News Reporting Investigation

SM ENTERTAINMENT ARTISTS: PROFESSIONALISM?

                Tao’s withdrawal was followed with a lot of speculation “why such a friendship among EXO members could be worsen by the withdrawals from most of Chinese members?”, “how can the company let most of Chinese members out from the group?”, and “why Chinese members one by one do the withdrawals to one of the biggest companies like SM Entertainment”. These speculations were spoken by all netizens in the whole world until now.

                As we all know that SM Entertainment is one of the biggest entertainment companies in South Korea, together with YG Entertainment and JYP Entertainment. A lot of Halyu (Korean wave) artists, models, actors and actress, even comedians are debuted under this company, whose CEO for now is Lee Sooman. Not only debuting those Korean artists, but this company also debuting those artists from Chinese. And now, SM Entertainment becomes one of the companies debuting its artists to be global artists, not only as national artists.

                There are some of those Chinese members who had debuted: from Super Junior there are Hangeng (who has already been not joining from 2010), Zhoumi, and Henry, from f(x) there is Victoria, and from EXO there are Kris, Luhan, Tao (whom still in the progress of doing withdrawal of their contract to SM), and Lay. Not to mention, there is also a solo singer named Zhang Liyin who is still doing her celebrity business with SM.

                Fans are now speculating why those Chinese members are slowly doing the withdrawals with SM Entertainment. Some say that SM Entertainment pressures too much to those artists, which make them rebelling and do the cancelling of their contracts. In order to get high income, SM tends to push its artists to do activities, eventhough their conditions are still down. This is what comes into fans mind since there are a lot of evidences to strengthen their opinions.

                In Tao’s case, for example, he posted some of his foot’s injury in his social media which led people argumenting about how SM did not give their artists some break time in order to recover their health. The previous cases happened also in Kris and Luhan, which made them decided to cancel their contract with SM. However, their arguments of health conditions are simply objected because they are now promoting in their homeland, China, as artists. That is why, another speculations raised up like maybe they just wanted to be out from SM and started their promotion theirselves in China. This argument is followed by Kris and Luhan’s issues about them signing new contracts with another agencies in China. But, there is still an unsure of Tao’s decision whether he is still in SM or now he is out.

                In order to make another netizens know about the reason of maybe the Chinese members want to promote themselves in China, there is another evidences should be read. Hangeng, as we all know the reason of him leaving Super Junior and SM was because he was unwell. However, later on, he was known as a solo singer and artist in China. It means that he just wanted to be separated from the group itself. Not to mention of how Kris and Luhan which had the same issue of health, in their leaving, now they are even filming some movies after their departures from SM and EXO. Kris is now promoting himself as ‘Wu Yifan’ (his Chinese name). Meanwhile, Luhan only erases his ‘EXO’ title from his name, so now he promotes himself as ‘Luhan’ only.

                Another speculation also comes up for them promoting in China is because of higher payment in China than in Korea. Even Tao, who was being a model of one of a Chinese game program, got a high payment eventhough it was only a session of photoshoot. The comparison between him promoting in a big group EXO and him promoting himself in China is different. That is why the one reason of him cancelling of his contract can be because of this, too.

                The next reason of why such big company can get a case with their own artists is because of the unsettlement of their career project. Some people might do not know that actually SM Entertainment has settled an agreement with Tao’s party at the first time to make him a special studio in China so that he can do promotion in China, together with other members. However, the conclusion came that Lay was the one getting the special studio in China. The desperation in Tao’s party led them to cancelling the contract with SM. In addition, they wants to reveal how SM is not fair towards its own artists.

                The professionalism between him being a member of Korean idols and him being Chinese soloist is also questioned. The one who said about never leaving the members of EXO and would stay no matter what happened is the one who betrayed and now in the middle of leaving Exo itself. Many fans of EXO, EXO-L, even now are questioning “is there any relation like brothership in all of EXO members, or not?” because in screen, we can see how EXO members always show the affections between each other like brothers. But, after knowing one by one Chinese members are leaving giving such reason to know that SM artists are just doing the best for their professionalism, not because of the feeling of being family.

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