SEVENTEEN Went From Nearly Broke to a $250 Million Empire — and Re-Signed to Keep It That Way
kbizoom did the math: an estimated $220–250M generated for HYBE in 2023 alone, from a group whose label once sat on the edge of bankruptcy. on july 13, all 13 renewed. AGAIN.
on july 13 pledis confirmed that all thirteen members of SEVENTEEN re-signed — their SECOND renewal, heading into year eleven. thirteen men. zero defections. in this economy, on this timeline, during this particular season of contract chaos. absolutely feral behavior.
the reveal wasn't even a press release first. s.coups said it out loud, emotionally, on the closing night of the [NEW_] encore run at incheon asiad stadium back on april 5. he told the people who'd been standing in that stadium for it. correct instincts.
now the part that makes the renewal read like a business decision instead of a feelings decision. in 2023 SEVENTEEN moved roughly 15.93 million albums per circle chart — the best-selling artist in the country that year. 'FML' cleared 6.39 million on its own, 'SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN' added 5.94 million, and the FOLLOW tour pulled about $111.5 million from 988,314 people across 28 shows. estimates put the whole year at $220–250 million in revenue for HYBE. the boys ARE the balance sheet.
and yet. the origin story is 'the company could not afford stage outfits.' pledis spent 2012 to 2015 too broke to launch them, pushing the debut back over and over. woozi ended up producing the music, hoshi ended up building the choreo, and the rest split concepts and creative direction between them — so the entire self-producing identity everyone praises now was never a brand strategy. it was survival, in a numbered mesh jersey.
since then: the first k-pop act to speak and perform at the UNESCO Youth Forum in paris in 2023, then UNESCO's first-ever Goodwill Ambassador for Youth in june 2024. the members currently serving in the military will finish their paperwork when circumstances allow, and the company says it's already prepping for all thirteen to reconvene. CARATs, that's YOUR boys.
from 'will this group even debut' to 'this group is a line item.' mother is mothering in a full suit.
Reported by kbizoom. This article is Aegyo Arena's own write-up of that reporting.
Read the original on kbizoom →
ive kicked off their north american tour in canada and toronto did NOT come to play
the girls opened the 'show what i am' na leg in toronto and montreal — their first-ever solo shows in canada — and dives sang every korean lyric right back. wonyoung soloing to '8' has me UNWELL.
the girlies said o canada and MEANT it. ive just kicked off the north american leg of their 'show what i am' world tour with their first-ever solo concerts in canada, and the footage has me spiraling.
they hit toronto on july 21 and montreal on july 23 — the group's first time headlining their own shows in canada since debut — and per starship the whole thing got upgraded: new styling, beefed-up staging, the works. mother tour is mothering.
setlist-wise they did not miss: opened with 'gotcha' and 'xoxz,' ran through 'love dive,' 'attitude,' 'i am' and 'rebel heart,' and during 'bang bang' the crowd sang the korean lyrics back word for word. the growth. the globalization. i'm emotional.
the solo stages were the main event, obviously — wonyoung took on '8' while rei, liz, gaeul, leeseo and yujin each got their moment to serve. six soloists in a trench coat, respectfully.
ive said through starship they were "able to begin our North American tour on a great note" thanks to dives, and same. next up: newark, austin, los angeles, oakland, seattle and vancouver. if she's coming to your city, lock in — this is not a drill.
Reported by allkpop. This article is Aegyo Arena's own write-up of that reporting.
Read the original on allkpop →Soyou pauses activities following the passing of her father
The singer's agency announced that she will step back from her schedule to grieve with her family. The funeral will be held privately at the family's request.
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