• (G)I-DLE's Soyeon reveals it took her 3 years to pay off her debt as a trainee despite group's success

    (G)I-DLE's Soyeon recently shared some insights on idol income and royalties.

    On July 16th, the YouTube channel Mimiminu posted a video titled "It took 3 years to clear the debt. Singing Queencard in a living room karaoke in front of (G)I-DLE's Jeon Soyeon."

    In the video, YouTuber Mimiminu asked Soyeon about idol income. Soyeon said, "Singers earn a lot when their songs and albums do well. Good songs also mean higher advertising fees."

    Soyeon explained the impact of chart rankings, saying, "Being in the top 100 makes a huge difference. If a song is in the top 1000, you can at least make a living. If it's in the top 100, you can live comfortably."

    When asked about having number one hits, Soyeon said, "Even if a song is number one, it doesn't bring in a lot of money. 'LATATA' was in the top 20, and the revenue felt similar to what it would be now if it was number one. Sometimes it even felt like more. Since you only get 1,000 KRW (about $1) per play, it doesn't feel like a pension."

    Soyeon addressed the idea that celebrities live comfortably on royalties, saying, "Royalties are divided among company revenue, distributor revenue, and co-writers. So, only about 3% comes to me."

    She added, "Every company has different contracts. Some require you to pay off debts, some clear your debts, and some even gift you your debut album. In our case, we had to pay off our debts. It took three years to clear the costs of being a trainee and debuting, even though we were successful from the start."

    Soyeon also revealed that her earnings could vary greatly, from making 1 billion KRW (about $1 million) in a month to as little as 100,000 KRW (about $100).

    (G)I-DLE, with Soyeon as a member, made a comeback on the 8th with their new song "Klaxon."

    Source: [1]

  • Hwanhee’s Agency Hits Back Against Shocking Claims of Favoritism on ‘King of Singers Season 2’—Vows to Defend His Reputation

    Hwanhee's agency, BT Entertainment, is firing back after serious fairness allegations were raised regarding the popular show ‘King of Singers Season 2’. They’ve denied all accusations and promised strong legal action for defamation.

    On February 5th, the agency issued a statement through their official fan cafe, saying, “We want to correct the false claims.”

    They explained that Hwanhee was initially approached to join the show in August 2024 by the production team. However, after checking with the event planning company, Dion Communication, they confirmed Hwanhee had no connection to the show or any related performances.

    Despite this, the agency pointed out that certain media outlets published unverified articles, wrongly suggesting that Hwanhee’s involvement could compromise the fairness of the program.

    BT Entertainment was quick to defend their artist, stressing the damage done to both Hwanhee's reputation and the agency itself due to these false claims. They added, "This has caused great harm to Hwanhee, who joined the program after careful consideration."

    The statement didn’t stop there. BT Entertainment made it clear that they won’t stand for any further defamation. They said, “We are taking legal action against these baseless reports” and emphasized their commitment to protecting Hwanhee from any further harm.

    They also reassured their fans, stating, “We will take swift action against any future misinformation to avoid any further harm to Hwanhee and his supporters.”

    This controversy started after a media outlet raised concerns on January 23rd about Hwanhee’s participation in the show. The report claimed that BT Entertainment’s CEO, who is also a director at Dion Communication, had invested 1.1 billion KRW in the ‘King of Singers Season 2’ concert, leading to suspicions of favoritism towards certain contestants.

    In the meantime, ‘King of Singers Season 2’ continues its intense competition, with Hwanhee making it to the semifinals. Fans are watching closely as he currently holds 1st place in the first round of the semifinals, cementing his position as a strong contender to represent Korea in the Korea-Japan King of Kings battle.

    Source: [1]