YG Keeps It Secret, SM Goes Public, HYBE Uses Auditions – Different New Artist Strategies by Agency

This year in the second half, the three major agencies—YG Entertainment, SM Entertainment, and HYBE-Geffen Records—are set to debut new groups simultaneously. What is noteworthy is not only that their debut dates overlap but also that the strategies each agency uses to develop these new artists differ entirely.

YG Entertainment adopts a secret strategy. The five-member boy group preparing for a September debut has yet to reveal the members’ faces or names. The only information made public came from Executive Producer YANG HYUN SUK, who stated through April’s official blog that “there are plans to introduce a new boy group in September, with five members.” This group will be YG’s first new boy group in six years since TREASURE debuted in August 2020. YG Entertainment explained that it is their long-standing practice to reveal a fully formed team at the perfect timing, and selecting only the most polished five members aligns with this approach.

SM Entertainment follows a completely opposite strategy. Through the announcement of its “SM NEXT 3.0” plan in January, the company officially stated that “one new boy group is set to debut this year, and it may include members from the public trainee group SMTR25.” SMTR25 is a publicly known trainee group of 15 members who have maintained continuous contact with fans through the variety show “Reply High School.” Shortly after ticket sales opened for their first fan meeting held at the Olympic Hall in Seoul Olympic Park last month, approximately 74,000 people tried to purchase tickets, and all seats were sold out before the group even debuted. Although the final member lineup and specific debut date have not been revealed yet, a strong fanbase has already taken shape. This represents the most mature form of the “SM NEXT 3.0” strategy, which involves building a fanbase from the trainee stage before transitioning to a debut.

HYBE and Geffen Records chose a different approach. SAINT SATINE revealed its formation process through the audition program “World Scout: The Final Piece.” In the final episode broadcast on Japan’s OTT platform ABEMA, 16-year-old SAKURA was selected from 14,000 candidates. SAKURA joined American EMILY, Swedish LEXI, and Brazilian SAMARA to complete the four-member group.