SM Entertainment: Last News

NCT member Doyoung as its newest ambassador.Dolce & Gabbana announced the appointment though its official Instagram account in a series of posts featuring the K-pop singer in outfits and accessories by the brand. In its announcement, Dolce & Gabbana noted that Doyoung would be the brand’s ambassador in Korea and Japan.“I’m truly excited to become part of the great Dolce & Gabbana family,” Doyoung said of the ambassadorship.

Lucas Wong has left K-pop boyband NCT and its Chinese sub-group WayV.Today (May 10), Lucas took to his personal Instagram account to announce that he is leaving both NCT and WayV. The news comes about a year and a half after the singer halted all activities following a cheating and gaslighting controversy.In his statement, Lucas said that his decision to leave NCT and WayV comes “after a long period of consideration”.

aespa have addressed the public management dispute within their agency SM Entertainment.Earlier this year, SM Entertainment found itself in a management dispute between its founder Lee So-man and SM’s top executives, including its CEO Chris Lee. At the time, HYBE had planned to acquire Lee So-man’s stake in the K-pop agency, while Chris Lee and his team described it as a ““hostile takeover”.During the saga, Chris Lee had claimed in a now-deleted video that new music from aespa had been delayed due to Lee Soo-man’s insistence on lyrics about sustainability.

Bitch X Rich, starring Red Velvet‘s Yeri, has released its first teaser. Watch it below.Bitch X Rich is set to follow Kim Hye-in (All of Us Are Dead‘s Lee Eun Saem), a student from a poor family who gets a chance to study at the prestigious Cheongdam International High School in exchange for her silence after she witnesses a murder.However, once at Cheongdam International High School, Hye-in comes face to face with Baek Je-na (Yeri), the heir to a chaebol and the most popular girl in school.The new teaser for Bitch X Rich opens with Hye-in opening her new school locker for the first time, only to find a sign reading “Welcome to Hell” with a mysterious pair of heels.

aespa have released a music video for ‘Spicy’, the title track of their new mini-album ‘MY WORLD’.The clip followed the members of aespa as a group of popular high school students, as they get ready to throw a wild party in their lavish mansion. But as the clock strikes midnight, time stops and the girl group take the opportunity to explore the city.“‘Cause I’m too spicy for your heart / Ring the fire alarm / You tiptoe into my heart / I’m too spicy / While the fire spreads / In that very moment / Finding another part of me / I’m too spicy, too, too, I’m too spicy,” they sing on the chorus.‘Spicy’ is the title track of aespa’s new mini-album ‘MY WORLD’.

Kai of K-pop boyband EXO is set to enlist in the military next week.The news was shared by Kai’s label SM Entertainment on May 3, announcing that the K-pop idol will enlist in the South Korean military on May 11. In accordance with South Korean law, all able-bodied men over the age of 18 are required to serve in the military for up to two years.SM Entertainment said that Kai had been preparing new music with boyband EXO, but is set to enlist early “due to a recent change in regulations of the Military Manpower Administration”, per Soompi.

aespa have released a new music video for their new song ‘I’m Unhappy’.The music video, released on May 2, opens with a shot of member Winter running down a high school hallway, as the sound of a heartrate monitor plays in the background. As it flatlines, the word “contiune?” appears on screen, followed by a countdown, like an old-school arcade video game.The clip then cuts to the singer waking up in the middle of a party, with the members looking forlorn while singing about being unhappy.

K-pop girl group aespa have unveiled the music video for ‘Welcome To MY World’, the pre-release single to their upcoming mini-album ‘MY WORLD’.On May 2 at 6pm KST, the quartet dropped their pre-release track ‘Welcome To MY World’ along with a music video for the song. The new track arrives ahead of their third mini-album ‘My World’ and its lead single ‘Spicy’, which is due out on May 8 at 6pm KST.In the new visual, the members of aespa take a road trip to a forest and connect with nature.

