Jae recently opened up about voluntarily leaving DAY6 in 2021.
On September 12, Jae appeared as a guest on the U.S. radio show Zach Sang Show, where he shared his thoughts on leaving the group. Jae, now active under the stage name eaJ, expressed that it is difficult for him to watch content related to DAY6. He said, "It reminds me of a lot of stuff. For a long time, it was hard for me to even go back to Korea because every time I'd land, there was this feeling of anxiety and just resettlement. I don't know what it was. It's gotten much better now."
In response to a question about DAY6's new album being named 'Fourever,' Jae admitted he felt slightly hurt. "My gut reaction was that [...] I don't think it was the band, but someone was trying to erase me out of the history of that," he expressed. "And it hurts because I literally gave up my career in Korea for that team. I fought tooth and nail to promote however I could, and now that I'm gone, they're trying to erase all that."
He surmised that the decision was in part 'closure' for JYP Entertainment, saying, "I feel like there was never any closure for them on that side, and that's not to the band members – that's more to the label. And if that's the closure that they need, then I guess so be it. It's still going to hurt a little bit, you know."
Meanwhile, Jae had left the group suddenly in December 2021. Even before his departure, fans had noted hints of discontent from Jae, and after leaving, he quickly rebranded himself as eaJ, cutting ties with DAY6 and their label. Jae had previously expressed dissatisfaction with the company during live streams, making his departure seem inevitable to many. Since then, DAY6 has been active as a four-member group and are currently promoting their 9th mini album 'Band Aid.'
Watch Jae's full Zach Sang Show interview above!
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