[Official] SM's Lee Sang-hwa CBO Selected for '2026 Billboard Touring Power Players'

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Lee Sang-hwa, Chief Business Officer (CBO) of SM Entertainment (hereinafter SM), has been named to the '2026 Billboard Touring Power Players' list selected by Billboard.

On the 6th (local time), Billboard announced the list of '2026 Billboard Touring Power Players,' which highlights key figures leading the global live music industry, via its official website. Every year, Billboard selects major individuals who have contributed to the growth of the global performance industry across various fields, including concert planning and promotion, agencies, venue operations, and ticket sales and distribution.

CBO Lee Sang-hwa oversees SM's global concert business, leading overall operations from formulating world tour strategies for affiliated artists to production, marketing, and management. In particular, this year, she contributed to the expansion of the global concert business by promoting domestic and international performances for major artists such as Super Junior (SUPER JUNIOR), SHINee (SHINee), EXO (EXO), NCT 127, NCT DREAM, aespa (aespa), RIIZE (RIIZE), and NCT WISH.

In particular, aespa kicked off its fourth world tour, '2026-27 aespa LIVE TOUR – SYNK : COMPLæXITY,' with a concert at Gocheok Sky Dome this year. Following a performance in Taiwan in August, the group performed in four Central and South American cities—Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Mexico City—from September to October, as well as in 10 North American cities including New York, Los Angeles, and Vancouver. The tour successfully concluded across 14 cities in North and South America, with sold-out shows even in first-visit cities, demonstrating the growth of the global fandom and the group's performance competitiveness. Additionally, aespa took the stage at the major U.S. music festival 'Lollapalooza Chicago,' further expanding its influence in the global music market.

In addition, NCT 127 expanded its concert stages to major cities through its fifth tour, 'NEO CITY – THE REDLINE.' Major artists such as Super Junior and EXO also continued active global performance activities, showcasing SM's broad artist IP and live performance capabilities.

SM plans to continue expanding its global concert business in 2027. aespa will continue its world tour in nine European cities from January to February next year, while NCT WISH is scheduled to hold a total of 21 performances in major Asian cities including Seoul. NCT 127 is also set to conduct additional performances in the Asia region. In addition, various artists such as Choi Kang-chang-min, Yeseong, Minho, and WayV will expand their connection with global fans through overseas performances.

CBO Lee Sang-hwa stated, "SM strives to provide global fans with differentiated live experiences based on each artist's musical identity and performance competitiveness." She added, "Going forward, we will continue to expand the regions and scale of our global tours through concert strategies that consider regional market characteristics and fan demand, strengthening the competitiveness of our global concert business so that more fans can directly experience SM artists' performances."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original