Red Velvet member Joy will step back from all scheduled activities due to health concerns.Today (April 26), Joy’s label SM Entertainment announced in a statement that the K-pop idol would not be participating in any planned activities for the time being due to the “poor condition” of her health.“Joy recently visited a hospital due to her poor health condition, and after consultation and examination, the medical staff advised that she needs treatment and rest,” SM Entertainment said per Edaily, as translated by Soompi. However, the label did not give specific about Joy’s condition.“Joy will not participate in any schedules for the time being and will instead take a break to recover her health,” it added, adding that “this decision was made following thorough discussions with Joy, looking out for her health”.Red Velvet are currently on the Asia leg of their ‘R to V’ world tour, and are set to play the Pia Arena MM in Yokohama, Japan on May 3 next.

NCT member Doyoung has unveiled his cover of labelmate Seulgi‘s solo single ’28 Reasons’.Doyoung made an appearance on the April 18 episode of online talk show LeeMujin Service, hosted by singer Lee Mu-jin, where he performed a number of songs, including ’28 Reasons’ by his SM Entertainment labelmate Seulgi.For his performance, the NCT singer transformed the track into a sultry, jazzy number. “28 reasons that ruined you, you don’t have to know / I have no bad intentions / You know all 28 reasons to run away / So, why are you leaning into me again,” he sings. During the episode, Doyoung also performed a solo version of ‘Perfume’ by NCT DOJAEJUNG, the new NCT sub-unit which he is a part of, as well as a cover of HYNNs ‘The Lonely Bloom Stands Alone’.Later, Lee and Doyoung spoke about how the K-pop idol ended up joining SM Entertainment.

NCT members Doyoung, Jaehyun and Jungwoo have made their debut under a new sub-unit, NCT DOJAEJUNG, with their mini-album ‘Perfume’.On April 17 at 6pm KST, the NCT trio released their first mini-album ‘Perfume’ as well as the music video for its title track of the same name.In the new visual, Doyoung, Jaehyun and Jungwoo formulate scents in a flower-filled mansion, later bottling them in three perfume bottles. Placing them in a gift box, they leave it on the doorstep of a fan as a gift.“Leaving ‘em on your wrist / On your collar / Gonna let ‘em hover / So you can’t forget me / Mixed in with the smallest sigh,” NCT DOJAEJUNG sing on the chorus.

SM Entertainment has revealed that its slate of artists will join the HYPE-owned fan community platform Weverse.SM Entertainment confirmed today (April 17) in a press release that its artists – which include popular K-pop acts such as Girls’ Generation, EXO, Red Velvet, NCT and aespa – will be joining the Weverse platform sometime this year.“SM Entertainment will achieve ‘SM 3.0’ through the co-existence of private messenger Bubble and fandom platform Weverse,” SM Entertainment said, per Korea JoongAng Daily. “SM will open SM artists’ Weverse official communities by the end of this year.”SM Entertainment artists currently uses its self-owned fan community platform Kwangya Club.

NCT member Mark in the new song ‘Golden Hour’.On April 7, Mark released his new solo song ‘Golden Hour’, as part of the group’s ongoing ‘NCT Lab’ project. The song makes a reference to Ramsay in its lyrics: “Excuse mе waiter / That golden yolk in the middle / Make it right / I’m callin’ Gordon Ramsay“.According to Mark, the namedrop was inspired by a 2018 post by an NCT fan, who tweeted a picture of their “boyfriend” making eggs to Ramsay.

NCT Dream member Mark has opened up about the group’s now-scrapped graduation system.NCT Dream had originally launched with a rotational graduation system, where members would leave after turning 20 years old. Mark had been the first to “graduate” from group, in December of 2018, following the release of the holiday single ‘Candle Light’.However, their label SM Entertainment later removed the system in April of 2020 in favour of a fixed group, consisting of the boyband’s seven original members.

