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Something about K-Pop has always fascinated Kiera Grace Madder. The 17-year-old singer was a fan of the synchronized choreography, fashion-forward outfits and unique sounds that came out of Korea, as long as she remembers.
So, in 2022, when she studied JYP Entertainment, one of the biggest K-pop talent agencies, there was a plan to create a North American-based talent group, and she jumped at the opportunity. She auditioned for a reality show and won her place in an entire girl group called VCHA.
However, less than a year after its official debut last summer, the group was drawn from Lollapalooza and nearly went radio silent on social media. In a lawsuit filed last December, Madder, who passed the stage name of KG Crown, revealed to JYP USA in LA County Superior Court that he left VCHA and suspected of violations of the Child Labor Act, abuse and exploitation.
“I knew the K-Pop system was extremely hardworking, perhaps one of the hardest working systems in the music industry,” Madder told The Times. “I’m a hardworking person, so I didn’t mind what hardworking work I did, but I didn’t know what would happen behind closed doors.”
JYP USA issued a social media statement when the lawsuit was filed, claiming that Madder made “a unilateral official statement containing false and exaggerated claims.”
The agency declined to further comment in response to questions from the Times, citing “ongoing legal issues.”
Madder, who was identified as “KM” in court documents, said he had signed with JYP at the age of 15.
VCHA traveled between JYP’s Seoul headquarters and Los Angeles to rehearse and launched an intense training regimen. In LA, six girls shared a $2.5 million Beverly Hills Mansion. Maddar claims they are under constant surveillance. Staying at home was an “optional,” according to the lawsuit, but Madder said he felt pressured by JYP staff to live there.
In addition to the live-in staff who monitored the girls, Madder says that the video cameras watched and recorded their private conversations. The lawsuit alleges that the company presented the cameras as part of the “home alarm system” when it was installed.
According to Madder’s lawsuit, the surveillance system was “a tool intended to control our diet, movements and behavior.”
If Madder could be freed from his contract with JYP, she said she would return as a solo artist when she felt “mentally good.”
It is said that JYP is fully in control of the trainee’s schedule, even on days off. To leave the house, members of the group had to submit plans in advance and get approval, Mudder’s lawsuit alleges. She says she had to ask for permission to see her mother over the weekend.
“I honestly felt that it was a prison and that the House staff were the prison guards,” Madder said. “I felt like JYP became my parent, but I am the strictest parent I have ever lived in.”
Madder’s lawsuit alleges that the company is “controlled” [her] Food and pressure [her] Reduce the amount you eat. “Their diet was “restricted to small salads,” she insisted, and their weight was monitored.
“The more skinny you are, the more respected and pretty you look. That’s ridiculous,” Madder said. “Sometimes, in Korea they’ll say, “You’ll either lose weight or regret looking at the camera.” ”
In her performance training, JYP is said to have pushed VCHA girls to their physical limits. The lawsuit recalls that during rehearsals she was denied a meal break and water, and claims she was forced to work for a long time with a little sleep. As mentioned in the lawsuit, Madh’s days usually began at school for a few hours at 7am, then at 10:30am, followed by rehearsals that began late into the evening.
Madder claims there are several instances where he had to continue training after suffering an injury. The lawsuit describes the dance instructor who “single” Maddar and makes more than 100 moves without stopping for a break.
“I was in tears in my eyes and very stressed,” she recalled. “This is one situation where it doesn’t have to escalate to the point of abuse.”
She was also forced to rehearse despite suffering hip and leg injuries, her lawsuit alleges. The court filing includes a receipt for medical treatment, along with photos of her in a hospital gown and images of the bruises she said she maintained during dance training. A screenshot of a text message included in the lawsuit shows Madder saying he was “forced to dance through pain.”
She wrote that she was included in the lawsuit in another text conversation starting in May last year: [have] It’s already a personality or my own person. They changed me and I lost all good. ”
According to the lawsuit, Madder began missing school as the stress from training was piled up. She says that other members of the group developed an eating disorder, engaged in self-harm, and attempted suicide last February.
Madder said he has not spoken to fellow VCHA members since leaving the group in May 2024.
Madder accused JYP of lowering her and not providing her with a promised royalty and a share of revenue from the group. The lawsuit alleges she received $500 a week she worked for 12 hours, below the California minimum wage.
Madder’s lawsuit also states that JYP is being added with more than $500,000 in debt for “company expenses.”
She claims that she is “forced to sign a contract only given a few minutes,” including one written in Korean.
Her mother, Tracey Madder, said in a statement in the Times that filing the lawsuit was “a 100% KG decision and I fully support it because of the circumstances she has experienced.”
“We expect the best possible outcome for all involved,” she said.
Young Maddar said he has not been able to work, release music or post on social media since leaving VCHA.
When she first returns home after leaving the JYP Mansion, she feels “brainwashed” and says, “I won’t be able to make it in the music industry again.”
The next court hearing in her case is set for June 20th.
“I pray that the judge can see the light of the situation and let me go,” Madder said. “I don’t want to be influenced. I don’t want to pay attention. I want to be free. That’s what I want – freedom.”
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