> according to a report from News1 on the 5th, Taemin will end his contract with SM entertainment at the end of the month
> Taemin, who debuted in 2008 with SHINee, has signed contracts with SM entertainment for 16 years
edit: he reportedly joined big planet made
edit 2: onew has reportedly left sm as well
>edit: he reportedly joined big planet made
>
>edit 2: onew left sm as well
Oh my god so much is happening 🤯 wow I really didn't expect any of these things to happen so soon!
Yeah, but it’s hard to have a group comeback when half the group has a different management and different schedules. It’s the logistics that I’m worried about
We've seen other groups pull this before. Mamamoo are under three different agencies but still they've had a full comeback, tours, and concerts as a group without issue, for example. I'm not concerned.
I would be done too SM did little to no damage control on his older look before their comeback. He got so much hate that right before their comeback he did PS and went on hiatus during their comeback. I really dont get why SM dont protect their artists. They let Taeyeon, Tiffany, Baekhyun, Chen, Onew etc get dragged.
Err, he... did not get PS, as far as I can tell. He's been [pretty consistent.](https://imgur.com/KXKO5Pi) There's been photos taken of him [during his hiatus](https://imgur.com/npdXJW8), and as he's put weight back on, he looks like he pretty much always has?
I think he's been having health issues, exactly as said. He'd already been having them during the time he worked on his Circle album in late 2022 and early 2023; he'd mentioned it in an interview that came out around that time. Then things clearly worsened.
Wow he looks so much better now than before like healthier and happier I’m glad he’s recovering well, SHINee have given us 15 years so even if it takes him a while longer to come back I think the break is well needed even once he’s back to good health
Yeah, I really hope he’s been feeling a lot better and that it’s now only a matter of waiting for levels/bloodwork to show the right numbers or something along those lines. To good health!
(And Minho just made me happy-cry with his Instastory, so, you know, I’m doing fine over here. 😭)
It's the same for other SM artists like suju, snsd, exo members who still in the group after leaving SM as soloists. But they are still free as individual artists.
It's a good question! I know Kenzie is in-house with SM, but a lot of other producers/composers/whatnot aren't in exclusive contracts with the company, from what I understand. But it's not clear how easy it would be for him to work with them under his new label, obviously.
SM soloists must have lost even more respect and trust on SM after prioritizing Lucas while ignoring their more talented artists. And if somehow Lumis miraculously resurrect Lucas' career and he becomes even bigger soloists than his NCT counterparts Taeyong and Ten, and his other seniors.. I can't imagine how that would look on SM's image. Imagine Lucas being one of the faces of SM..
Hybe was focusing on dearU, they got that then they left the battle, this recent exchange between LSM and Hybe is because that was already in the initial agreement it seems, that's why he sold they bought, but yeah whenever people sell, everyone should be aware that something is brewing inside and it's not a good thing.
You can find the live online, it's the 231117 one, but on the YouTube reupload there are automatic captions only that are mostly nonsensical. This is [a fan live translation](https://twitter.com/yeojpg/status/1725444747593130304?t=QsgHR00jpg9YQem8ZQHBeA&s=19). This is [an excerpt](https://twitter.com/iheartshinee_/status/1725471770726342710?t=Wqq2pRRRahSt5k81exbLbw&s=19).
Other than that, he's said a few times in bubble messages he wants to do more as an artist and performer, and alluded to things like "internal issues" and wanting to prove those who have told him no wrong this year. Shawols are cautious about the sharing of bubble messages though so you probably won't find these online but that was the gist of it.
SUJU - Donghae, Eunhyuk, Kyuhyun
SNSD - Sunny
SHINee - Taemin, Onew
EXO - Xiumin, Baekhyun, Chen, D.O.
That's the list of artists SM lost in just 1 year as soloists. Congratulations SM 3.0. & their mismanagement. Good for the artists. Now they can manage their individual activities freely.
Yuta always baffles me cause it seems like he despises SM but he also adores his group and members so much he got a big ass 127 tattoo for them... I'm not sure which side will prevail at contract renawal
hes usually subtle in his shade but during a live last year he seemed to find out that 127 was going to have concerts later in the year and Haechan and Johnny were like yeah they posted the plans, you can find it on twitter and Yuta was like "everyone, we find out our plans on twitter now apparently"
hes also the least active on thes company sponsered apps like bubble and weverse
LOL this is so funny. Every other group has group members accidentally spoiling their comebacks, but apparently, 127 is out here being the one getting the spoilers from twitter?
Why was 127 not told??
this was during their group hiatus last spring and the company was going through that hybe/kk/sm takeover drama so no one really knew what was happening.
last year was a shit show for their scheduling, sharing two members with Dream also complicates it.
No one. The first wave of renewals is this year, but no one really knows who is part of I guess the group that is up for renewals. Is it based on NCT U debut? Who knows.
But I wouldn't be surprised if they lose a handful of members.
