THESE SM entertainment artists are getting “love calls” to leave the agency
Amid the escalating acquisition battle between HYBE and Kakao, concerns have surfaced over the departure of artists at SM Entertainment who are set to renew their deals.
(Photo: Program SMCU Palace (News1))
In the K-Pop scene, SM Entertainment is the largest “empire” that is home to many iconic groups and artists from the first to fourth generations. However, after about two decades of reigning, fans fear it will be crushed sooner rather than later.
In short, SM Entertainment currently has a feud between founder Lee Soo Man and its CEOs Lee Sung Soo and Tak Young Joon. The reasons for the dispute are varied, but above all it is about the fight for the rights to the management of the company, in which HYBE and Kakao were also involved.
As the discord drags on, artists owned by the agency have begun to point out how they have already been affected, such as: B. Delayed comebacks and releases and bad promotions.
(Photo: Lee Sung Soo, Tak Young Joon (E-Daily))
(Image: News 1)
Lee Soo Man, Founder of SM Entertainment
(Image: News 1)
Lee Soo Man, Founder of SM Entertainment
ALSO READ: What is the “SM 3.0” era? Agency will launch 4 artists, release 41 albums, more details
In this context, there are concerns about what will happen to the artists of SM Entertainment, especially if HYBE or Kakao manage to acquire the majority of the company.
In this unpredictable situation insider said a lot of SM artists are already getting “love calls” from big agencies to cancel their contracts and switch.
(Photo: SMCU Express (Actualités1))
Among them were Kangta, BoA, TVXQ Chang-min and Yunho Super Junior, Taeyeon, Yoona, Yuri, Hyoyeon, Sunny, SHINee, EXO, Red Velvet and NCT from Girls’ Generation. Most of their contracts expire this year and next, so the number of agencies contacting these artists is expected to continue to rise.
If the above groups decide to leave SM all at once, the only group left will be aespa, which debuted in 2020.
(Photo: aespa (News1))
Although aespa has cemented its name in the music scene as “fourth generation representatives”, many fans believe that they will “not be enough” to carry the entire SM, which is also a company fault for the quartet’s fewer releases. and activities that have slowed their growth compared to NewJeans, IVE and LE SSERAFIM.
2023 SM Entertainment Artist Lineup
Despite insider reports, CEOs Lee and Tak previously expressed their desire to eradicate Lee Soo Man’s old system and establish their own management system.
(Photo: Famille SMTOWN (Instagram))
(Photo: SM logos (SMTOWN Instagram))
Under the so-called SM 3.0 era, nevis, the protagonist of aespa’s unique worldview, will debut as a virtual artist. Also, over 40 albums will be released this year, not to mention the long list of world tours and concerts in 2023.
Contrary to speculation that SM artists will leave the company, many artists were expected to continue their activities this year, including SHINee and EXO, both of whom will return after military service. SNSD Taeyeon, SHINee Onew and EXO Kai were also ready to release their respective solo albums.
LEARN MORE: SM Entertainment 2023 Lineup: SHINee, SNSD Taeyeon and more are making a comeback!
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Written by Eunice Dawson.
