MBW’s World Leaders is a daily sequence by which we flip the highlight towards a few of the most influential trade figures overseeing key worldwide markets. For the primary version of 2024, we communicate to South Korea-based music government and producer Sung Soo Han, also called PLEDIS Leisure’s ‘Grasp Skilled’. He based SEVENTEEN’s label, developed the group, and oversees all artistic processes for the HYBE-owned label’s roster. World Leaders is supported by PPL.
Right here’s some Ok-Pop trivia for you.
Which act presently holds the file for the best-selling album (by way of bodily copies offered) ever globally within the historical past of Ok-pop?
No, it’s not HYBE-signed superstars BTS (although they’re the best-selling Ok-pop act general).
It’s SEVENTEEN, who’re signed to PLEDIS Leisure, by which Ok-pop firm HYBE owns a majority stake.
Based on South Korea’s Hanteo chart platform, again in April SEVENTEEN’s FML racked up 4.64 million bodily preorders worldwide to make it, on the time, probably the most pre-ordered Ok-Pop album of all time.
(This file was later pipped by JYP-signed Stray Children, whose album 5-STAR surpassed 5.13 million preorders).
SEVENTEEN’s FML then went on to interrupt BTS’ file for the most important gross sales for a person Ok-pop album ever, surpassing 6.2 million bodily copies offered.
That made FML, in accordance with HYBE/PLEDIS, “the best-selling album ever globally within the historical past of Ok-pop”.
SEVENTEEN’s success didn’t cease there final yr. Their eleventh EP, SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN, broke Stray Children’ pre-order file, with gross sales of 5.2 million items.
The 2 albums (FML and SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN) additionally propelled SEVENTEEN to superstardom on the earth’s first and second-largest recorded music markets, the US and Japan.
Within the US, each albums, FML and SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN, debuted at No.2 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart, in Could and November, respectively.
Each albums additionally secured the No.1 spot on the weekly Oricon Albums Chart in Japan, a key marketplace for the group.
“They achieved extraordinary feats [in 2023],” says PLEDIS Leisure’s founder Sung Soo Han, who has performed a pivotal position in elevating SEVENTEEN to their present standing as international stars.
“They now maintain to their identify the best-selling album ever in Ok-pop, and over 16 million copies of their albums had been offered in complete within the yr 2023 alone,” he provides.
“However extra so than the numbers, what actually fills me with pleasure is witnessing their steady progress 9 years since their debut.”
As you possibly can see from the stats above, quite a lot of SEVENTEEN’s success has been achieved with bodily album gross sales.
Commenting on what this tells about listening developments amongst Ok-Pop followers, Sung Soo Han means that “in Ok-pop, the concept of a bodily album transcends being a mere technique of listening to music”.
He provides: “It serves as a medium to convey the messages of artists and producers by each visible and auditory components. Some tracks are completely obtainable on the bodily album, and inclusions present followers with a customized technique to benefit from the artists’ content material.
“In Ok-pop, a bodily album presents a high quality strategy to appreciating an artist’s work. It’s a mirrored image of a listening pattern the place audiences don’t cease at listening to music; somewhat, they immerse themselves within the murals by the artists and producers by a wide range of methods.”
“IN Ok-pop, the concept of a bodily album transcends being a mere technique of listening to music.”
Sung Soo Han
Since establishing PLEDIS Leisure in 2010, Sung Soo Han, also called the label’s ‘Grasp Skilled’, has acted as the chief producer of the label and continues to supervise all artistic processes for the label’s roster that features SEVENTEEN, fromis_9, BAEKHO, HWANG MIN HYUN, NANA, BUMZU, YEHANA and SUNGYEON.
Ok-Pop leisure big HYBE acquired a majority stake in PLEDIS in 2020.
Sung Soo Han tells MBW that the deal “was an excellent alternative for mutual progress, an opportunity for HYBE (previously BIGHIT Leisure) and PLEDIS Leisure to come back collectively, share our expertise and know-how, and synergize”.
He provides: “The extent of ardour and sincerity Chairman Bang has for content material and artists he works with was additionally an vital issue.
The exec and producer additionally explains that PLEDIS Leisure continues to function as an “impartial label with artistic freedom” and that it “proceed[s] its traditions, whereas additionally benefiting from the assist of HYBE’s sources to ship even higher music and content material to the followers globally”.
Right here, within the newest installment of MBW’s World Leaders sequence, Sung Soo Han tells us extra about his profession, his predictions for the enterprise of Ok-pop, and naturally… SEVENTEEN.