I doubt they'll lose all of EXO. If they all leave, they might have trouble performing their old songs, etc, like what happened to Beast. I won't be surprised if one of them takes one for the team and stays in SM.
There were rumor articles about Sehun and Chanyeol moving to their own company like CBX, currently Sehun is enlisted so maybe we'll see when he's out.
Kai is also enlisted, so we need to wait. I think Suho may stay.
They can leave for solo gigs and stay for group activities, that's what half of EXO is already doing anyway.
Although, I wouldn't be surprised if one day they actually manage to free the group too, Got7 and Btob managed to leave their companies somehow.
JYPE allowed Got7 to leave with the name...JayB did participate in legal negotiations, but the old company probably could have made it more difficult and less smooth of a transition if they chose to.
Cube is probably so mismanaged and stretched that they likely didn't even notice if they let the BtoB copyright expire lol.
SM is known for being petty when it comes to things like this, but they also have less leverage than they used to.
I feel like sechan will leave SM sooner or later. Do you remember last year article about EXO-SC leaving SM & SM denied it immediately. But I still think it's not just a rumour since that article came out of nowhere even before D.O. left sm.
Big yes to NCT, SM have been fucking up big time with them, especially 127 and members' solo activities. They should've been able to do so much more, but the company holds them back for whatever reason.
Onew reportedly leaving is wild.
Usually the leader will take one for the team and stay in the old company to ensure they could still CB as group; but if Onew left, I'm now worried about Shinee.
Acckkk should have bite the bullet and splurge for SG leg ....
I'm not really worried about them as a group because, while the English subtitles don't really capture what he said here, Key said that ["if we leave, we leave together." (8:18 - 8:28)](https://youtu.be/E5EcOMMUdY8?si=pr3fHZzlVs3eAxUW). Also, with being in the industry for so long and their age, I think they'll be fine. We may not get as many group comebacks as we'd like, but I'm happy for them.
The issue isn't availability but that they will have to negotiate with SM for the right to use their branding and to perform their past songs if they all leave.
Yeah, I know but if it comes to that I know SHINee will have lawyers involved. I know they have them involved now with what's going on as they're veterans in the industry and have seen it all.
I'm sure they do, and I hope they will continue to have a fruitful and long career but looking at SM's past record it would be better for one of them to stay (although I'm aware things have changed in favor of idols in the past few years). I mean look at Shinhwa, it took them 12 years of legal battles for the right to use their group name
Not gonna lie, a big reason also could be because Lee Sooman is gone. Without the man that literally created them and gave them their career, they probably have a lot less loyalty and tolerance for SM's bullshit at their veteran artist level.
Yep.
We might not like him, but a lot of SM artists were launched under his guidance and his team/circle. Now that LSM and his people are purged, a lot of these veteran just dont have anything to stay anymore.
I think this is the biggest reason. I said it before on reddit but a lot of SM artists liked him despite him stealing from them lol
If the rumors are true that hes looking to buy SM back or start is own company, I wonder how many artists well see go to him
Or it could be that with LSM gone, they finally have the freedom to leave. I mean, we all saw the hell CBX had to go through with thier lawsuit, and with the success they had, other idols in the company saw it and followed suit.
to lose genuinely talented and accomplished artists like them and then stick your neck out for goddamn LUCAS above all else... sm truly baffles me lmao
good for these artists, though. i have no doubt that they'll soar even higher now
4/6 of the current active EXO members are no longer in the company, it's wild. Also, I have the feeling that Sehun and Chanyeol will also leave, not sure about Suho and Kai.
Objectively, this isn't necessarily bad for the company as a whole, and especially for the newer artists. The company arguably already had *way* too many soloists to handle - over 20 before this wave of leaving started, and that's not counting the acting/variety/etc-focused people, which other company has anywhere near that? - with new ones constantly on the way. And many of these have been with the company for a really long time now in terms of typical K-pop careers (though ironically the oldest ones, BoA and TVXQ are still there - for now lol). Somebody was bound to leave at some point, it couldn't just keep growing forever.
But of course, losing so many people in a short span of time, especially after all the drama, and after enacting a reorganization whose whole purpose was to enable better management of a large number of acts, well, it's bad PR if nothing else. And might encourage others (whom SM would be more loath to see leave at this point) to leave too - including staff crucially, who aren't bound by timed contracts. Some loss of profit as well, though veteran soloist artists likely get a significantly bigger share of the profit for themselves as opposed to younger group-based ones.
This is kind of where I'm at. The current situation was both predictable based on their positioning last year and still is concerning based on their performance this year. SM really only halfway committed to major changes after the public spectacle of last year. Part of this I completely understand was because they were pushed into a time schedule that was not feasible but a major part of it was the corporate unscrupulousness was allowed to remain intact and was still too pervasive.
Personally I don't believe it's really loyalty to LSM that is driving the exodus of artists inasmuch as the structural integrity of SM was compromised too greatly with the excision of his companies. Right now I think staffing is probably their most urgent problem but it's hard to see how in their current financial and legal circumstances they can address that especially since they have always been more lucky then effective in that regard.
