This year is a spring for Kpop. So many groups are successfully coming back. The top girl groups battled this summer and, the top male acts also recently released tracks.
This year, a fresh page of Kpop is unfolding. A number of rookie groups debuted from top companies, and these young ones are getting attention. To top it all off, Kpop's biggest male act, Big Bang, is up for military enlistment very soon.
Fans are curious, what is the future of Kpop?
At the press conference which followed iKon's debut, YG Entertainment CEO Yang Hyun Suk, also known as YG, came forward to reveal his plans for one of the two biggest entertainment labels in Korea.
1. iKon and WINNER
According to YG, iKon will promote in and outside of Korea.
"A week from now, they have six fan meetings scheduled in Japan, but it seems we will have to add more locations. On China social media service Weibo, iKON was hashtagged a total of 400 million times, which is unbelievable. In the past, you could only promote physically, but now, thanks to the advent of online services, as long as the content is good, news spreads by itself which makes things easier," YG said.
Regarding the competition between the label's two young male groups, YG assured that the company prioritizes whomever is promoting and will ensure that both groups will have their time on the spotlight, AllKpop reported.
2. Psy
YG said that he and the company respect Psy's decisions on the details of the star's album, including the concept and the promotion schedule.
"Psy's promotions are long overdue. What's important is that Psy's album release isn't determined by YG. He himself has to say that he's done. He knows it's nearing the end so he's trying to come back within the year. He feels incredibly burdened by 'Gangnam Style's' success, but I think it's OK for him to not outdo and not promote in the U.S. He's a good friend of mine on stage so I hope he continues doing music with a peace of mind," said YG.
3. CL and 2NE1
Meanwhile, in a Newsen interview on Oct. 3, YG spoke about CL and 2NE1.
"As of now, we are focusing on CL's American debut. After she does well (in America), we will think of (plans for) 2NE1," YG said. "2NE1 is contracted until next year."
Rumors are circulating that 2NE1's disbandment is a fact within YG Entertainment.
4. New Girl Group
YG revealed that there are plans to debut a girl group in 2016.