Kakao has been raided by South Korean authorities over allegations that it was involved in stock manipulation over its purchase of SM Entertainment shares.According to a report by English South Korean publication Korea JoongAng Daily, about 40 prosecutors and investigators from the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) – the East Asian country’s financial regulator – had confiscated data from Kakao’s office in the city of Pangyo in relation to its stock trading activity from February 2023.“The special judicial police at the FSS is presently in the process of investigating if the sale of SM shares is in violation of the Capital Markets Act under guidance from the prosecution,” an FSS spokesperson said in a statement to South Korean press, per Korea JoongAng Daily.“The team is looking into whether there was artificial engagement to sway share prices in a certain direction,” they added.Per The Korea Herald, Kakao are reportedly under investigation for allegedly artificially inflating the stock price of SM Entertainment in an attempt to block HYBE from taking control of the K-pop agency.Back in February, HYBE had launched a tender offer to buy up to 25 per cent of SM Entertainment for ₩150,000 per share. However, HYBE had only been able to acquire 0.98 per cent through that offer, per The Korea Herald.Around the same time, HYBE had submitted a petition to the FSS over an “abnormal” 2.9 per cent purchase of SM Entertainment stocks that had been transacted through a IBK Securities’ branch in Pangyo, according to Korea JoongAng Daily.Kakao has yet to comment on the situation. NME has reached out for comment.Meanwhile, HYBE has since dropped its bid to acquire SM Entertainment following a discussion with Kakao.

SHINee member Taemin has officially been discharged from military service, and he’s set to celebrate it with fans during an upcoming fanmeeting event.The K-pop idol was officially discharged from his two-year military service on April 4, nearly two years since he enlisted for active duty on April 19, 2021. The occasion was marked by his SM Entertainment, which released a video titled ‘Taemin is Back’, featuring archival footage of the singer in a practice room.Soon after, Taemin also released a handwritten letter, touching on his time in the military and feeling about being discharged.

aespa have released a new song called ‘Hold On Tight’ for the soundtrack of the Apple TV+ original film Tetris.The synthpop songs finds the girl group singing entirely in English. The track is their first solo release since their July 2022 mini-album ‘Girls’.

EXO member Sehun has broken his silence on rumours that his alleged girlfriend is pregnant.The rumours surfaced following two anonymous online posts, both of which have been deleted, according to Sports Chosun. The first was reportedly posted by an anonymous individual who claimed to be Sehun’s girlfriend, and was an image of a man with his face covered.

Red Velvet have announced their upcoming ‘R to V’ world tour.Today (March 27), the quintet revealed that they will be bringing their upcoming ‘R to V’ concert tour to major cities in Asia and Europe. The girl group had initially announced two shows in Seoul, South Korea for their concert tour.The Asia leg of Red Velvet’s ‘R to V’ world tour will kick off an April 21 in Singapore.

NCT Dream members Mark Lee and Chenle have revealed which UK artist they would like to work with.The boyband recently sat down to speak with the Official Charts Company ahead of the upcoming London show of their ongoing ‘The Dream Show 2: In a Dream’ world tour.During the interview the interview, the boyband were asked if there were any UK artists they would like to collaborate with at the moment. Mark Lee showed his love for London-born Central Cee, saying: “[He] is a rapper I recently got to listen to, and I imagine that it’d be interesting if we got to be on a song together.”Meanwhile, member Chenle said they he would like to work with English singer and television personality HRVY again.

HYBE, home to K-pop superstars BTS, is set to sell off its entire stake in SM Entertainment.Today (March 24), HYBE announced that it would accept a tender offer by South Korean internet giant Kakao and sell its 15.8 per cent stake in K-pop agency SM Entertainment, as reported by Reuters.HYBE’s share of SM Entertainment is worth about ₩564billion (roughly US$437million), based on Kakao’s March 7 tender offer to buy up to 35 per cent of SM Entertainment for ₩150,000 per share.According to Reuters, the planned sale of SM Entertainment shares by HYBE would net the K-pop giant a profit of around US$87 million, which is roughly 25 per cent higher than the price the company originally paid for the shares.Following the announcement, shares of both Kakao and SM Entertainment companies went up about half a per cent, as of 1:30pm KST.