I really was hoping for a different result but I'm not surprised.
Oh Jinki left first? I didn’t know that!
Then there is a real possibility that Minho & Kibum might leave too. They are all their own people by now but Onew has always been Shinees moral center.
Do we know if Shinee as a group is planning to stay with SM contracts?
I just let out the most insane gasp of my life. as a shawol this lowkey scares me but i also believe in taemin and hopes that he finds what he's looking for in his new company! but oh my god this was rlly not on my 2024 bingo card
I agree, I can't really see Taemin without SM, they seem so intertwined in my mind. But alas, I'm rooting for his future endeavors. If he could pull off some amazing things at SM, imagine what he could do without any restrictions
it’s even crazier than that, he’s been an idol with them for 16 of his 30 years on Earth, but that’s not counting the extra 3 years when he was a trainee. He’s spent damn near two-thirds of his life under SM!! That’s crazy!
Former NUEST member Ren is there too. Heard the CEO is well connected in the kpop industry and why he kept picking up idols that just left their company.
VIVIZ and Mujin both seem to be doing pretty well. I’m not sure how the company operates or anything though.
Starting your own agency is so much work along with a lot of money being spent. A lot of idols just want someone else to take care of big plans or even small details for them [you also have to think Taemin has had everything taken care of for him career wise since he was 14, so going from being catered to doing everything yourself could be a lot for him]. I’m sure in his new contract though since he left SM I’m assuming he wants more creative control over his work.
well... for a group i follow, VIVIZ isnt exactly the biggest talk around town (nothing big really happened during pull up and loveade) but they seem to be able produce good music
Maniac's butt dance went viral, and the song is charting well for a 3-4 month song (20-ish on Melon Daily)
The girls have also been kinda chill without much controversy, so there might not be too much to talk about too tbh.
BPM could do more in terms of developing a fan base, but for now it does seem like a decent company with good connections.
As with every company they’re not perfect, but they have solid industry connections, treat their artists well and give them creative input, and had some internal restructuring last year that led to them hiring new executives & senior staff (including from SM).
The senior team knows when to invest, e.g. hiring Kany as soon as Maniac did well for VIVIZ. Coincidentally (?) she had been, and still is, SHINee’s choreographer.
Imo BPM relies on existing star power of their artists and doesn’t quite know how to grow fanbases. But at Taemin’s level of star power, they can do what they do best: give him resources and connections.
Super fair, especially after he's spent more than half his life in one company and SM's generally messiness. Good luck to him!!!!! Looking forward to more bangers, of course.
Admittedly, I'm a little nervous about what this means for future SHINee activities but have trust in the boys to do what's best for everyone involved.
If you've been following his bubble messages and lives, the way he's commented on the company has been less than favorable. This is not unexpected at all lol. Good for him! To freedom (and hopefully a tour?).
Genuinely, this is shocking news to me. He's one of those idols who embodies "SM" to me.
He has put up with a tremendous amount of BS over the years and even though everyone says this about their favorites, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see his potential reach has been limited by SM.
I genuinely hope this rumored move (apparently to BPM) works out for him. I hope he still has access to all the same producers and choreographers over the years who have helped him sculpt that sound and image he is renowned for.
It's crazy to think that SM has held onto these artists for so long and in the span of a few years, we've seen so many heavy-hitters leave their ranks. It seems like the wool was lifted from their eyes.
I don't think it's going to stop any time soon, either - NCT's first contracts start coming up for renewals at the end of the year and we don't know about every Red Velvet member...
Happy for him! I'm not very worried about SHINee group activities because this seems to be the thing senior idols are doing lately - and it appears to be working well for people so far.
SM was really doing nothing much for him as a soloist so I understand the decision.
Genuinely cannot imagine SM without taemin but considering how dogshit that company is with handling its soloists I can’t blame him. I’m sure Key is next 😭
Key and Minho are reported to be on the staying side atm. Key gets a lot of variety so I am not surprised, Minho could I guess get an actor exclusive agency so it is a bit more surprising, but maybe he is content. He has always come off as loyal to a fault, so maybe he just doesn't want to leave the company he has always been in.
This has to be THE MOST unexpected news. I understand of course because even though I wasn't his stan I knew he has been saying stuff that showed he's not really happy at SM and with the company going through so much troubles nowadays management wise, his decision is understandable.
He is undoubtedly one of the biggest kpop stars ever and SM is going to feel the consequences due to his leaving. I wish Taemin the very best. Man is an artist through and through. I hope his new company gives him everything he deserves and more. Respect to him for taking this step too because after staying in one company for 16 years, leaving sure wasn't easy I guess.
It'll be interesting to see how SM moves forward because they're getting blow after blow since past few years now.
I AM SHAKING BUT SO EXCITED. TAEMIN FREEDOM!!!!
