Posts by pchromo4

Finally caught up on the alleged contract details, and I know everyone is questioning why would MHJ sign a contract that indefinitely ties her to Hybe and tbh..... the answer is because 70 million USD after 1.5 years is an insane bonus number. That would make her one of the top-paid executives not just in SK but globally.

Maybe in the last 6 months the paranoia that Hybe would kneecap New Jeans made her change her mind about the 70 million USD payout. But I'm sure that figure is what made the initial contract compelling despite the non-compete clause.

Quote from byakuyav

I hope BTS members are watching all this and taking notes. Because this company is not their family, it is a place that can engage in character assassination for their own interests the moment they think of leaving. I have a feeling that if one or more of the members wanted to leave the group, they would not hesitate to portray them as traitors. And the worst part is knowing that because there are so many company stans, there are fans who might jump on this hate train and turn their backs on members who try to leave.

I need Bang PD to lose all credibility before renewal season. When's MHJ's next press conference?

Quote from Onewbias

Hybe has always been dumb with their PR

They always respond like they're above all and the public are all idiots.

If they're gonna write 6 pages essay why say 'it's not worth responding'.

It's their attitude that makes it hard for people to take their side.

I've felt this way about HYBE ever since the Garam scandal. Why claim in writing that there isn't a school violence report only to give the opportunity to the other side to prove its existence and then make whatever else you say irrelevant? If HYBE had released the report first, they could've framed its contents better too since the actual details of the report were less incriminating than the fact that the report exists.

But I've noticed that almost all entertainment agencies are trash at crisis PR strategy. They think a few Dispatch puff pieces are enough.

I can't wait, miss his voice so much

Quote from paradis

I want to know from stans of groups in other Kpop companies, especially with sub labels like Kakao, do the artists from different labels clash release wise?

For eg, have IU and Ive ever released music close apart or same day?

I highly doubt Kakao has any input on when IU releases music. Please keep in mind that up until 2022, they only owned a 40% stake in EDAM and since then have increased their stake to 52% but there's zero indication they show any involvement in the music side besides working as the distributer/publisher (and this is not unique to IU, kakao's main business is not idols and they don't micro-manage). The most that may happen is Kakao probably gets advanced notice of when IU plans to release (since they are her distributer) and maybe they could share that information with another subsidiary.

Not going to lie, I watched some clips of the press conference and read the transcripts and I do feel bad for Min Heejin - she's even more unhinged than I initially thought, but it's hard for me to believe she's capable of corporate espionage. She acts like a woman scorned and betrayed by people she trusted (and even if I don't agree with her perspective, I find her feelings genuine). That said, she absolutely is not fit to be a CEO and I still find her influence on New Jeans concerning. But increasingly I'm doubting she committed any actual crime. I hope she doesn't do anything extreme or sabotages herself even more.

Literally save BTS from this shitty company that will never outgrow their midsize mindset. HYBE wants to be a Samsung but they're proving they are the same class as SM. I'm sure that hurts Bang PD's pride deep down.

MHJ needs to be separated from New Jeans. It's not healthy.

I doubt we will ever know the actual truth of how much of the alleged espionage is spearheaded by MHJ and its extent but tbh, just the fact that other ADOR VPs already acknowledged their involvement is enough for Hybe to demand MHJ to step down as CEO due to weak leadership. It really doesn't take much justification to replace a CEO - Hybe would just need to answer to their own shareholders, but even the claim that a sub-label CEO was not aware of top execs harboring escape plans would be enough to convince HYBE shareholders that she's a liability risk.

What's happening right now is that Hybe doesn't seem satisfied anymore with only MHJ's resignation, they are going for full character assassination and possibly criminal charges (maybe to send a message?). Like I said earlier, there's no world where MHJ remains in HYBE. Having her stay would be a slap in the face for Belift at this point; the tensions between the subsidiaries right now must be insane.

MHJ played this badly tbh. Her initial statement on Illit totally lost me - it's a valid complaint to make internally but unhinged to use as a starting public statement. "Plagiarism" and "Copyright infringement" are words that have actual legal meaning, and she used them the way a teenage stan account would. It undermined her credibility out of the gate.

It would've been much better if her first statement was centered out of concern that New Jeans image and IP was not being properly protected, and in fact Ador suspects Hybe of possibly even being complicit in eroding the New Jeans brand. Then after Hybe started their media campaign, she could release her internal complaint with the caveat "I didn't want to make this public out of respect for all groups mentioned but felt I had no choice since Hybe is waging a public opinion battle."

