One SEVENTEEN Member Was The Driving Force Behind Their Contract Renewal, And The Others Are Grateful

SEVENTEEN recently sat down for an interview with Billboard where they talked about their latest music, message for fans, and future goals. Another major topic that they touched on was the difficulties they faced the previous year in terms of their contract renewal process.

In 2021, the members entered into negotiations with PLEDIS Entertainment. They still had a year before discussions needed to take place but they chose to plan ahead. It was a stressful period where they decided which path was best for each one and for the group as a whole.

Even if we’re so close, renewing a contract, that’s a new thing in itself. It was a really, really hard process for us—they’re complicated.

— Joshua

Among the thirteen members, there was one person in particular who was the driving force behind their renewal. According to Joshua, Mingyu was a major reason why they were able to come to an agreement regarding their future plans and goals.

Mingyu definitely played a big part in renewing our contract.

— Joshua

He was the bridge that connected everyone and he made sure that each voice in SEVENTEEN was heard.

He is kind of like the middleman.

— Joshua

Hoshi further explained that the younger member is the type who would take the lead in stressful situations. Despite the subject of renewals being heavy and very personal, he did not hesitate to listen to each one and consolidate their opinions.

Mingyu was the one that took the initiative because it’s in his nature.

— Hoshi

Besides Mingyu’s help, SEVENTEEN was able to stay together for another five years due to their desire to remain a team. They weathered the storms together and came out stronger in the end.

I think I speak for the entire team when I say we had faith that we would stay as a team. This is not to say it was easy, but because we knew we would stay together, there wasn’t a reason to push off the conversations. It definitely was a bit awkward because these weren’t conversations we are used to having, but it made us stronger as a team.

— Hoshi