Who is Ariaz?

• Ariaz debuted as a six member girl group in October of 2019 under a subsidiary of Star Empire Entertainment, the company that was most notably home to powerhouse first generation girl group Jewelry and second generation groups Nine Muses and ZE:A. There were some early attempts to set the group up for success: members predebut competed on Mix9 (but Mix9 was a flop as we all know), member Hyogyeong released some songs as a solo artist, some hype with Nine Muses having a sister group, etc.

• During the debut showcase maknae Jueun broke down when reporters asked her about her alleged underage drinking and smoking. (Poor girl... :( ) Jueun admitted to these actions, apologized, and cried, but it wasn't enough for the public to forgive her. This must have soured the debut for the girls. The reporters could have asked about their concept, the message of Moonlight Aria, what the group hoped to achieve, but instead they chose to bring up a member's private life into a public affair. Very unprofessional of the reporters.

• The debuted with a mini album with the title track "Moonlight Aria." Sadly, it only sold about a thousand copies and the title track did not chart.

What is Ariaz doing now?

• Now, what's most important is what Star Empire did with Ariaz after the commercially unsuccessful debut..... nothing. As of 2022, the group has not had a single comeback. They have released two remakes of Jewelry songs, but that is all.

• Member Jueun is on a kind of indefinite hiatus from the group. The company stated that it was due to online hate and malicious comments Jueun has been receiving. While this is a totally valid claim, and I hope Star Empire is prioritizing her mental health, Star Empire has been misleading when it comes to members leaving their groups. So many of the lineup changes in Nine Muses were rather.... suspicious. Sera of Nine Muses was kicked out of her group for questioning the company's control, for example, but the company kept this hush-hush. Jaekyung was kicked out a month after debut, as the Nine Muses documentary revealed.

• Fortunately, Ariaz remains relatively active on their YouTube and Instagram, acting as a five member group for now.

I can't imagine Ariaz being financially successful with the way the company is managing them. In my opinion the company should either (A) give the group regular comebacks and promote them or (B) allow the members to leave so they can try again at being an idol, focus on their studies, or do whatever they wish. Both options seem unlikely given the company's track record, but what Star Empire is doing right now is not good for themselves or the girls.

I wish Ariaz all the best. Anyone else have more info? There is little talk of them online.