Can we begin firstly of your profession – How did you first get into the music enterprise and who had been a few of your early mentors?
With a background in arts myself, I all the time had an curiosity in popular culture. I used to be notably fascinated by instances of Korean content material reaching international audiences, by its potential to resonate with such a variety of individuals.
I turned part of the staff at SM Leisure then, and realized lots from the expertise.
“I all the time had an curiosity in popular culture.”
What struck me most was how they seen ‘the market.’ They had been wanting past Korea, perceiving the whole lot of Asia as our audience, and I believe such a perspective laid the inspiration for our capability to create globally interesting content material at the moment. It’s gratifying to witness the belief of ours and our predecessors’ desires at the moment.
You based PLEDIS Leisure in 2010. In what state was the music trade in South Korea at the moment and what are your ideas on its evolution since then?
The concept of Ok-pop has been round for fairly a while, nevertheless it was within the 2010s that it started to captivate a fair broader international viewers. With the looks of many famend artists over time, Ok-pop developed and located floor as a cultural pressure that resonates with audiences globally, characterised by an intricate stability of relatability and distinctive artistry.
“Whereas Ok-pop has turn out to be a dynamic pressure on a world stage, there’s all the time demand for one thing new and totally different, and therefore room for additional progress.”
Whereas Ok-pop has turn out to be a dynamic pressure on a world stage, there’s all the time demand for one thing new and totally different, and therefore room for additional progress. And enlargement of the market requires higher variety in each the artistry and the methods concerned.
For Ok-pop to proceed its upward trajectory, we have to work out find out how to additional push the boundaries of the sphere, and the openness to simply accept higher variety will play an vital position within the course of.
We’re additionally making ready to introduce a brand new boy group at PLEDIS Leisure. And on the core of our strategy to the artist is the objective of including new layers to what defines Ok-pop, which makes it much more essential that we spotlight the appeal that’s distinct to the artist.
What had been your ambitions or unique objectives for the corporate?
From the start, PLEDIS’ objective has all the time been to find younger expertise and assist them unlock their potential to the fullest. Actually understanding every expertise to develop and outline their identification as an artist has been on the heart of our mission as an leisure firm, and this precept stays unchanged.
“From the start, PLEDIS’ objective has all the time been to find younger expertise and assist them unlock their potential to the fullest.”
For example, SEVENTEEN has grown to be an artist that delivers their sincere ideas and emotions in their very own methods, and I imagine such sincerity was a key issue behind all of the love they’re receiving at the moment. We’re striving to assist the members of our new boy group do the identical—to seek out the colour and the ways in which greatest swimsuit them themselves. They possess totally different charms from their ‘older brother,’ SEVENTEEN, they’ve this high quality to them that reminds you of boyhood.
They carry spirits for these round them simply being who they’re, you’d need to be round them, and be snug round on a regular basis. Our staff at PLEDIS is investing quite a lot of time into drawing out their full potential within the ways in which greatest swimsuit them, and it’s a mission that fills me with each a heavy sense of accountability and pleasure.
How is PLEDIS positioned inside HYBE at the moment?
Every label at HYBE operates underneath a special artistic course and works with artists of various flairs, every contributing to the variety of music and content material produced underneath HYBE Labels as an entire. PLEDIS additionally performs its half in diversifying that pool.
I imagine the synergy between PLEDIS’ drive to give attention to every expertise’s individuality and HYBE’s infrastructure, community in addition to sources, is yielding nice outcomes.
How is HYBE positioned within the international music enterprise at the moment in your view?
HYBE is a ‘multi-label’ firm, which ensures the artistic independence of every label that shares HYBE’s infrastructure and community.
The strategy has made its share of contribution to Ok-pop trade’s progress, primarily based on the system’s capability to intensify the standard and broaden the spectrum of content material we create.
“I imagine HYBE and PLEDIS will proceed to prepared the ground in Ok-pop, enabling Ok-pop to additional prolong its attain.”
The trade of artwork and tradition thrives on the variety of its content material.
I imagine HYBE and PLEDIS will proceed to prepared the ground in Ok-pop, enabling Ok-pop to additional prolong its attain, and finally push the boundaries of the worldwide music scene itself.
Inform us about the way you first found the members of Seventeen and their journey to their present celebrity standing?
The members went by numerous rounds of evaluations for each themselves and us to actually perceive every expertise.
Our position within the course of was to information them in nurturing their abilities as artists and collaboratively refine their imaginative and prescient as an artist. The coaching program additionally helps every particular person’s journey in direction of turning into well-rounded and wholesome people.
