Yang Hyun Suk says “money is not important” when it comes to Psy’s U.S. debut

“Money is not important.” These are the words of YG Entertainment‘s CEO Yang Hyun Suk, who has quietly observed the events leading up to Psy‘s upcoming U.S. venture. “It is something we need to more cautiously unravel from here on out,” he continued.

Psy will soon be breaking into the U.S. market. YG Entertainment announced that Psy had signed a contract with Universal Republic Records for his music and will be managed by Scooter Braun (Schoolboy Records) and Island Records.

Through a phone conversation with StarIn that took place the very same day, Yang Hyun Suk remarked, “Something I never even imagined would happen is taking place. Psy has broken all the records set by Korea’s top idol stars. The single fact that his “Gangnam Style” MV received 100 million hits in just 52 days really says something in and of itself.”

Ahead of the “Gangnam Style” craze, 2NE1‘s “I Am The Best” MV recorded 50,000,000 hits on YouTube over the course of one year, and Girls’ Generation‘s “Gee” Mv recorded 84,000,000 over the course of three years. But Psy’s “Gangnam Style” MV hit count is truly the most record-breaking in all of K-Pop history. With Psy now having been given the green light to debut in the States, and it’s anyone’s guess as to what he will be able to accomplish.

Yang Hyun Suk once again realized the importance of doing music that flows from one’s heart and that the artist enjoys, in order for the public to enjoy it as well. Yang remarked, “When you try and pull different tricks in order to force-create a certain type of music or MV to reach a certain goal, the results are often not so great. It was impossible not to look back and think about what kind of musicians are often welcomed with open arms by the public.”

Papa YG is now focusing on the opportunities that await Psy through his U.S. debut. “The more important fact is not that “Gangnam Style” is drawing major popularity, but that the artist is a Korean singer,” Yang Hyun Suk said.

“Just as Bae Yong Jun created a Korean drama craze in Japan with ‘Winter Sonata‘, and just as BoA served as the first pioneer for K-Pop overseas, Psy needs to play that kind of role in the States,” he added. “It doesn’t matter how much money Psy makes in the States. He needs to break down obstacles, as well as break down prejudices in regards to Korean artists. Thanks to Psy, artists such as Big Bang, and 2NE1, as well as other Korean artists now have a little more potential when it comes to breaking the world market.”

“Within the huge category that is ‘culture’ exists a positive influence that is derived from music alone, and it can help create more value for not only Korea’s national brand, but for business, and the economy,” he continued. “With that said, Psy’s US debut made possible thanks to his self-created fame is something to be praised, and it is also his greatest feat.”

Source & Image : StarIn via Nate

Yang Hyun Suk credits the wives of Psy and Tablo for the artists’ decision to join YG Entertainment

YG Entertainment is definitely on a roll this year. Followed by the back to back successes of Big Bang and 2NE1, they’ve also hit jackpot with Psy’s latest hit, in addition to more things to look forward to with G-Dragon‘s solo comeback and Epik High’s grand return.

Although YG Entertainment is responsible for the birth and success of Big Bang and 2NE1, Psy and Tablo already had established careers before making the transition into the company. What do they have in common?

In his latest interview with OSEN, Yang Hyun Suk credited their wives. He stated, “One of the major reasons that Psy and Tablo decided to join YG was due to the support and dedication of their wives.”

Psy had maintained a hyung and dongseng relationship with Yang Hyun Suk while running his own company in addition to keeping up with his rap career before he decided that it was too much to handle at once. While looking for a way out, his wife suggested that he join YG Entertainment. Psy eventually complied and met with Yang Hyun Suk, reasoning, “Instead of business, I want to achieve bigger dreams as an artist under the secure system of YG.”

By using Yang Hyun Suk’s advice to “return to his roots”, Psy managed to conquer the summer market with “Gangnam Style” in just two years.

As for Tablo, his wife Kang Hye Jung is an actress under the company and actively suggested that her husband sign a contract with the agency. Having suffered from haters and lawsuits surrounding his educational history, Tablo had nearly given up on his career as an artist and composer before he was able to blossom once more as a solo artist under YG.

Yang Hyun Suk concluded, “Psy and Tablo are truly talented musicians. It’s a joy to be able to work with them. I’d like to express my gratitude once again to their wives for trusting YG and pushing them with support towards us.”

