K-Pop Agency Directors Reveal Why They Wish Idols Would Stop Dropping Spoilers
If there’s one idol archetype every fan loves, it’s the spoiler king or queen. Stars like SHINee‘s Taemin, BTS‘s V, and TWICE‘s Nayeon are known for dropping hints, spoilers, and outright information leaks to fans who are anticipating new content. For agency directors, however, they pose a difficult problem.
These days, Yoon Seon Mi and Yoon Ho Joon are business directors at FirstOne Entertainment, the 2019-founded agency behind soloists like Kisum and Philippines-based group 1st.One. Before that, however, they worked at JYP Entertainment for several years, taking charge of artists like Wonder Girls, 2PM, and Miss A. In a new “Comment Defenders” video with AYO on YouTube, the two directors explained why they wish idols would stop dropping spoilers.
While you may think the problem would be that spoilers affect the financial prospects of a comeback, the problem for agency directors is all centered around timing. When one AYO commenter questioned how long it takes to make an album and why fans feel like they have to wait forever, Yoon Ho Joon explained a little about the spoiler problem.
If, for example, the idol and agency meet and decide the new album will release in August, Yoon Ho Joon says that most artists want to let their fans know as soon as possible. After all, idols know how desperate fans are for comebacks and want to share the good news. As such, they may drop a spoiler to fans like, “It’s coming out in the summer.”
However, Yoon Ho Joon says there are many situations that affect album release schedules, including both factors inside and outside the company. While he didn’t reveal the specific concerns, inside factors could include other artists comebacks under the same label or financial concerns, while outside factors could include issues like the COVID-19 pandemic.
As such, Yoon Ho Joon says that album releases and other schedules often have to be postponed past the time determined at those initial meetings. “The agency feels sorry for not making it in time,” says the director, “But it’s not that we aren’t doing anything.”
Yoon Seon Mi went on to explain how that makes comeback spoilers a problem. While they may seem like fan service on the surface, she explained that spoilers are also a “promise“—and one that can’t always be kept. “If they talk about stuff that’s not agreed with the agency,” she shared, “Then staff have to sort it out.”
To idols: Please refrain from spoilers! Staff struggle.
— Yoon Ho Joon
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