Jessi says she is not retiring, asks people to stop spreading rumors

Jessi [INSTAGRAM]

Singer Jessi, whose contract with agency P Nation was announced to have ended Wednesday, asked the public to refrain from spreading rumors about her current situation through her Instagram post.

“I understand people can make assumptions right now based on my current situation, but the truth shall reveal itself in a matter of time,” she wrote in English on Thursday morning. “Respectfully please give me some time to collect my thoughts and breathe a bit (I haven’t rested since 2005) but one thing for sure is that this girl is not retiring. I’m only getting started. Thank you Jebbies [the name of Jessi’s fandom] for your unconditional love and support And lastly love you Pnation for life.”

“Jessi was the first artist that P Nation recruited,” P Nation said Wednesday as it announced Jessi leaving the agency. “Jessi, who has been together since P Nation’s beginning to now, has settled in as a beloved artist with her enthusiasm and ceaseless endeavors. Moreover, her progress and achievements became a positive and pleasant stimulus to all of P Nation’s crews. The agency will continue to support Jessi’s future activities as an artist.”

Jessi debuted as a solo singer in December 2005 with the EP “Get Up.” She was briefly a member of the hip-hop group Uptown in 2006 but officially became a member of hip-hop trio Lucky J from 2014 to 2016. Her breakthrough came in 2015 through her appearance in Mnet’s highly-successful rap competition show “Unpretty Rapstar,” which she finished in second place. Her hit songs as a solo artist include “Life Is Good” (2009), “Nunu Nana” (2020), “Cold Blooded” (2021) and “Zoom” (2022).

With her straightforward personality, she is also popular as an entertainer on various shows such as “Sixth Sense” (2020-) and made frequent appearances in SBS’s “Running Man” (2010-) and MBC’s “Hangout with Yoo” (2019-).

On YouTube, she has her own talk show called “Jessi’s Showterview” (2020-) uploaded on the official SBS channel, where she interviews celebrities or influencers currently the talk of the town.

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]