Zico Departs Block B; Plans To Have Solo Comeback Next Year
Zico is no longer part of Block B. The Korean artist did not renew his contract with Seven Seasons and ended his time with both the agency and his band.
Seven Seasons has confirmed reports about Zico's departure. The label thanked the singer for standing up as a leader of his group as well as a music producer.
"We have recently come to an agreement to end our exclusive contract with Zico, who has been with us the past 5 years... We are thankful to Zico, who was not only the leader of the group but also the producer, for working so hard. We wish him good luck on his new journey, and we will be cheering him on," Seven Seasons said in a statement.
Reports indicate that after leaving Block B, Zico will take a brief hiatus from promotions to work on his own music in preparation for his comeback as a solo artist. Apparently, Zico plans to make his solo debut next year. So far, he has released two solo albums: the Gallery in 2015 and Television last year.
Zico has produced all of Block B's albums along with member Kyung. He, however, is not only the leader and producer for Block B. He is also their main rapper and a vocalist.
Zico also served as music producers to some TV shows including MNET's Wanna One Go Season 3: X-CON. He likewise created the song "Kangaroo" for the Wanna One subunit Triple Position.
The rapper is a multi-awarded artist. He had won several awards as a solo act. Last year, he took home the Artist Award from the Korea Music Copyright Association and also won the Best Male Artist award from the 2017 Mnet Asian Music Award.
Meanwhile, Seven Seasons announced that since the military enlistment of each Block B member varies, they will be focusing on their solo or unit promotions from now on. The six remaining members are Taeil, B-Bomb, Jaehyo, U-Kwon, Park Kyung, and P.O. The band currently has two subunits. The Bastarz which consists of U-Kwon, B-Bomb, and P.O and T2U that is made up of U-Kwon and Taeil.
Block B debuted in April 2011 under Stardom Entertainment. In early 2013, the group filed a lawsuit against their agency reportedly for failing to fulfill what stated in their contract. Block B, however, lost in the case. They, later on, decided to leave Stardom and signed a new contract with Seven Seasons.
Block B made their comeback earlier this year with Re: MONTAGE, a repackaged version of their previous album, Montage. The title track of the album, "Don't Leave," was a ballad produced by Kyung.