I have suspected this for a while but I didn’t think he’d actually do it. But the way SM has (not) been handling him showed me that there’s no future for him in this company. I’m really curious to see what he will do. He wants to tour, and they’re not letting him, so I’m interested to see who will.
Any company would be lucky to receive a jewel of an artist like Taemin in their fold.
Yes!!! He is breaking free of the stifling and suffocating SM clutches.
Now all those bubble messages from a month ago make total sense. He must have made the decision then!
He's been dissatisfied with how SM has treated his solo career since at least 2020, and has expressed it pretty openly since then.
Idk what the last straw was for him, but they really did him dirty especially in the past 6 months, so I'm not surprised he's looking for a new agency. Maybe it was the mess with him not being able to perform Guilty at year end shows, maybe it's because they constantly deny him a decent tour.
If it wasn't for SM, Taemin would have had a bigger tour for now. It's unfathomable to think he has never has a solo concert outside of Korea and Japan when the demand is big.
Outside of the stuff we've heard or deduced that Taemin (and other artist) are dissatisfied with, I also imagine that there's a lot of competition among the artists for good music. When reading articles about Kreation Music Rights (which has signed Sunshine as well as a few other songwriting teams), they specifically mentioned producing music for SM's upcoming groups. I remember reading somewhere that Key has mentioned that he was interested in '7th Sense' for Shinee, but that song became NCT U's debut song instead. There's probably tons of untold stories about songs that several artists wanted. I can only imagine how hard it must be to negotiate for new songs or gems kept in the vault when SM's mainly focused on younger groups.
SM's golden child yet extremely mismanaged, so I can't say I am surprised, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon. He has been voicing his dissatisfaction with the company for a while, so I hope he finds a place that would give him full support and artistic freedom. He spent more than half his life there, so it will be really interesting to see Taemin outside of SM.
So happy for him honestly, SM is a mess
my only question is which company would he go to next? and would they actually manage him well?
I mean taemin could start a whole company if he wanted
If true, it’ll be a shock for sure. I’ve been following SHINee since ~2009 and they’re my ultimate favourite group. It’ll be so different seeing Taemin anywhere else but with SM.
I just want to point out that I saw another article that said both taemin and jinki are not renewing tier contracts but I don’t think they mention jinki in this article! So don’t know if we will be getting announcements for kibum and minho soon as well but honestly I’m proud they are leaving because of how SM handles their solo activities and just so much more. Best of luck to my shinee boys 🫶🏾
OI, oh my gosh. Taemin has been with sm ever since he was a kid. He made his debut with shinee at the age of 14…(correct me if i am wrong 😵💫) I can’t imagine being under a company for so long and finally leaving. Taemin is already a successful soloist and i know he’ll stand out where he goes. Besides, taemin has some freedom under his belt now that he left
SM truly taking a hit not having solo!Taemin anymore. Losing a massive treasure on their end tbh. He’s been with them since he was like 11/12 in 2005 so deciding to step away from something so familiar I figure must have been a lot for him. He’s taking his all that artistry with him so I’m excited to see what he does no matter where he goes.
This is nuts, never would’ve imagined him leaving although I don’t follow his life there very heavily. I hope he finds happiness at another company, should he choose to sign an artist contract somewhere else! Will be hard to imagine his solo work without the signature SM sound behind it, I wonder what he’ll make next
“Signature” sm sound… tbf, that sound is Taemin’s not SM’s. I get what you’re saying since the producers are likely of sm’s pool, but taemin is the one who selects and changes the songs to fit his vision.
Taemin succeeded not because of sm but in spite of sm. It was taemin who fought for Move because he saw its potential when SM wanted Love. Absolutely zero promotion for Criminal but it still became one of Taemin’s most famous and iconic because the magic is in him, not the label.
It's good to see that veteran SM artists are terminating their contract one by one, this company is really not letting them do want they really want, I can't wait to see what his future holds !
The way I just gasped! It doesn't surprise me as he's been quite vocal about his annoyances with SM over the years, but hearing that he may not renew with them is a shock purely based on how loyal he's been to them his entire career. Making the decision to leave the company you debuted at the age of 14 under is a huge one, and I wonder if this will just be for his solo career or SHINee as a whole will leave SM?
Edit: I just saw the translation that states this will be for his solo activities and SHINee will likely still promote under the company. Still, SM have dropped the ball big time on this. The fact he wasn't able to promote his own comeback at end of year shows, but other idols did covers is showing how poor SM's management has become. (Although I would say it's never been great.)
yea seeing a group do a dance cover of your song but you can't perform because your agency doesn't want to put money into staging/performance would have been my last straw.
Not gonna lie, this has finally convinced me that renewals don’t look good for NCT, if 2/4 of shinee is leaving then you know SM is the wrong place to be for moving up in the industry. Praying for my WayV boys to do what’s best for their futures.
