YG Entertainment chief producer Yang Hyun-suk is concentrating all efforts on discovering major new talents to follow groups Big Bang and Blackpink. He is working day and night with the goal of producing "two to three new IPs within a year," devoting all his capabilities to "creation."
Chief Yang Hyun-suk these days is putting more effort into finding talent to open the future of the K-pop market through the '2026 YG SPECIAL AUDITION : GO! DEBUT,' which began last month. Because this audition carries the title "special," unlike before Chief Yang Hyun-suk is leading it from the initial document screening stage. He intends to go out in person and discover the second G-Dragon and Jennie.
Chief Yang Hyun-suk, who is devoting all his efforts to the "special audition," conveyed his determination about this project in an interview with OSEN for the first time in about five years.
Chief Yang Hyun-suk is currently sorting out the wheat from the chaff among the trainees selected in this audition. Just as he discovered G-Dragon and Jennie himself, he plans to lead the front line of this "special audition" to unearth gems.
Unusually taking part in the initial screening, Chief Yang said, "Because parents trust YG and send their young children, shouldn't I see them myself? These idol candidates dream of becoming stars after going through a process so difficult and fierce that a camel must pass through the eye of a needle, so shouldn't a matching screening process and support necessarily follow? I want to give them the possibility that 'they can succeed' and the belief and trust that I will watch over that possibility to the end."
With the K-pop market now the mainstream of the global pop market, he means he will not just sit in the office and wait for a second G-Dragon or Jennie to appear. It was also his determination as the person responsible for leading K-pop by producing numerous artists active on the world stage, from Big Bang and 2NE1 to Blackpink, Winner, iKON, TREASURE and BABYMONSTER.
In particular, YG has recently strengthened its training system and drastically shortened the time to debut, accelerating the launch of next-generation groups, which has drawn more interest. Chief Yang Hyun-suk also said of future plans, "The goal is to create two to three new YG IPs within a year. I am concentrating all efforts on this."
Because Chief Yang Hyun-suk is leading the way by personally taking part from the initial screening, expectations are already high for the second G-Dragon and Jennie who will be selected by his excellent eye.
[Photo] Provided by YG Entertainment.
[OSEN]