Music industry settlement of eventful year 2024
The year 2024 was a year in which the light and dark sides of K-pop coexisted in the music industry. Not only was there a revival of band music, led by the boy group Day6, but there was also more musical diversity than ever before, including Espa, which was loved for its metal-like, future-oriented, so-called ‘metal-like’ songs. However, there were many accidents, such as the conflict between Korea’s largest entertainment company Hive and Min Hee-jin, former CEO of its affiliated label Adore, and singers’ drunk driving. We have summarized the events and people that shook the K-pop industry this year.
●“Come in right now” Min Hee-jin vs. Hive dispute
The biggest issue that heated up the music industry this year is the conflict between Hive and former CEO Adore Min. Hive launched an audit in April of this year, accusing former CEO Min of trying to seize management rights from Adore, and CEO Min held a press conference to refute the claim, calling it a “retaliatory audit.” In this process, former CEO Min’s fashion and his various unfiltered remarks, such as “Come in as you say” and “Mr. Gaejeossi,” became memes and gained popularity.
New Jeans, a group that had always supported former CEO Min, also held a press conference on the 28th of last month and announced the termination of its exclusive contract with Adore. On the 5th of this month, Adore filed a lawsuit to confirm the validity of the exclusive contract with the Seoul Central District Court. An official from a large entertainment company said, “The Hive and Min Hee-jin incident was an incident that showed the dark side of the K-pop industry, which was on the fast track to growth.” He added, “We are paying attention to the outcome of the lawsuit because it can determine the direction of not only New Genes but the entertainment industry as a whole.” did it
●Musical diversity from band boom to ‘iron taste music’
It was a year of musical diversity. The ‘K-band boom’ was led by unique bands such as boy group Day6, who enjoyed a comeback after being discharged from the military, as well as QWER, Jannabi, and Silica Gel. It seems that the public, who are tired of the dance-oriented idol music or trot music that has continued for several years, has paid attention to band music.
Aespa stood out the most in the absence of existing large idols such as Blackpink and BTS. The pre-released song ‘Supernova’ from the first full-length album released in May this year ranked first on the Melon chart for 15 consecutive weeks, and each song released, including ‘Armageddon’ and ‘Whiplash’, became hits. did it It is said that ‘iron-tasted music’, which goes against the recent trend of ‘easy listening’, is rather refreshing to the public.
Global stars continued to advance, with Blackpink’s Rosé receiving love from around the world for ‘Apartment’, which was created based on a drinking game. The activities of veteran singers also stood out, with 74-year-old singer Cho Yong-pil making a comeback and Na Hoon-ah announcing that she will leave the music industry after her last concert in January next month.
Accidents such as drunk driving and neglect of duty continue
On the other hand, there were many unpleasant incidents and accidents. Trot singer Kim Ho-joong was involved in a hit-and-run accident while drunk in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul in May this year. Afterwards, he gave a false explanation, saying, “I did not drive drunk,” and encouraged an employee of his agency to falsely confess, causing controversy. In the end, he was sentenced to two years and six months in prison in the first trial last month and has halted all activities.
This August, BTS member Suga was caught by the police for drinking and driving an electric scooter. At the time, Suga’s blood alcohol content was 0.2227%, well over the license revocation standard (0.08%). There was also controversy over an attempt to downplay the charges by explaining the electric scooter as an ‘electric kickboard’ in the initial apology. The Seoul Western District Court briefly ordered Suga to pay a fine of 15 million won in September this year.
Boy group Winner Song Min-ho, who was discharged on the 23rd of this month after serving as a social worker at the Mapo Resident Convenience Facility, was recently embroiled in controversy over neglect of service. Accordingly, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced, “We will conduct a thorough investigation into the service status of social workers targeting the Seoul Metropolitan Government and its affiliated organizations.” An official in the music industry said, “As the status of K-pop has increased, it is time for stars and agencies to be more alert.”
Reporter Sa Ji-won [email protected]
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