Breaking a long, long silence, Yang Hyun-suk, the chief producer of YG Entertainment (hereinafter YG), opened up in an interview with the press for the first time in about five years. Yang, who had largely cut off contact with the media for a long time, had not replied to the reporter's annual greeting texts but suddenly connected a call.
"You've been sending messages for years, and I felt I should at least return a greeting.. In recent years, it's been one or two times a month that I attend outside appointments. I feel at ease when I hole up in the studio and immerse myself in work day and night. I only have the desire to bring the next GD (G-Dragon) and Jennie into the world as soon as possible."
Big Bang's GD, now counted among the top of the top even on the world-class stage, is the genius artist Yang Hyun-suk discovered in the Hongdae underground hip-hop scene when he was 13. Jennie of Blackpink, who now dominates the global K-pop market, also came from an audition but was separately discovered by Yang, who went out and found her himself as a rookie. That he is once again calling for the glory and revival of YG auditions means he has personally taken command on the front lines.
Yang is directly participating in the work of sorting the wheat from the chaff among the tens of thousands of applicants worldwide who applied for this YG audition. Considering that the special audition's application deadline is the end of February, the number of applicants is expected to increase significantly. As is typical for auditions hosted by major agencies, applicants tend to flock right before the deadline.
Especially since Yang Hyun-suk personally rolled up his sleeves, audition officials expect the special audition to be packed with unprecedented participants. Accordingly, Yang said, "Because parents entrust their children to us, I will do my best in audition selection out of consideration for their concerns," making clear his weight and determination as the person leading K-pop YG.
"Because parents trust YG and send their young children, shouldn't I see them myself? These are idol candidates who dream of becoming stars after going through processes so difficult and fierce that a camel would have to pass through the eye of a needle. Then appropriate screening processes and support must follow. I want to give them the possibility that 'they can succeed' and the belief and trust that we will see that possibility through to the end. The passion I had back then when searching for young talents like GD and Jennie is blazing again inside me."
In that sense, this YG audition is an important test stage for Yang. He is carefully examining every candidate from head to toe, starting with the screening of numerous applicants' documents.
He said, "K-pop has become the mainstream of the global pop market, and just because aspiring artists from around the world flock to Korean major agencies, if we sit in the office and just wait, the second GD and Jennie will never be born," and added, "A fisherman with 30 years of experience does not go out to sea without any preparation. Based on accumulated experience and knowledge, wouldn't he predict and analyze the movement of fish before launching the boat?" He emphasized that 'movement,' not 'waiting,' is needed in talent discovery.
Yang also revealed concrete plans for the future. He said, "My goal is to create two or three new IPs for YG within a year. I'm concentrating all efforts on this." He added, "For that reason, I have almost cut off contact with the outside. I felt bad about not replying to a reporter who has been in contact with me for a long time, so I called directly to extend new year greetings. It's true that I'm so busy day and night that I can hardly make appointments," suggesting that YG is focusing all its capabilities on 'creation' at the moment.
Since the end of last year, YG has been holding a song camp and is simultaneously working with about 70 artists. Yang said, "We have opened 10 studios. Dozens of overseas artists are also repeatedly entering and leaving the country to participate in the project. The reason we temporarily skipped the event that communicated with fans through recent company videos is precisely this background," explaining the current situation.
From last November through January, for three months he conducted large-scale solo camps in the U.S. and Korea, working intensively on songs with top-level domestic and international producers, which is also seen as part of efforts to accelerate rookie debut projects. If you heed Yang Hyun-suk's interview remarks, they clearly show where YG is heading now. The starting line was 'auditions,' and under an all-out 'all-in' system that links talent discovery to production and execution in one breath, a new chapter for YG is opening once again.<
[Photo] YG
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