With the way she acted instead, I don't see any way out publicly.

Quote from YamaChwan

They both need to stop this scorched earth approach and find a q quiet compromise, or they're both full of shit about having the best interests of their artists in mind.

I don't believe everything Hybe is claiming about MHJ, but I don't see any scenario where they don't follow through on ousting her, if only to send a message to all their subsidiaries. And I don't think any C-suite ever has the best interest of artists in mind - in order, it's 1) personal ego/gain and 2) shareholders/profitability. If those priorities align with artists' best interest, then that's a bonus, not the intended outcome.

Tbh I don't agree with those that think Min Heejin is easily disposal or replaceable - her antics aside, I think she's particularly gifted and an integral part of New Jeans' identity and success. That said, right now her persona is more damaging to New Jeans than her creative vision benefits them so to me the best case scenario is still that she leaves without imploding New Jeans behind her.

I don't see any outcome where she is not kicked out of Hybe, simply bc they own 80% of Ador. Whether Hybe is justified or not doesn't matter - CEOs get replaced all the time. The rest depends on the members and their parents.

Quote from paradis

Imagine the shamelessness while she used the BTS' younger sister card to push Newjeans on debut...sick

I respect MHJ as a creative director but it's clear she's completely self-motivated and will not hesitate to use anyone and everyone (including the New Jeans' members) for her own personal gain. It's sad some NJ fans here and on X can't see it. Here's hoping NJ's parents aren't as easily manipulated as 50/50's parents.

Can anyone confirm if this is an accurate translation of what was in Min Heejin's initial statement (that accused ILLIT of plagiarism)?

If so, NJ's legal representatives are dumb as rocks. There is absolutely no benefit to even acknowledge they're aware of MHJ's conflicts and complaints with Hybe. This is extremely irresponsible of MHJ as well.

If New Jeans and their parents are smart, they should be using lawyers that they individually are paying for, not lawyers provided by Ador.

Quote from Beesknees

To think IU was offered the main lead first iirc for that show looks like it’ll set records

The role was initially written with IU in mind (I'm guessing after her role in Hotel del Luna) but she turned it down for the upcoming drama with Park Bogum. Queen of Teras will set records, and I expect songs from its OST to become hits this year but tbh the writing/script is very poor.

MHJ is uncontrollable. Regardless of whether HYBE's claims are valid or the similarities between ILLIT and NJ, the fact that her first statement is solely about naming and shaming ILLIT is unhinged behavior.

Do we know the eligibility period for MAMA or MMA? I remember when IU released "Love Poem" mini album in Nov 2019 (with smash hit "Blueming"), the next year MMA conveniently started their award eligibility period the week after IU released so nothing from the album was eligible for nomination lol. November releases are tricky, MMA and MAMA both change their eligibility cut offs every year to whatever suits them. Even early Dec releases may not be safe, depending on award show politics.

Belift should release an english version of "Magnetic". It would explode the tiktok potential, possibly even airplay. The song has all the ingredients for viral smash in the same vein as "cupid" and "boy's a liar".

come on grandpa, let's get you to bed

Gidle are so impressive. "Fate" is a great song too, really feels like lately (not just in SK but globally as well) songs that resonate with the public will naturally rise unlike in the past when a lot was dependent on promotions and name-brand recognition. There's been so many surprise viral hits.

LSF are not even remotely on the same tier are Itzy for digital charting. It's clear there's a healthy level of anticipation for LSF releases, and their music has a solid audience beyond just their core fans. IMO they haven't peaked yet in SK or globally.

This genre of music is exactly up my alley. I will be streaming on debut day

Quote from pchromo4

IDK if I would call NJ's debut the once-in-a-generation remarkable phenomenon that YamaChwan is pushing, but it was definitely fresh. Just everything about it felt fresh and innovative, rather than reactive/trendy. There was a decent amount of curiosity about MHJ's girl group because of all the buzz about how Hybe had poached her. I even remember arguing with ISaidISaid at that time because they felt MHJ was stealing too much attention from the members lol. I'll say again what I said then - MHJ knocked the debut out of the park. The music was great. The MVs were great. The concepts were great. The surprise factor helped magnify the hype, and the quality of the product did the rest of the work.

Re: LSF's debut, "Fearless" was a very underwhelming song, and their debut concept/styling felt extremely dated. Someone at the time said "this is how middle-aged men imagine female empowerment" and I completely agree. Their concepts/music since debut has been much better, and their current results reflect that.

I just realized I replied to the wrong thread lol..... pretend this post is for the NJ debut thread