Yang Hyun-suk Speaks for First Time in 5 Years...Announcing Plans to Discover Next GD and Jennie

YG Entertainment’s chief producer, Yang Hyun-suk, spoke through a media interview for the first time in over five years. Breaking his long silence, he expressed his ambition to personally discover the next G-Dragon (BIGBANG) and Jennie (BLACKPINK). Yang has been dedicating full effort to identifying talents who will shape the future of the K-pop industry through the “2026 YG SPECIAL AUDITION : GO! DEBUT” that began last month. What makes this audition unusual is that Yang personally oversees it from the initial resume screening stage, unlike previous iterations. He stated, “Since parents send their young children to YG trusting us, I must examine them myself.” He added, “These are idol candidates who face an extremely difficult and competitive process—comparable to a camel trying to pass through a needle’s eye—so there must be a corresponding rigorous evaluation process and support in return.” Currently, Yang is directly involved in sorting through tens of thousands of applicants from across the country. With application deadlines approaching at the end of February, the number of participants is expected to rise further. Drawing on his experience discovering G-Dragon and Jennie, Yang emphasized that proactive action rather than passive waiting is necessary for talent scouting. He said, “Just because K-pop has become mainstream in the global pop market doesn’t mean we can sit in offices waiting idly; otherwise, there will never be a second GD or Jennie.” The ambitious goals Yang outlined for the future include creating two or three new YG IPs within one year. To achieve this, YG is currently holding Song Camps, working simultaneously with around 70 artists, and operating 10 studios where dozens of foreign artists repeatedly travel in and out to participate in projects. From November to January of last year, Yang conducted large-scale solo camps in the United States and South Korea over three months, focusing intensely on songwriting with top producers from home and abroad. This effort is seen as part of accelerating new artist debut projects. Yang said, “I feel at peace when I’m buried in the studio, working day and night. My only desire is to bring forth a second GD and Jennie to the world as soon as possible.” Meanwhile, YG is accelerating the launch of its next-generation groups by strengthening its training systems and significantly shortening the time from training to debut. Yang’s unprecedented involvement in early screening stages and his aggressive schedule clearly illustrate where YG is heading. With “auditions” serving as the starting point and a company-wide “all-in” approach ensuring seamless progression from talent discovery to production and execution, YG is opening a new chapter once again.