[Exclusive]"Hive → YG, if you're not confident about winning, leave"..CEO Koo Bon-young launches a new girl group next year [★ Lab Interview③]

*This content was translated by AI.

[Editor’s Note] [★Lab] Star News meets people who drive the entertainment industry and delves into their own unique know-how and success strategies. Here are the practical experiences and philosophies of those who silently make their way behind the colorful star.

-following the interview ②.

"If you have a survival match with trainees from Hive and YG. Are you sure you're going to win first place there? If you can't, get out of here now."

Tensions always seem to flow in the practice room of non-wave entertainment. However, it is not a tight tension that suffocates, but a pleasant tension.

At the center of the training, which is more rigorous and meticulous than the system of large companies, is the confidence of CEO Koo Bon-young, who dreams of "the last miracle of small and medium-sized enterprises." The interesting point is that those who are enduring this vitriolic discipline are none other than trainees who chose B-wave, leaving behind the final notice of acceptance from a large agency. CEO Koo Bon-young expressed strong confidence in the new girl group, which is preparing to debut next year. His ambition is to present a "prepared monster rookie" with skills that can overwhelm even when competing with trainees from large corporations.

Most of the trainees led by CEO Koo are talented people who have crossed the threshold of large agencies. Nevertheless, why did they choose B-Wave, a new agency that is not even familiar with its name. CEO Koo brought up the word "belief."

"I picked all the trainees right now, and they're so good. There is something in common that my friends who asked me to sign a final contract at a large company say when they choose our company. At a big company, I felt good when I was notified of my acceptance, but I didn't even have a chance to talk to executives about how I would practice there and what vision I would have. It was good because it was a big company, but he said he didn't have his heart. On the other hand, I honestly shared everything from the practice room environment to meals to future debut plans. Even the parents of trainees are now bragging about their non-wave activities, saying, "If my child fails here, it will be a good experience."

This trust soon leads to the confidence of the producer. Regarding the new girl group that is currently preparing, CEO Koo said, "We will prove with results that it is not a company designed to bring only ONEUS," and stressed, "It is a project that we have been preparing for a long time."

CEO Koo coolly pointed out the reality that small and medium-sized agencies are becoming less and less likely to stand in the current K-pop market, but he was confident that non-wave would change the game.

"I always tell the trainees, 'You will be the last miracle of small and medium-sized people'. Let's say you're going to compete with Hive and YG trainees. There's a survival program. Then can you get first place there? If you ask me to gather all the producers and make an idol with the same budget and environment, I can tell you that I'm No. 1. It's confidence. If you can't, get out of here right now. So even the trainees at the big company are doing hard training. There are some friends who are struggling, but they don't ask me to do it because I can't, and I'm helping them until I can."

The new girl group has already been selected for more than half of its debut group. It is aiming to make its worldwide debut by reinforcing its global lineup, including the final member of the three Japanese trainees and a Korean-Canadian member from Mnet's "Unpretty Rapstar: Hip-Pop Princess."

B-wave's blueprint doesn't just stay in idol production. The plan is to transplant the success equation that actors and singers "win-win" by dragging each other during FNC Entertainment into B-Wave.

"What I was disappointed about at the previous company was that even though it was musically great, there were not enough entertainment or acting parts to carry the members until the fandom gathered. I've seen a lot of cases where one member can be a character if he leads a variety show or acting. So I'm trying to make an actor part for B-Wave. There's the entertainment director who came with Tony An on B-Wave. ONEUS is also a friend who hasn't been on a lot of entertainment shows, so we will actively support them so that they can be seen in content that can be frequently exposed to the public even if it's not a major entertainment show."

Koo plans to successfully lead ONEUS' full comeback and world tour this year, while setting up the three groups as the company's core pillars, including the launch of a new girl group next year and a boy group to be introduced soon. CEO Koo's concerns, "How to catch the public off guard and succeed anew in the K-pop scene," are becoming a reality with a huge wave of non-wave.

-The end.

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*This content was translated by AI.