On May 10 KST, SM Entertainment officially announced the departure of member Lucas from NCT and WayV.
SM Entertainment stated on this day,
"Hello, this is SM Entertainment.
We notify you regarding the future activities of our artist Lucas.
As a result of a serious discussion between Lucas and the agency, it has been decided that Lucas will leave NCT and WayV, and instead pursue solo activities. The decision was reached based on the belief that it was the best option to respect the other members and the fans, and thus, we ask for the understanding of all fans who have supported Lucas as a member of NCT and WayV.
From now on, Lucas will promote actively through various individual pursuits.
We would like to deliver our thanks to the fans for their endless love toward our artists, and ask that you continue to show your attention and support.
Thank you."
Previously, Lucas became embroiled in multiple controversies related to his personal life, such as cheating during his relationships and gaslighting.
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This is seemingly out of the blue, but when you consider all that's been going on both within SM as well as amongst Lucas fans and antifans, this move makes sense. For starters- they made a HUGE investment in him, he had specific visuals they wanted and even despite his scandals he still had/has a large following, so SM wasn't going to just let that potential revenue walk away, especially now that the Chinese market is softly opening again. However, given the internal struggles SM has been going through, it's no shock that final decisions on a comeback for Lucas (within his groups or as a soloist) were up in the air for a long time. We also have to remember that SM was giving hints as well as MULTIPLE basic feelers for him for a while now, and I believe all these were to truly gage the market to see if and when it would be possible to bring him back. While the outcry to return him was strong, the backlash and reminiscent cancellation was also just as swift.
Combine that with all the internal struggles which affected ALL the artists at SM entertainment, and it's no wonder this comeback took so long. It's why they gave pictures of him training, but would also give hints about potential of him remaining with NCT- I don't believe they were able to make a final decision due both to internal struggles as well as the impossible task of determining whether or not fans would flock to or leave any groups with which Lucas was associated when he came back. I think now that things have started to quiet down, they decided it was now or never. While his support is still large and stands to give great monetary benefits, it's also unreliable in terms of returning him to his former groups, especially considering he's been on hiatus for so long. Fans will be reasonable upset by this, but in the end this was the safest course of action to get him working and back in the public eye after being gone for so long. I wish him well, because regardless of his support this will not be a smooth road for him.
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