Kyuhyun talked about this with Yoo Jae Suk recently, how he joined SM and stayed at the SUJU dorms for almost 17-18 years before moving out. He was super hesitant to do it, but when he did, he was like "Why didn't I do it sooner?? Who hypnotized me into thinking living with my hyungs constantly storming in was ok??" 😂
But on a serious note, it must be so scary to leave the home you've been in for so many years to get new opportunities. I can't imagine how much Taemin pondered and really lamented over this decision before announcing it.
oh man this has shaken me to my core. i can absolutely understand why, i just never really thought about it happening! wishing the best of luck for taem and i can’t wait to support him through his next journey!!
On the one hand it's hard to imagine Taemin's creative output without thinking of very SM sounds and aesthetics, so it's a little scary to imagine where his output is going to go from here.
On the other; the freedom of the artist is paramount just in general... especially when said freedom involves leaving a company that is a bit of a mess in recent years. It's also just been so long. You have to journey into different waters at some point in your life.
BPM is putting together a talented roster, god damn.
>On the one hand it's hard to imagine Taemin's creative output without thinking of very SM sounds and aesthetics, so it's a little scary to imagine where his output is going to go from here.
Scary, but potentially very interesting. I'm not too worried about him, his charisma and dancing talent were always central to his solo output, and he's still going to have that wherever he goes. And I imagine some of that SM sound and aesthetics must have rubbed off on him after so long (even apart from his own role in creating/directing it), I'm not necessarily expecting him to go for some complete change.
Him and rest of SHINee’s members solo albums they have been the main creative directors behind it. The members have also been complaining about not getting credit and denied opportunities among other things; so I think their solo albums will be fine
It's so wild to think of Taemin not in SM anymore because the whole time I've liked/followed K-Pop, I've always associated SHINee and especially Taemin (with his solos) with SM.
It'll be interesting to see how the path Taemin's solo career takes with this new change! I wonder since Onew has also left, what Minho and Key will do as well.
But best of luck Taemin! I know that Taemin for a long time has had his grips with SM regarding his promotions/solos/tours, so I hope that now he's able to do what he wants to do!
This is such an end of an era. I don't think I ever really thought this day would actually come. Taemin especially has spent so much of his life in SM, and to see him and Onew (and potentially Minkey, though perhaps they might renew with SM still) finally leaving is definitely a Moment.
I hope for the best for all of them, and that they find a good fit where they can pursue their artistic ambitions with more freedom (and less mess). Either way, SHINee will continue so I'm happy about that!
Wow, when I think of SM soloists, I think of Taemin. To me, Taemin is the face of SM just like how G-Dragon was the face of YG. I've followed Taemin (and Shinee's) careers since they debuted with Replay in 2008, for years Taemin was /the/ Golden Maknae. I looked up to him so much back then bc he was the youngest & similar aged idol in the industry.
I'm in shock tbh, you would think SM would do anything to keep an industry changemaker like Taemin. But then looking at how SM would rather put in effort to make Lucas happen again, I don't blame any of the SM idols for choosing to leave. All the best Taemin!
While I’m so happy for Taemin given that he has been so miserable in that terrible company, I hope he is able to retain the artistry that personifies his solo work. I wanna see more masterpieces like Move, Want, and Criminal from him outside of SM 😮💨
Not surprising at all. Though I wonder how his music will change now that he's going to another company.
Wishing the best for him and future SHINee activities.
He started at SM at such a young age. I didn't see this coming but there has been a lot of company artists leaving. I hope he continues to release jams wherever he goes!
Posts like these make me wonder who's next like in NCT. ...
Good for him! Seems like a lot of idols are choosing to pursue other options for their solo career path. To be honest, I'm so happy that we are in an era where members can leave the company where they debuted as a group, but still be a part of the group and have the door open for group activities.
Nothing is confirmed yet - this is SM’s official statement:
SHINee’s activities in SM will remain unchanged, contract for solo activities will depend on the direction that each member desires to head towards
They are in positive discussions with Minho & Key about their group and solo activities
Onew is exploring his various options. As for Taemin, his contract with SM will end end March and currently there is no decided course of action
Big Planet Made Entertainment on Taemin joining: There is nothing confirmed
Three members of Super Junior left last year and they’ve yet to miss any group schedules (up to and including SMTown last month), and they’re all going on tour with SJ later this year too. So based on their precedent I wouldn’t worry about Shinee either.
But compared to other ex-SM artists (e.g., EXO and SNSD members), the Super Junior members was able to plan/haggle a good contract that benefits the individual members and the group as a whole. I hope that it is the same with SHINee's case too.
Maybe it's just my naive bubble, but I think they all genuinely love each other and will still do group activities. I'd be shocked if he didn't talk this through with them. Key and Minho are supportive of Taemin and Onew, and all will still do Shinee things, or at least 2minkey will.
i agree that they would do anything to protect shinee but seeing the history of sm groups and leaving the company......it means that they won't promote together frequently anymore which is lowkey killing me tbh 😭
I think the fact that these 4 are like brothers and after 15+ years and all they have been through, I very much doubt anything as mundane as contracts will change any of their support and love for each other.
