It’s not management or Lee Soo-man. It’s SM artist’s daze
The company is in a state of turmoil right now.”
Key, a member of the group SHINee, said this during a live broadcast to commemorate the release of his second full-length repackage “Killker” on the 13th. In response to a fan’s request to hold a concert, Key added, “I want to do it, but I don’t know where to say this to open it.” In this short word, you can read Key’s complicated current state.
For a singer as tall as he is, holding a concert is not that difficult. SHINee, which he belongs to, has a large fandom and has released two solo albums over the past half year, so there is no problem in filling the set list. However, as Key said, the current situation of SM Entertainment (SM), his agency, is quite unstable. This “funny sad” situation in which a popular artist is hesitant to work is due to a management dispute between the current management and SM founder Lee Soo-man. The situation, which heated up the house every day, intensified as other dinosaur companies such as Hive and Kakao jumped in.
The competition for management rights of listed companies is not unfamiliar. JTBC drama “The Youngest Son of a Jaebeol House,” which was frequently used as a drama subject and heated up the small screen until two months ago, dealt with a similar story. Listed companies that share their shares may be in a situation where they are impulsive because they have different intentions. The bifurcated axis must reach the conclusion of victory and frustration with two objects called ‘winners and losers’.
However, this SM incident should be viewed differently. This is because their products are people with objects. Although only two objects that are at odds with each other are affected by the power struggle of ordinary listed companies that use goods or technologies as products, there is a third object that cannot be distinguished by “winners and losers” in entertainment companies where artists are products. Artist and further fandom. The artist’s point of view, which is difficult to add words to, is bound to be even more frustrating.
You can also feel the emotional pain of artists in the writings of those who certified themselves as SM employees on the blind of the anonymous community application for office workers. SM has been called the pride of domestic entertainment companies. Traces that have contributed to K-pop’s activation in the global market can be found by searching a little on the portal. Some members of Super Junior and Girls’ Generation have been with SM for more than a decade because of their “pride of being SM artists.” SM employees who posted articles on blinds also showed a lot of pride in the company. Leading entertainers with independent systems with identities and visions.
The SM artist now looks like a child hurt by a parent’s discord. You can’t get involved recklessly, and it hurts your pride to speak out to someone. Those who received expectations and attention for their skills as SM members themselves are now receiving attention first for other reasons. The past conflict between the achievements of trusting and following SM management and calling Lee Soo-man as a “teacher.” Regardless of who is the winner, it is a sad object that cannot be a winner or a loser for SM artists.
