contract nears its expiration. Joy has been an integral part of Red Velvet since her official introduction as the fourth member on July 29, 2014. The news, first reported by Star News, has sparked widespread speculation about her future in the entertainment industry.

According to the report, Joy is exploring new opportunities and has been meeting with agencies that specialise in actor management. This move hints at a potential shift in her career focus towards acting. Despite these reports, SM Entertainment has not officially confirmed Joy's departure. In a brief statement to Xportnews, the agency mentioned that discussions regarding her contract renewal are still ongoing.

SM Entertainment had previously announced the re-signing of Red Velvet members Seulgi in August 2023 and Irene in February 2024. However, there have been no announcements regarding the contract renewals of Joy, Yeri, or Wendy. Given that Red Velvet debuted in August 2014, it is presumed that the members unofficially renewed their contracts after the maximum exclusive contract period of seven years, as established by the Fair Trade Commission, expired in 2021.

In June, Joy publicly expressed her frustration with SM Entertainment. She highlighted the lack of comeback articles for Red Velvet compared to other artists and pointed out that Red Velvet is the only SM group without a Japanese fan club.

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In 2020, Joy made history as the first SM Entertainment female artist without a solo debut to receive a Bonsang (Main Prize) nomination. The following year, she became the first SM female soloist to be nominated for the Album of the Year Daesang (Grand Prize) at the Melon Music Awards.

Joy's journey with Red Velvet began after two years of training when a vocal coach gave her the stage name Joy. Unlike her bandmates, she was not introduced as part of SM Rookies, the pre-debut training team created by SM Entertainment. Red Velvet debuted in August 2014 with the digital single Happiness and quickly established themselves as one of South Korea's most powerful celebrities. They received recognition from Forbes Korea Power Celebrity in 2018 and 2019 and gained global popularity, with Billboard recognising them as one of the most popular K-pop groups worldwide.