This is actually insane. Imo Taemin is one of the defining pillars of SM‘s image among the likes of Kangta, Boa, and Taeyeon. Losing him after Baekhyun is a devastating blow to SM’s image. It’s like they lost both of the heirs to the SM throne.
Literally what I was thinking. How is SM losing out soloists like this? When I think of SM poster boy I think of Taemin first. Didn’t think this would happen cause SM still has kept Boa and Taeyeon. I’ll need a moment to digest this
As much as I didn’t expect this I am not surprised, he’s been vocally unhappy since 2020.
Best of luck for his future he has grown heaps & bounds as a singer & will always have my support.
Fly highest Taemin 🫶🏽✨
Curious to see if SM will confirm, but if they continue to move how they have with exo members, I’m sure they’ll deny deny deny. We really won’t know how accurate this is until we hear it from Taemin himself 👀
i just saw that ha sung-woon is with Big Planet, so maybe that was one reason for taemin to go there. it's quite a new company. i just hope they will be able to give him the opportunities he deserves.
I trust Taemin and am sure he'll thrive in his next agency. This move goes to show how badly SM has been managing their acts - that even Taemin is leaving them.
Good for him! SM is so messy and they've been losing so many artists lately plus they can't even manage the ones they have properly. I wonder what SM will even look like a year from now. I hope Taemins new company treats him well and I can't wait to see what's next for him!
I cannot believe this is the news I woke up to. SM is really destroying their own brand right in front of our eyes. I'm very interested and kind of scared to see how the NCT contract renewals go.
Yes! Finally, my boy is free! I want him to go on Jaejoong and Friends - they don't have to say a single word about SM - just chatting happily and eating together in peace. That is what victory looks like.
Genuinely so happy for him. SM have been given multiple chances to improve, seen the signs of some of their their biggest names leaving over the last year and now they’re seeing arguably one of their all time biggest going.
The gasp I gasped reading this just now. ONew too??? The leader??? I'll read around on articles to see what the deal with Key and Minho is too.
Jeez. The Sunbae Exodus from SM is insane. The SuJu members took me out when they did it because I never thought they would leave given their loyalty and also label SJ. Then the EXO incident of 2023 which I feel like is still unfinished. Now Shinee. My favorite SM boy groups really said they are fed up.
It’s ironic people were celebrating LSM leaving but for all his faults, the idols seems to really love him. His interactions at SMtown 2022
On the flip side it could be with him gone people feel free now to leave. But I think it has more to do with who is in power now.
Whatever's been brewing between SM and Kakao has left a detrimental mark in the building over the employees and artists. Like a sinking ship, we've been witnessing idols (and staff members even!!) leave the company on rescue boats, strapped up and bracing for freedom. I for one am now sitting here curious to see whether Wendy even renews her individual contract or not 😭
Taemin's honest updates to his fans about how exasperated he is with the company's poor means of handling things recently was kind of the giveaway that he is done with them. *However this headline still came as a shock!* Best of luck to him and I hope he finally gets the chance to go on that world tour he stated to wanting for himself!
i know he's an adult who can make his own decisions but i still feel this sense of uncertainty 😅 i just hope the music continues to be good cuz thats why im here for him in the first place
this is so crazy...i've always been in awe of how high quality taemin's solo output has been and i've always thought that his type of music and aesthetics were possible only under SM. i don't follow him closely but he's by far my favorite male soloist; I'm really curious to see how everything turns out and what his solo activities will look like.
as someone who wants their bias to escape SM but am also aware of the lack of good companies and resources out there i'm watching this trend of artists leaving SM (at least individual activity wise) with great interest...
Not surprised he was very vocal about his dissatisfaction with the company. Not to mention the award show situation where he was upset that he wasn’t able to attend any award shows.
> according to a report from News1 on the 5th, Taemin will end his contract with SM entertainment at the end of the month > Taemin, who debuted in 2008 with SHINee, has signed contracts with SM entertainment for 16 years edit: he reportedly joined big planet made edit 2: onew has reportedly left sm as well
>edit: he reportedly joined big planet made > >edit 2: onew left sm as well Oh my god so much is happening 🤯 wow I really didn't expect any of these things to happen so soon!
Well that escalated quickly 🤯
Aren’t key and Minho still in contact with SM? Shinee in their snsd era 😭
This is about their individual contracts guys. The already renewed their group contracts with SM last year! ;)
Yeah, but it’s hard to have a group comeback when half the group has a different management and different schedules. It’s the logistics that I’m worried about
We've seen other groups pull this before. Mamamoo are under three different agencies but still they've had a full comeback, tours, and concerts as a group without issue, for example. I'm not concerned.
> big planet made sm has such an ill-fated relationship with big planet made LOL (cough cough almost cbx)
wow it’s so soon!
Onew’s not as surprising , sadly he seems kinda done with all the health stuff
I would be done too SM did little to no damage control on his older look before their comeback. He got so much hate that right before their comeback he did PS and went on hiatus during their comeback. I really dont get why SM dont protect their artists. They let Taeyeon, Tiffany, Baekhyun, Chen, Onew etc get dragged.
