The fates of the members of the group FIFTY FIFTY have diverged significantly. While Keena received her first settlement and is preparing for the group's second phase, the former members (Saena, Sio, Aran) are facing a crisis due to a breach of contract, involving damage compensation and penalty charges.
Attrakt announced on the 19th that, "For the former members Saena, Sio, and Aran of FIFTY FIFTY, we have filed a civil lawsuit for damage compensation and penalty charges due to breach of contract. Furthermore, for the unfair termination of the contract actively participated by The Givers, An Seong-il, Baek Jin-sil, and the parents of the three members, we are claiming damages for joint illegal actions."
They estimated the claim amount to be 13 billion won, stating, "Although the damages and penalties were calculated to be in the hundreds of billions of won, considering the possibility of further damages during the lawsuit process, we initially filed the lawsuit with a partial claim at the stage of submitting the complaint."
FIFTY FIFTY gained attention by entering the Billboard Hot 100 chart at 100th place within 130 days of debuting with their first single album 'The Beginning: Cupid' released last February. As a non-major agency group achieving such success, they were known as the 'miracle of a small agency group.'
However, the miracle of FIFTY FIFTY was shattered when the members filed an application for suspension of the effectiveness of their exclusive contract against Attrakt last June. The members accused Attrakt of non-transparent settlement, forcing activities without considering their health, etc., claiming a breach of contract.
In response, Attrakt accused external forces of attempting to steal FIFTY FIFTY members and raised suspicions of tampering (pre-contractual contact during the exclusive contract period) by the outsourcing company The Givers. They then filed a lawsuit against three people, including The Givers' An Seong-il, for fraud, breach of trust, embezzlement, forgery of private documents, etc.
Although The Givers strongly denied the tampering allegations, public opinion turned against them as evidence unfavorable to The Givers and An Seong-il continued to emerge.
The court's decision was similar. It was difficult to see that Attrakt's obligations to provide settlement data and manage health were violated, and the court rejected the application and appeal for suspension of FIFTY FIFTY's exclusive contract effectiveness. In this process, only member Keena returned to Attrakt, and Attrakt announced the termination of the exclusive contract for the remaining three members.
The fates of Keena and the former three members have become completely different. Keena received her first revenue settlement on the 4th and is soaring high, attending the '2023 Billboard Music Awards' alone. In contrast, the former three members may have to pay for damages and penalties due to contract violation if they lose the lawsuit.
The FIFTY FIFTY case, which has been a hot topic in the music industry for the last six months, is now heading towards a new chapter with Attrakt's plans to present a new FIFTY FIFTY with Keena at the forefront, while the future of the former three members remains uncertain.
