K-Pop Producer Reveals Why Starship Entertainment's CEO Was Against IVE's Debut Song "ELEVEN"

When it comes to one of the hottest K-Pop idols in the industry at the moment, one group that is constantly gaining praise for their talent, charisma, and visuals is IVE.

Since IVE had their debut, netizens have become obsessed with the group. In particular, their debut track “ELEVEN.” It took the world by storm and cemented their status as ones to watch.

Even in performancees, it shined enough to capture the attention of netizens even though they had just debuted.

Well, it seems like IVE’s company Starship Entertainment was very reluctant to allow the group to release the hit track.

Recently, South Korean songwriter and producer Ryan Jhun appeared in a YouTube video where he sat down and chatted about the top five songs he’s composed with some of the biggest female artists in K-Pop.

One of the first songs on the list was IVE’s “ELEVEN.” After Ryan explained some of the help he got from huge artists, the host immediately explained that, compared to other tracks that dominated the charts, it had a very different feel to it.

So it’s a bit sophisticated and perhaps, should I say it’s got that spice to it. But I kind of felt like it wasn’t a typical Korean vibe, you know what I mean?

— Host

With the help of LostBoy and Lauren Aquilina, Ryan explained that he wanted to set a new “trend” for the song and try something new when writing the track.

I wanted to try something new and I despise hearing the expression ‘trendy.’ Because I’m a trendsetter myself, so why would I follow the trend?

— Ryan Jhun

Yet, although he explained that a lot of the staff at Starship Entertainment liked the song, it wasn’t the same for CEO Kim Sidae, who seemed to not warm to the song as much as everyone else.

I already know CEO Kim Sidae nitpicked a lot. So it’s fair for me to call him out like this, CEO Kim Sidae, are you watching this? Apparently, everyone had doubts because it was their debut song after all.

— Ryan Jhun

Yet, after the members tried the song, Ryan explained that it was the perfect track for them. He also couldn’t stop praising the members for how they performed the song.

Wonyoung has improved a lot. It’s not just that she’s only got taller but her voice is getting better, too. All members did well on their own portion.
Yujin did a great job with her part. She was the support behind the team.

— Ryan Jhun

Yet, it isn’t the first time IVE has shared how reluctant Starship Entertainment was to let IVE promote a song.” After the release of their latest track, “After LIKE,” the group went on the famous variety show Knowing Bros.

During the episode, when Ho Dong asked the group if they knew it was going to be a hit, Jang Wonyoung revealed just how much everyone doubted the track “Love Dive.”

Actually, during the first meeting where we got to hear ‘LOVE DIVE,’ everyone was doubtful. Our company was also worried…

— Jang Wonyoung

Jang Wonyoung then explained that she had faith in the song from the very beginning and wanted the staff to really listen to the song because she knew it was going to be a hit.

Yes, I strongly appealed to the company for choosing the song, and I was acknowledged for having good ears for music.

— Jang Wonyoung

Considering how much of a hit the song was, it’s shocking to know that Starship Entertainment almost didn’t allow IVE to release the track. It shows that although K-Pop companies have a lot of experienced staff, sometimes it’s all about trusting the idols.

You can read more about Ryan Jhun spilling on working with K-Pop idols below.