# Vcha

Vcha (Korean: 비춰; RR: Bichwo; stylized in all caps) is an American girl group based in Los Angeles formed by JYP Entertainment and Republic Records through the reality competition show A2K. The group consists of five members: Camila, Lexi, Kendall, Savanna, and Kaylee. Originally a six-piece ensemble, KG announced her departure from the group on December 7, 2024, citing abuse and mistreatment by staff, resulting in the temporary suspension of group activities.

## Name

Vcha is derived from the Korean word "비춰" (RR: Bichwo), which translates to "to shine upon" or "to illuminate." The name references the group's purpose to illuminate and inspire fans around the world. Fans of Vcha are known as "Vlights".

## History
### 2023–2024: A2K, debut and opening for Twice

A2K is a 2023 American reality competition show. A2K being short form for "America to Korea", the series was a collaborative project between JYP Entertainment and Republic Records, with the goal of forming the first American girl group using the K-pop system, intended for a global audience. The group's name was announced as Vcha during the shows final episode on September 22, 2023, alongside the reveal of the six winning contestants. Following A2K's bootcamp in Los Angeles, Vcha spent months training for debut at JYPE's Seoul headquarters.
Their pre-debut extended play, SeVit (New Light), was released on September 22, supported by the lead single "Y.O.Universe". The next day, they performed this song on Show! Music Core as their first public performance. Their second pre-debut single, "Ready for the World," originally the A2K theme song, was released on December 1, 2023.
The group's official debut single, "Girls of the Year" was released on January 26, 2024, with b-side "XO Call Me". In February and March 2024, the group performed as the opening act for a leg of Twice's Ready to Be World Tour, performing in São Paulo, Mexico City, and Las Vegas for a total of five shows. On March 10, it was announced that Kaylee would be taking a hiatus due to a health condition. The group's second single, "Only One" was released on March 15, with b-side "Favorite Girl." In May, Vcha had their first cover story as part of Teen Vogue's Girl Group Week.

### 2024–present: Group hiatus, KG's departure and lawsuit

Vcha was originally set to make their first music festival appearance at Lollapalooza on August 2, 2024. However, the festival announced in July that they were no longer performing due to "unforeseen circumstances".
On December 7, 2024, KG announced that she had decided to terminate her contract with JYP Entertainment and leave Vcha, citing "incidents of abuse and mistreatment by certain staff members". She filed a lawsuit against JYP USA at the Los Angeles Superior Court on December 6. According to KBS News and Hankyung, she said in her statement that, although she endured high-intensity work and extreme restrictions on her personal life, she received little salary and ended up in debt. She later stated that she did not want to blame anyone but the industry and also attributed her decision to leave to controversial issues in the industry, including a member's suicide attempt and the development of eating disorders. She closed her statement by saying that she hopes her decision to leave will help other trainees who are also struggling and that she would continue to work towards becoming a singer. JYP later disputed her claims, citing them as "exaggerated", while also confirming the group's activities have been temporarily suspended as a result of the label's dispute with KG.

## Discography
### Extended plays

List of extended plays, with selected details :
| Title | Details |
| SeVit (New Light) | Released: September 22, 2023 Label: JYP, Republic Formats: Digital download, streaming Track listing "Y.O.Universe" "Go Getter" "Know Me Like That" |

### Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name :
| Title | Year | Peaks | Album |
| Title | Year | KOR DL | Album |
| "Y.O.Universe" | 2023 | 177 | SeVit (New Light) |
| "Ready for the World" | 2023 | — | Non-album single |
| "Girls of the Year" | 2024 | 134 | Non-album single |
| "Only One" | 2024 | 198 | Non-album single |

## Videography
### Music videos

List of music videos, showing year released and directors :
| Title | Year | Director(s) | Ref. |
| "Y.O.Universe" | 2023 | Naive Creative Production | |
| "Girls of the Year" | 2024 | Shin Hee-won (ST-WT) | |

## Accolades
### Listicles

Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement :
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement | Ref. |
| Teen Vogue | 2024 | 12 Girl Groups to Watch in 2024 | Placed | |