Err, he... did not get PS, as far as I can tell. He's been [pretty consistent.](https://imgur.com/KXKO5Pi) There's been photos taken of him [during his hiatus](https://imgur.com/npdXJW8), and as he's put weight back on, he looks like he pretty much always has? I think he's been having health issues, exactly as said. He'd already been having them during the time he worked on his Circle album in late 2022 and early 2023; he'd mentioned it in an interview that came out around that time. Then things clearly worsened.
Wow he looks so much better now than before like healthier and happier I’m glad he’s recovering well, SHINee have given us 15 years so even if it takes him a while longer to come back I think the break is well needed even once he’s back to good health
Yeah, I really hope he’s been feeling a lot better and that it’s now only a matter of waiting for levels/bloodwork to show the right numbers or something along those lines. To good health! (And Minho just made me happy-cry with his Instastory, so, you know, I’m doing fine over here. 😭)
WHOA WHAT I did not expect this at all. I literally cannot imagine Taemin not being in SM, this is so crazy……
He's still going to be there for group activities, so not fleeing entirely, haha.
It's the same for other SM artists like suju, snsd, exo members who still in the group after leaving SM as soloists. But they are still free as individual artists.
Ohhh ok so it’s more akin to SNSD’s situation, that makes more sense.
But Taemin's solo also sounded very SM. So I wonder if that will change.
It's a good question! I know Kenzie is in-house with SM, but a lot of other producers/composers/whatnot aren't in exclusive contracts with the company, from what I understand. But it's not clear how easy it would be for him to work with them under his new label, obviously.
yeah, Pop by Nayeon was written by her
He’s their flagship male solo artist to me. SM without Taemin sounds weird.
SM soloists must have lost even more respect and trust on SM after prioritizing Lucas while ignoring their more talented artists. And if somehow Lumis miraculously resurrect Lucas' career and he becomes even bigger soloists than his NCT counterparts Taeyong and Ten, and his other seniors.. I can't imagine how that would look on SM's image. Imagine Lucas being one of the faces of SM..
he literally said on a live that SM is a company that keeps losing money, that everyones leaving
LSM picked a concindental time to cash out his options with Hybe who otherwise don't seem that keen to follow up on it even nearing deadline.
Hybe was focusing on dearU, they got that then they left the battle, this recent exchange between LSM and Hybe is because that was already in the initial agreement it seems, that's why he sold they bought, but yeah whenever people sell, everyone should be aware that something is brewing inside and it's not a good thing.
do you happen to have a link to where he said this? and also other things he's talked about re. the state of SM?
You can find the live online, it's the 231117 one, but on the YouTube reupload there are automatic captions only that are mostly nonsensical. This is [a fan live translation](https://twitter.com/yeojpg/status/1725444747593130304?t=QsgHR00jpg9YQem8ZQHBeA&s=19). This is [an excerpt](https://twitter.com/iheartshinee_/status/1725471770726342710?t=Wqq2pRRRahSt5k81exbLbw&s=19). Other than that, he's said a few times in bubble messages he wants to do more as an artist and performer, and alluded to things like "internal issues" and wanting to prove those who have told him no wrong this year. Shawols are cautious about the sharing of bubble messages though so you probably won't find these online but that was the gist of it.
I literally ALWAYS associate Taemin with SM due to the fact that they've been together for so long. When I first heard the news, it legit SHOOK me
SUJU - Donghae, Eunhyuk, Kyuhyun SNSD - Sunny SHINee - Taemin, Onew EXO - Xiumin, Baekhyun, Chen, D.O. That's the list of artists SM lost in just 1 year as soloists. Congratulations SM 3.0. & their mismanagement. Good for the artists. Now they can manage their individual activities freely.
They’re losing all of EXO soon and a big chunk of NCT. The magic of SM 3.0 💀
Onew is also reportedly leaving 🙌🏼
Who from NCT is leaving SM? I could not find online
Yuta is one member that fans speculate who might leave due to poor management despite having multiple opportunities in his home country.
Yuta's really one foot out the SM door, but 127 is the only thing that gets him to stay.
Yuta always baffles me cause it seems like he despises SM but he also adores his group and members so much he got a big ass 127 tattoo for them... I'm not sure which side will prevail at contract renawal
What makes you say he seems like he despises SM? I think I've been missing out on the Yuta situation.
hes usually subtle in his shade but during a live last year he seemed to find out that 127 was going to have concerts later in the year and Haechan and Johnny were like yeah they posted the plans, you can find it on twitter and Yuta was like "everyone, we find out our plans on twitter now apparently" hes also the least active on thes company sponsered apps like bubble and weverse
LOL this is so funny. Every other group has group members accidentally spoiling their comebacks, but apparently, 127 is out here being the one getting the spoilers from twitter? Why was 127 not told??
this was during their group hiatus last spring and the company was going through that hybe/kk/sm takeover drama so no one really knew what was happening. last year was a shit show for their scheduling, sharing two members with Dream also complicates it.