The identical rules apply to album manufacturing and present manufacturing. For SEVENTEEN particularly, the 13 members have all the time been deeply invested in conveying their genuine selves and feelings by music and performances since debut.
For us to assist them accomplish that, it has all the time been paramount that we all know who they’re and proceed conversations to remain aligned on what they want to obtain from a artistic perspective. They’ve such highly effective power and skills.
As a producer, it’s an enormous blessing to have met such proficient artists. To at the present time, SEVENTEEN is an artist that persistently surprises me with contemporary views.
PLEDIS and Seventeen had a very profitable yr in 2023. What drove this success?
As a producer, I imagine the truth that SEVENTEEN continued being true to who they’re of their artistry is what drove them to the place they’re at the moment.
SEVENTEEN has all the time been an artist with a remarkably sturdy connection to their followers. Going past large-scale excursions, they’re actively concerned in offering experiences for the followers and the members themselves to take pleasure in collectively, exemplified by occasions like ‘SEVENTEEN STREET’ and ‘THE CITY.’
“SEVENTEEN has all the time been an artist with a remarkably sturdy connection to their followers.”
From releasing solo mixtapes that manifest every member’s musical world to showcasing unit dynamics like with BSS, the members are perpetually working, pondering, and evolving to pave their very own paths as artists.
This relentless dedication is the explanation why I proceed to be excited to see what the long run holds for SEVENTEEN.
Seventeen have a powerful fanbase in Japan. Inform us the expansion you’re seeing on this market, your actions available in the market, and likewise the way you deliberate ‘THE CITY’ marketing campaign in response to the fanbase in Japan?
It’s one of many biggest delights to attend your favourite artist’s live performance. Upon leaving the venue although, the extreme feelings of the live performance linger on however emotions of vacancy additionally comply with. ‘THE CITY’ undertaking amplifies the joy from the live performance venue to on a regular basis locations and moments.
Throughout SEVENTEEN’s dome tour in Japan [in 2023] — which spanned 5 cities and 12 exhibits—we had the pleasure of attending to see the followers take pleasure in ‘THE CITY’ like a pageant. Main landmarks in every metropolis had been wrapped in pictures of SEVENTEEN, whereas photograph exhibitions and SEVENTEEN-themed cafes opened their doorways to the followers, offering them with the expertise of witnessing their environment remodel right into a ‘live performance park’ in time for his or her favourite artist’s present.
“Followers spend weeks, even months ready in anticipation for live shows, and so they make investments quite a lot of time and sources to make it to the exhibits.”
Final yr, we collaborated with 25 firms and organizations throughout three cities for ‘THE CITY’ round SEVENTEEN’s ‘BE THE SUN’ tour, and it recorded over 250,000 guests. [In 2023], we’re collaborating with over 30 firms to handle over 70 totally different spots concerned in this system throughout 5 cities, which in flip can be contributing to boosting native companies. Followers spend weeks, even months ready in anticipation for live shows, and so they make investments quite a lot of time and sources to make it to the exhibits. Including in components of enjoyable within the days previous to the present and the times that comply with, we need to guarantee that the wait is worth it.
The band not too long ago delivered a speech and efficiency on the UNESCO Youth Discussion board earlier this yr. Are you able to inform us about this?
Identical to how the members of SEVENTEEN got here collectively, it was endearing to see every member’s story come collectively to finish the speech. I heard many members of our workers had been moved by it as nicely, the workers on-site from PLEDIS, workers from UNESCO, and even the trainees at PLEDIS.
The members put in an amazing quantity of effort into the speech. They thought lots concerning the message they’re capable of ship, what would actually assist these listening, which phrases to make use of to ship the message, and diligently rehearsed each phrase till they stepped onto the stage.
Their sincere and heartfelt tales, coupled with a passionate efficiency that had everybody on the discussion board dancing, had been the proper illustration of who they’re as artists.
What are your predictions for the influence that Ok-Pop can have on the worldwide music enterprise in years to come back?
Ok-pop is an trade continuously in pursuit of change, which means the avenues by which the sphere can affect others are additionally boundless.
On that notice, Ok-pop has additionally been proposing new enterprise fashions that contact upon many alternative points of our on a regular basis lives together with trend, magnificence, and meals. The extent of its affect will develop to be much more related to our way of life as an entire.
If there was one factor you possibly can change concerning the music enterprise, what would it not be and why?
I do all the time hope {that a} tradition of openness shall be extra widespread. Openness to the unexplored and contemporary, new kinds will enable for higher variety, open up new alternatives for artists, and finally contribute to additional progress of the trade as an entire.
