Reason FIFTY FIFTY want to terminate contract? “Unanswered Questions” reveals members’ families’ inner thoughts
“Unanswered Questions” will air a special episode about the contract dispute of rookie girl group FIFTY FIFTY.
The new broadcast of SBS’s current affairs & culture program “Unanswered Questions” on August 19th will investigate FIFTY FIFTY’s contract dispute and the structural problems of the K-pop idol industry.
The main character of this episode is FIFTY FIFTY, the rookie four-member girl group that debuted just six months ago and is still relatively unknown in Korea but already achieved huge success in the US with their single “Cupid”. Four weeks after “Cupid” release, FIFTY FIFTY entered the US Billboard ‘HOT 100’ at No.17 and stayed in the chart for over 21 weeks.
Regarding FIFTY FIFTY’s success, K-pop journalist Jeff Benjamin said, “No girl group have charted in Billboard during their debut promotion before, not even groups from big companies like SM, YG, JYP and HYBE”. FIFTY FIFTY further solidified their presence and proved that they are the “miracle of small and medium-sized agencies” by singing the OST for the Hollywood movie “Barbie”.
However, in the midst of their growing popularity, the members suddenly stopped all activities in mid-June and filed a lawsuit against their agency to terminate their exclusive contract.
FIFTY FIFTY’s agency CEO Jeon claimed, “The kids’ parents were gaslighted by two experts. They have been completely gaslighted”.
After receiving the notice of contract termination from FIFTY FIFTY, the agency pointed out that the members were manipulated by CEO Ahn of the outsourcing production company The Givers. The agency presented evidence, such as suspicious traces on FIFTY FIFTY’s management account previously managed by Ahn and the secret transfer of “Cupid” copyright to Ahn.
On the other hand, The Givers refuted all of CEO Jeon’s claims. According to Ahn’s side, they never encouraged conflicts between the members and the agency and did their best to raise and fostered FIFTY FIFTY. They explained that discussions for collaboration with well-known overseas production companies were underway, but due to a change in the agency’s stance, they reorganized their service contract and withdrew from FIFTY FIFTY’s future activities. Additionally, they raised new suspicions about the agency’s 8-billion-won investment into FIFTY FIFTY.
The production team of “Unanswered Questions” faced difficulties and tried to contact FIFTY FIFTY members’ families. Amid numerous misunderstandings and accusations, the members are reportedly going through a tough time. The parents quietly expressed their inner thoughts about the situation, saying “If they let the case pass easily, they may regret it after then”.
What was the real reason that made FIFTY FIFTY decide to file a lawsuit even when they were about to gain recognition and become a global girl group? What is preventing them from returning to the stage?
The full story will be revealed in the new broadcast of “Unanswered Questions” at 11:10 p.m. on August 19th.
Source: Daum
