CNCO announce Joel Pimentel is leaving the Latin boy band following upcoming livestream event

And then there were four! 

The Miami-based Latin boy band – CNCO – announced on Instagram on Sunday that  Joel Pimentel is leaving the group, effective Friday, May 14. And from the sounds of things, the split appears to be amicable. 

‘We’re sad to tell you that after five and a half unforgettable and life changing years together, Friday, May 14th will be Joel’s last day as a member of CNCO. We want you all to know that while Joel is leaving and will be pursuing new opportunities,’ the statement began.

‘We are and will always be brothers. We support him in his next chapter, and will always, most importantly, remain a family,” the statement continued from remaining members Richard Camacho, Erick Brian Colón, Christopher Vélez and Zabdiel De Jesús. 

The group, whose first two studio albums debuted at No. 1 on the Latin charts and reached the Top 40 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, went on to share that they know ‘this news is saddening’ and that they ‘appreciate you sticking with us.’   

‘While it will be different, we are so excited to continue into this new era of CNCO, and can’t wait for all of you to see what we have in store for you!’

The remaining members also revealed that the group will have one last performance with Pimentel as a fivesome on Friday. 

‘You guys are what keep us going and have us so excited to continue together stronger than ever. For that reason, we wanted to give you a final gift all together,’ they said of the upcoming livestreaming concert.  

‘We love you and will see you very soon!’ the statement concluded.

Ranging in ages from 20 to 25, CNCO was formed in 2015 on the Univision music competition series La Banda, created by Ricky Martin and Simon Cowell. 

CNCO has had major success on the Latin music charts, with eight Top 10 hits on Billboard’s Latin pop airplay chart, including the No. 1 tunes Reggaetón Lento (Bailemos) and Se Vuelve Loca. 

While the band’s success has gone global, they have done especially well in countries such as Colombia, Mexico, Spain and Argentina. 

In a second statement released to The Associated Press, the group said they have ‘become a family, a brotherhood’, and that ‘they want the CNCOwners to know that will never change.’

‘We are stronger than ever and this is just the beginning for us. We have so many exciting things that we’re working on that will be coming out very soon and we can’t wait to share with all of you!’

Keeping the emphasis on the fans, the statement ended: ‘We love the CNCOwners so much, they are what keeps us going, and that’s why we wanted to give them this livestream as a gift to see the 5 of us together one last time.’ 

The band’s latest effort, the cover album Déjà Vu, was just released this past February.