Breaking his long silence, YG Entertainment (hereafter YG) executive producer Yang Hyun Suk opened up to the press for the first time in about five years. Having virtually cut off contact with the media for a long time, Yang had not replied even to the reporter’s annual New Year greeting messages—until he suddenly made a phone call.
“You’ve been sending me messages for years, so I felt I should at least say hello once… Over the past few years, I’ve only attended one or two outside engagements a month. I feel most at ease when I’m locked in the studio, working day and night. My only ambition is to introduce the second G-Dragon and Jennie to the world as soon as possible.”
Now regarded as one of the top icons among world-class artists, BIGBANG’s G-Dragon was a genius artist Yang discovered at the age of 13 through Hongdae’s underground hip-hop scene. Likewise, BLACKPINK’s Jennie—who currently dominates the global K-pop market—was personally scouted by Yang outside of the regular member audition process. Once again proclaiming the revival and glory of YG auditions, he has stepped forward to personally lead from the front lines.
Yang is currently handpicking standout trainees from around 30 candidates selected in YG’s latest audition. He made clear the weight of responsibility he feels as a leader in K-pop.
“Parents trust YG and send their young children to us, so shouldn’t I personally oversee them? These idol hopefuls dream of becoming stars after going through a process as difficult as a camel passing through the eye of a needle. Then shouldn’t a judging system and support worthy of that level follow? I want to give them the possibility that they can succeed—and the trust and belief that I will protect that possibility until the very end. The passion I had when I searched for young talents like G-Dragon and Jennie is burning fiercely within me once again.”
In that sense, this YG audition serves as an important test stage for Yang. Starting from document screening, he is carefully examining each of the roughly 30 trainees from head to toe, in meticulous detail.
“K-pop has become mainstream in the global pop market, and aspiring artists from around the world are flocking to major Korean agencies. But if we just sit in the office and wait, a second G-Dragon or Jennie will never be born,” he said. “Even a fisherman with 30 years of experience doesn’t simply head out to sea without preparation. Based on accumulated knowledge and experience, he predicts and analyzes the movement of fish before setting sail.”
He emphasized that in discovering talent, what is needed is not ‘waiting,’ but ‘movement.’
Yang also outlined his future plans in detail. “Our goal is to create two or three new IPs for YG within one year. We are focusing all our efforts on that,” he said. “That’s why I’ve almost completely cut off outside contact. I felt uneasy about not replying to the reporter’s messages over a long period of time, so I called personally to offer New Year’s greetings. It’s true that I’m so busy day and night that I can hardly schedule appointments.” His remarks suggest that YG is currently concentrating all of its capabilities on ‘creation.’
Since late last year, YG has been holding a Song Camp, working simultaneously with about 70 artists. “We have opened 10 studios. Dozens of overseas artists are repeatedly entering and leaving the country to participate in the project. The reason we temporarily skipped events where we communicated with fans through company videos is precisely because of this,” he explained.
Yang’s comments clearly show where YG is headed. With auditions at the starting line and a company-wide all-in system connecting talent discovery to production execution in one breath, a new chapter for YG is opening once again.
Sources: Netizenbuzz
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