HYBE
has recently found itself at the center of a storm of speculation regarding the simultaneous release dates of albums from two of its prominent artists. The clash in question involves none other than
RM
, the leader of BTS under BIGHIT MUSIC, and the rising stars of
NewJeans
, a group managed by ADOR, both entities falling under the expansive HYBE umbrella.
With both RM and NewJeans gearing up to drop their new music on May 24, eyebrows were raised and tongues began to wag, with rumors swirling that HYBE may be leveraging RM's album release against NewJeans in the midst of a simmering feud with ADOR's CEO, Min Hee Jin.
In an effort to quell the mounting speculation, HYBE has stepped forward to address the concerns head-on. Speaking to Newsen, the company provided much-needed clarity on the matter, asserting that each label within the HYBE ecosystem operates autonomously, particularly in matters pertaining to
scheduling
album releases. They emphasized that occasional overlaps in release dates are an inevitable consequence of this independence, often stemming from unavoidable scheduling conflicts.
Moreover, HYBE emphasized that the decision to proceed with both RM and NewJeans' releases on May 24 was made after thorough consultation and with the full approval of CEO Min Hee Jin herself, underscoring that there were no ulterior motives or strategic maneuvers at play.
HYBE clarified, "Album release dates are autonomously decided by each label, and adjustments are made if they overlap. This time, due to an unavoidable scheduling conflict, the date was finalized after sharing with CEO Min Hee Jin, and it proceeded with her approval that there were no issues", as quoted by Koreaboo.
The genesis of this controversy traces back to Min Hee Jin's announcement on March 26, wherein she revealed plans for NewJeans to drop double singles on May 24 in Korea, followed by a release in Japan on June 21. However, tensions heightened when BIGHIT MUSIC announced on April 26 that RM would be unveiling his second solo album, ‘Right Place, Wrong Person’, on the very same day as NewJeans.
As speculation reached fever pitch and netizens dissected every detail, conjectures emerged suggesting that HYBE may have planned the overlap deliberately to instigate competition between the labels and potentially hinder NewJeans' comeback amidst the ongoing discord with Min Hee Jin. However, with HYBE's recent statements dispelling these rumors and affirming that the overlap was transparently communicated and sanctioned by Min Hee Jin, it appears that the truth behind this issue lies in scheduling logistics rather than strategic move.
English (US) ·