Inside Jinni’s shock departure from new K-pop group NMixx, just three days after its Loewe fashion campaign launched and within a year of debuting – some fans think JYP is to blame

Dec 16 , 2022

NMixx was announced to be Loewe’s new ambassadors back in September. Photo: @Loewe/Twitter

After announcing NMixx as its first group global ambassador in September, together with Tang Wei and after Hyuna, Loewe released its Y2K-style campaign featuring the girls on December 6

Three days later, JYP said that Jinni had quit – the six remaining members performed at Asia Artist Awards without her and rumours abound of NMixx’s stiff competition with Le Sserafim, NewJeans and Ive

When a K-pop group or idol lands an endorsement gig with a top luxury fashion brand, it’s often considered a big win for both parties involved.

For industry newcomers NMixx, the girls hit the jackpot scoring a deal as the first group global ambassadors for Spanish fashion house Loewe, with the brand releasing its new spring/summer 2023 pre-collection campaign on December 6. The collection was conceived by creative director Jonathan Anderson and showcased Y2K styles worn by NMixx’s then seven members.

However, just three days after the release of the campaign, the group’s company JYP Entertainment announced that Jinni, one of NMixx’s members, would be leaving the group due to “personal circumstances”, much to the shock of many fans.

So, what will happen to the group now?

Who is NMixx?

Girl group NMixx attends a red carpet event at the Mama Awards in Osaka, on November 29. Photo: AFP

NMixx was launched by JYP Entertainment in February this year. The “N” in its name stands for “new, now, next” and “mixx” refers to the group’s diversity, according to K-pop Fandom. The initial seven members were Jinni, Jiwoo, Kyujin, Sullyoon, Bae, Haewon and Lily, with their ages ranging from 17 to 20.

As the youngest girl group sisters of K-pop giants Twice and Itzy, plus with JYP being a famous star-making factory for girl groups, the members of NMixx gained a lot of attention even before their debut.

Jiwoo, Kyujin and Jinni‘s dance cover video before their debut received a lot of attention. Photo: JYP

Back in August last year, JYP released a dance cover video featuring the first three members who were initially selected for the new girl group: Jinni, Jiwoo and Kyujin. Their dance was praised by many K-pop fans and drummed up a lot of anticipation for the new group.