Source + Photos: OSEN via Naver

2NE1 cancels upcoming single + announces plan for new album in October

YG Entertainment has just notified allthatkpops of some changes in upcoming plans. Unfortunately 2NE1‘s upcoming single, which was scheduled to be released on July 28th originally, has been canceled. However! The girls will be returning in October with a new album instead.

According to original plans, 2NE1 had intended to release their second single three weeks after the release of “I Love You” back on July 5th. However, as their ‘New Evolution‘ tour will kick off in Seoul at the end of this week, followed with performances overseas in August and September, it was decided that the double promotions with the tour and music program performances in Korea may take too much of a toll on the girls. Thus, after an emergency meeting, YG Entertainment has announced that they will be scrapping the new single coming up, and instead focus on a new album release in October.

Although they are aware that some fans may be disappointed with the sudden announcement, they stated that this decision had to be made in order for the girls to focus more on their first world tour and give the producers in the agency more time to produce a higher quality album.

Recent photo of ‘K-Pop Star’ finalist Lee Ha Yi attracts attention

A recent photo of Lee Ha Yi, revealed via an online bulletin board, has been gaining attention.

Lee Ha Yi competed in the final round of SBS‘ ‘K-Pop Star‘ and came in second place, but she’s since signed with YG Entertainment.

The singer can be seen wearing a purple t-shirt and yellow shorts in the recent photo. It’s piqued the interest of netizens as she seems to have lost some of her baby fat.

Netizens created captions that read: “Our Ha Yi has changed~” and “[Transformation into a] ‘fantastic baby’ after entering YG?”

Source & Image: Chosun via Naver

Epik High to return this September

After three years, hip hop group Epik High will finally be making a comeback this September!

YG Entertainment announced on July 25th, “Epik High and YG have settled on a contract and are announcing a new album. We have already finished recording and plan to release the album this September.”

It’s been three years since Epik High released their 6th album, ‘e‘, in September of 2009. The group went through a long hiatus due to false claims concerning Tablo‘s education, as well as DJ Tukutz and Mithra Jin‘s military service.

Last September, Tablo signed with YG Entertainment and released his first solo album, ‘Fever’s End‘. DJ Tukutz and Mithra Jin are reportedly planning to sign exclusive contracts with YG as well.

YG Entertainment stated, “We will do everything we can to help the members, who’ve gone through difficult times, create even better music.”

Source + Image: Yonhap News via Naver

Psy to guest on an upcoming episode of ‘Healing Camp’

It has been reported that singer Psy recently concluded a successful recording of SBS‘s talk program ‘Healing Camp‘.

On July 16th, a representative of YG Entertainment confirmed the news and stated, “Psy’s episode of ‘Healing Camp’ will air next week on the 23rd. The singer honestly opened up about his life, talked about his career, and more.”

The episode featuring Psy will air on July 23rd at 11:15PM (KST).

Meanwhile, Psy made his comeback by releasing part 1 of his 6th full album entitled ‘Psy 6 (Six Rules)‘ on July 15th.

Source: TVDaily via Nate

Concert sales for SM, JYP & YG artists in Japan revealed

A recent report by TVDaily has revealed the impressive amounts of revenue that the artists from Korea’s ‘Big Three’ music agencies, SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment and YG Entertainment, have generated in both Korea and Japan.

In the first half of 2012, SM artists have been confirmed to have achieved over 100 billion won in sales. TVXQ‘s tours in Japan (26 performances thus far) drew a total audience of 550,000 fans with ticket sales amounting to 76 billion won (~$6.6 million USD). SHINee‘s 20 performances have drawn 200,000 people totaling over 25 billion won (~$2.2 million USD), and Super Junior has earned approximately 110,000 guests for about 15.7 billion won (~$1.3 million USD) with just two performances in 2012.

In this same time period, the YG Family world tour concert in Japan drew a total of 310,000 people alone for a total revenue of 49.4 billion won (~$4.3 million USD). As for JYPE, 2PM‘s Japanese Budokan Concert Tour in Asia drew 110,000 people for approximately 5.8 billion won (~$5.1 million USD).

In addition, Cube Entertainment, DSP Entertainment and many other music agencies are ready to join in the second half of this year.

Source: TVDaily