“Didn't expect to see this today”: Fans have mixed reaction to LUCAS joining Bubble as a solo artist

On June 5, SM Entertainment’s Lysn app announced that LUCAS will be joining their paid texting service, Bubble, in two days. The announcement led to a mixed reaction from the K-pop fandom as the former NCT and WayV member was embroiled in a cheating scandal in mid-2021 and had been on hiatus since then.

On Monday, Lysn posted a ‘coming soon’ photo of his Bubble account. The post ignited similar past discussions but fans who had awaited the idol’s return, trended #WeLoveYouLucas’ showing their support to him.

Last month, the agency announced that LUCAS was no longer a part of NCT and WayV. It also stated that the 24-year-old rapper would meet fans through individual projects.

LUCAS to begin his solo artist journey by joining Bubble amidst mixed responses

After one and a half years of being on indefinite hiatus, LUCAS was announced to have departed from NCT and WayV on May 10. The 24-year-old debuted with the former group in 2018 and saw explosive popularity. He was also one of the few artists added to the SM Entertainment idol supergroup called SuperM. However, the rapper’s popularity took a massive hit when allegations of him gaslighting ex-girlfriends and leeching off of them were reported online.

The 24-year-old rapper was in the middle of releasing a subunit digital single with Hendery titled Jalapeño when the project was delayed indefinitely as he was reported to have gone on a hiatus in August 2021 after an apology post. The K-pop fandom’s reaction was extremely divided on the issue as some believed he was innocent based on debunking posts while others believed the victims.

The 24-year-old hinted at working for a project through a couple of updates on his Instagram account. However, it turned out to be for a solo debut, as SM Entertainment announced the same in May. On June 5, Lysn posted about his Dear U Bubble chat coming soon, indicating the first step towards LUCAS as a solo artist.

The reactions to Lysn’s post were highly divided yet again. While on one hand, the rapper’s loyal fan were incredibly happy to get closer to his solo promotions and were ready to support him, on the other hand, netizens expressed their discontent with his return to the industry. The latter group also criticized the fans who intended to support him despite all his past allegations.

Bubble is a paid service where fans can subscribe to their favorite idol and text them. In return, they receive text messages, photos, videos and audios from the artists. It operates similar to a group chat for the artists while fans can only see their message, making them feel as if they are texting with the idol.

LUCAS’ Bubble will open on June 7, 2023. Fans who had been awaiting his return will get to text and receive messages from the idol directly on the app soon, once they subscribe to his channel.

About the author

Afreen has been a K-Pop Content Specialist at Sportskeeda since 2021. She holds a Bachelor's degree in English Literature, along with a Post-Graduate Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication. Afreen has over 4+ years of working in various positions including being an entertainment content writer with Pinkvilla’s K-pop division Hallyutalk and CineDope, and as a copywriter at Flying Cursor.

As per Afreen, she loves her work because she gets to write about the things she is obsessed with. Her thorough research and following the two-genuine-source rule of journalism helps her produce the most accurate content, along with helping her be up-to-date with the industry.

Afreen has had the privilege to interview The Rose's frontrunner, WOOSUNG, and LIONESSES, K-pop's first openly LGBTQ+ group. She is a big fan of SEVENTEEN, Stray Kids, BTS, and The Rose for their hard work, sincerity, and the comic relief their shows provide.

When she is off her shift, Afreen explores the streets of Nottingham in the UK, cooks, and listens to new music.

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