Last week, SM Entertainment released the “30th Anniversary Brand Movie” to celebrate the Korean brand’s upcoming 30th anniversary milestone since its inception. The film showcases SM’s evolution into a multinational public company through trends-setting, generation-defining performances and songs, showcasing SM from early artists HOT, SES and BoA to its newest stars. With such a strong industry leadership, SM and its internal team have handled recent controversies. ShenghanA former member of the label’s newest K-pop group, RIIZE, he has the potential to set a new industry standard, but could also set a potentially dangerous precedent for his star.
RIIZE’s multinational lineup, which debuts in September 2023 and represents South Korea, Japan and the United States, centers on authentic, “unretouched” images through no-makeup selfies and studio content on social media – this is SM A refreshing change from the sophisticated, concept-heavy aesthetic. Complete seven-man squad Shotaro, Chengcan, grace stone, Shenghan, Yuan Bin, Zhaoxi and Anton Making their live debut at the 2023 KCON Los Angeles Music Festival. Before new company owner Kakao Entertainment launches its first SM artist, sources confirm advertising billboard The companies met exclusively with various digital, streaming and media partners in the US to secure early interest, underscoring the intention to showcase relevant, down-to-earth people on a global scale.
On September 4, 2023, RIIZE released its official debut single “Get a Guitar” in partnership with RCA Records, a rare move for a brand new K-pop group to sign with a U.S. record label on their debut moment. Media sources pointed out that RCA Records Chief Operating Officer John Fleckenstein said that “RIIZE will break new boundaries of global pop music with a new perspective.” SM and Kakao Entertainment America CEO/SM Entertainment Chief Commercial Officer Joseph Chang responded: “RIIZE is ushering in an exciting new era of Korean pop music.
An English cover of RIIZE’s “Get a Guitar” was released in November, followed by funk duo Chromeo remixing both versions in December. By all accounts, RIIZE were destined to become K-pop’s next global player from their first song, with a new post from RCA touting “their down-to-earth personality” and a press release from SM Entertainment stating that RIIZE “encapsulates A team that continues to grow while realizing its dreams.”
While RIIZE and the team struggled to resonate globally, they simultaneously dealt with the unfolding controversy involving Seunghan, the fallout of which ultimately challenged the group’s image.
In August, private photos of Seunghan kissing a woman were leaked, sparking dissatisfaction among some fans over “idol-appropriate” behavior. SM issued a statement apologizing and threatening legal action against those who circulated the photos. Another leak surfaced in October, this time of a video of Seunghan publicly smoking, leading SM to announce an indefinite suspension, a move that signaled a tough stance on RIIZE’s image.
Subsequently, Seunghan’s status in the band fell into silence for 10 months as RIIZE looked to spread their name internationally. The band’s RIIZING DAY fan tour swept across Asia and North America in the spring and summer, with crowds chanting Seunghan’s name and “RIIZE IS SEVEN” at events taped in Mexico City and Los Angeles.
Earlier this month, SM Entertainment’s management team in charge of RIIZE (known as Wizard Production) announced on October 10 that Seunghan would return to “gradually participate in some of the group’s scheduled activities in November to say hello to fans again.” About 48 hours later Later, when another announcement was made, the decision was overturned, with directors Kim Hyung-kook and Lee Sang-min saying, “We realized that our decision actually hurt the fans more and caused them more confusion. In fact, , in the hours after Seunghan first announced his comeback, some RIIZE fans protested by surrounding SM Entertainment’s local headquarters in Seoul with funeral wreaths — an increasingly common but worrying move from an emotional K-pop listeners, aiming to show their decision to die at the hands of such people, adorned the expensive wreaths (priced between $70 and $170) with phrases like “RIIZE Is 6” and “Seunghan Out,” among others. Local fans worked together to destroy the wreaths and remove them from the venue.
Member Wonbin even sent a letter to fans on RIIZE’s Weverse account, seemingly to comfort fans who may be upset and reiterate that this was the decision of the entire band. When Seunghan announced his official resignation, The letter was deleted without explanation.
But RIIZE’s problems are more complicated than complying with local rules.
South Korea’s pop culture scene, especially K-pop, tends to take a more conservative approach, emphasizing idol-like behavior, which is crucial to gaining lucrative brand deals and media exposure in South Korea. Like any label, SM has a good track record of handling scandals — notably supporting NCT’s Taeyong during his online scam controversy before his official debut and allowing him to address the issue directly — and Seunghan’s case appears to be drew a harsher line, suggesting that even leaking a personal moment before debut could now be grounds for suspension.
Whether or not this comes from SM’s new owners in Kakao, the confusion and subsequent fan outrage – which resulted in a Change.org petition with over 307,000 signatures – arguably comes from the specific shaping and marketing of RIIZE when it was created.
If SM follows the playbook of seniors like Girls’ Generation, NCT 127, and aespa, RIIZE will likely make a successful debut in Korea, appearing on different TV shows and media across the country to promote the debut single, and eventually through overseas promotions and partnerships with American brands or Distributor Transactions. In fact, the only SM project to launch simultaneously with a local U.S. label partner is its seven-member supergroup SuperM, which debuted its debut EP as a full-scale collaboration with Capitol Records at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, but did not It can surpass charting in Korea or become a hit single.
Instead, RIIZE’s worldview has been poised to expand beyond Korea since before Guitar, and the management behind it has chosen to keep that expectation in mind as a matter of course.
While RIIZE’s latest announcement sealed Seunghan’s fate, the six remaining members now face the challenge of resolving similar controversies. Will a member be suspended if he is caught smoking? Even though nearly a third of Korean men are smokers? Will RIIZE members also never be allowed to date without quitting the group? Didn’t it help the band gain local attention that Anton is the son of a beloved Korean singer and actress? Their contract is in line with the industry standard of seven years – with many acts, especially under SM, lasting longer than that – one has to wonder what type of protection and security RIIZE needs to ensure there are no unwelcome surprises when the team relocates. A nasty leak or slip-up. Nearly half of South Korean teenagers and more than a quarter of adults experience severe stress, a number expected to be quite high given the known stresses of the K-pop industry. Can RIIZE really live his true self?
Earlier this week, six members of RIIZE announced they were joining November’s Rolling Loud Thai, the local version of the hip-hop festival that last year had an official cannabis partner. (Cannabis with less than 0.2% THC is legal in Thailand; non-medical cannabis use is illegal in South Korea, where importation for medical use was not approved until 2019) A conservatively managed boy band performs at a music festival The image raised some concerns that the decision was “hypocritical” and “ironic”.
However, one can’t help but think that if RIIZE and his team had approached Seunghan’s situation with the authenticity they advertised from the beginning, things might have been less controversial and confusing.
As pointed out during a dinner conversation advertising billboard In a digital cover story, youngest member Anton said the group never thought RIIZE had a “concept,” but “we just wanted to show our true selves.” In fact, RIIZE and Seunghan have always been brave enough to share their true selves with the public—whether through their work as artists or unapproved leaks of their pre-debut private lives. Marketing image is an important part of an artist’s life, and only the best managers can make it credible. Only one party agrees with RIIZE’s larger message of authenticity and growth. As such, this side is also the one who decides who stays and who leaves the band, and as the band and the K-pop industry continue to move forward and become increasingly international, the stakes become higher and more dangerous.
