YG new girl group used as sacrifice for Yang Hyun Suk’s return as BLACKPINK’s contract approaches expiration
The teaser for the YG new girl group is receiving mixed reviews due to “outdated” elements and Yang Hyun Suk’s appearance.
According to an opinion piece on Korean news site Daum, YG Entertainment is getting outdated. Times and generations have changed, but YG is still standing still. The company no longer provides fresh contents, so expectations are low. There are still certain changes in YG’s marketing and publicity tactics, but overall, they still circulate in their own predictable world.
Recently, a first glimpse of Baby Monster, YG’s first new girl group in 7 years since BLACKPINK, has been revealed. The company dropped a teaser poster, then unveiled a teaser video on the first day of 2023. Unfortunately, mixed reactions flooded said teaser video. Instead of simply consuming it as an introduction to a new girl group, netizens pay attention to other details.
In particular, many believe that Baby Monster’s teaser video feels more like an announcement of Yang Hyun Suk’s return than a preview of the new girl group’s debut. There’s no time or footage of basic idol elements such as appearance, singing, and dancing. Instead, only interviews with YG artists and Yang Hyun Suk appear, one after another.
BLACKPINK, WINNER, AKMU, etc. came out one by one, singing praise such as, “I think they’re the type of singers that’s hard to find in Korea”, “There aren’t that many talents out there that can do so well like this“, “There is absolutely no doubt about how outstanding their skills are”, “They was born with talent”, etc.
Whilst these statements were supposed to stimulate interest in the group, many found them to be self-praise, especially when no reason was disclosed for such confidence.
At the same time, the focus of the video is Yang Hyun Suk, who has returned as YG’s Executive Producer. Back in 2019, Yang Hyun Suk stepped down from his management position due to the Burning Sun scandal, allegations of sexual favors, as well as threats and appeasement charges to end B.I’s drug investigation. Now, he is shown trying to express his strength through a video.
Yang Hyun Suk’s phrase, “BABY that have the genes of YG”, is the theme of the video. No matter how skilled the members are, the phrase emphasizes that Yang Hyun Suk raised them in the end. Instead of being an introduction to the new girl group, “YG NEXT MOVEMENT” is a video that announces the official comeback of Yang Hyun Suk, who was acquitted in the first trial on December 22nd and apparently had nothing to shy away from.
YG restructured its artists’ system ahead of Yang Hyun Suk’s official comeback. They organized contracts with Big Bang, the honor of YG, (G-Dragon’s contract renewal, Taeyang moving to YG’s sublabel The Black Label, Daesung’s contract termination) and let iKON members go. As Yang Hyun Suk’s younger brother Yang Min Seok returned first, executives were replaced and businesses that only bought deficits have also been cleaned up. However, no big changes in content and artists’ management have yet to be made.
YG needs a big hit. The boy groups that YG debuted after Big Bang failed to make a hit. Although some released successful songs, it’s hard to call them perfect stars. The results of YG’s current 4th-generation representative group TREASURE are also insignificant. Executive producer Yang Hyun Suk took care of TREASURE, from their concept to their concert, but the group couldn’t make a better performance. Their music, physical records, and recognition are much lower than expected.
BLACKPINK is still doing well but their contract will end next year. It is uncertain whether the members will renew with YG. No one knows if BLACKPINK will still be “YG’s cash cow” a year later.
What YG is worried about the most is that they have no successful groups aside from Big Bang and BLACKPINK. Since YG’s performance in stock prices and artists’ achievements is the lowest among Big4 (SM, JYP, YG, HYPE), 2023 is more important for them.
However, it seems like YG has not yet found the right direction. YG still keeps their ‘Yang Hyun Suk’s kingdom’ management system. Using the old method of promotion from 10 years ago, attention, which is needed for rookies, is now focused on Yang Hyun Suk.
YG’s owner should not be Yang Hyun Suk. YG has arranged its internal system during the past few years for a change, but the results have not improved. YG will fall behind in the competition between entertainment agencies if they don’t change.
Source: Daum