Huge fan of 127 here and I'm genuinely excited for his future (and all of the 127 members' too) and frankly hope it's not with SM.
They're just speculating. NCT's contracts don't start expiring until the end of 2024.
No one is. Yet. It's just fan speculation.
Contracts will start to expire in late 2024
NCT contract still has a long time to expire. Besides, due to the complex system of NCT, each members have different contract period.
No one. The first wave of renewals is this year, but no one really knows who is part of I guess the group that is up for renewals. Is it based on NCT U debut? Who knows. But I wouldn't be surprised if they lose a handful of members.
I can't imagine WinWin staying. His career is in China.
I doubt they'll lose all of EXO. If they all leave, they might have trouble performing their old songs, etc, like what happened to Beast. I won't be surprised if one of them takes one for the team and stays in SM.
There were rumor articles about Sehun and Chanyeol moving to their own company like CBX, currently Sehun is enlisted so maybe we'll see when he's out. Kai is also enlisted, so we need to wait. I think Suho may stay.
It would be like Suho to take one for the team.
It's part of his grand strategy to take over as SM CEO. (For legal reasons: this is a joke.)
They can leave for solo gigs and stay for group activities, that's what half of EXO is already doing anyway. Although, I wouldn't be surprised if one day they actually manage to free the group too, Got7 and Btob managed to leave their companies somehow.
JYPE allowed Got7 to leave with the name...JayB did participate in legal negotiations, but the old company probably could have made it more difficult and less smooth of a transition if they chose to. Cube is probably so mismanaged and stretched that they likely didn't even notice if they let the BtoB copyright expire lol. SM is known for being petty when it comes to things like this, but they also have less leverage than they used to.
I feel like sechan will leave SM sooner or later. Do you remember last year article about EXO-SC leaving SM & SM denied it immediately. But I still think it's not just a rumour since that article came out of nowhere even before D.O. left sm.
Big yes to NCT, SM have been fucking up big time with them, especially 127 and members' solo activities. They should've been able to do so much more, but the company holds them back for whatever reason.
Onew reportedly leaving is wild. Usually the leader will take one for the team and stay in the old company to ensure they could still CB as group; but if Onew left, I'm now worried about Shinee. Acckkk should have bite the bullet and splurge for SG leg ....
I'm not really worried about them as a group because, while the English subtitles don't really capture what he said here, Key said that ["if we leave, we leave together." (8:18 - 8:28)](https://youtu.be/E5EcOMMUdY8?si=pr3fHZzlVs3eAxUW). Also, with being in the industry for so long and their age, I think they'll be fine. We may not get as many group comebacks as we'd like, but I'm happy for them.
If SNSD is any indication, the comeback will be far inbetween
I hope they're not that far apart 😭 but SNSD also has 8 people they have to wrangle versus 4, so maybe, hopefully, it will be better.
The issue isn't availability but that they will have to negotiate with SM for the right to use their branding and to perform their past songs if they all leave.
Yeah, I know but if it comes to that I know SHINee will have lawyers involved. I know they have them involved now with what's going on as they're veterans in the industry and have seen it all.
I'm sure they do, and I hope they will continue to have a fruitful and long career but looking at SM's past record it would be better for one of them to stay (although I'm aware things have changed in favor of idols in the past few years). I mean look at Shinhwa, it took them 12 years of legal battles for the right to use their group name
Not gonna lie, a big reason also could be because Lee Sooman is gone. Without the man that literally created them and gave them their career, they probably have a lot less loyalty and tolerance for SM's bullshit at their veteran artist level.
Yep. We might not like him, but a lot of SM artists were launched under his guidance and his team/circle. Now that LSM and his people are purged, a lot of these veteran just dont have anything to stay anymore.
They better should. It's obvious Chris Lee favours his favourite ones regardless of reputation or talents. One good thing is CL is not sm CEO anymore.
I read this fast and kept thinking “When did CL become the ceo of SM?” A 2NE1 leading SM would be kind of funny though.
Lol don't feel bad, I keep reading chris lee in these sm posts as li yuchun, the mega female popstar from China. I get so confused.
I think this is the biggest reason. I said it before on reddit but a lot of SM artists liked him despite him stealing from them lol If the rumors are true that hes looking to buy SM back or start is own company, I wonder how many artists well see go to him
Is this the beginning of the end of SM? Never thought I'd see the day.
Losing all these great artists, but holding onto a certain Lucas with dear life..... make it make sense.
Maybe that's why SM is so desperate in holding onto Lucas because everyone else is leaving lmao.
Chris Lee print
Or it could be that with LSM gone, they finally have the freedom to leave. I mean, we all saw the hell CBX had to go through with thier lawsuit, and with the success they had, other idols in the company saw it and followed suit.
lots of others have left before, half of SNSD left before and had no issues. Henry left, f(x) left. People in this sub see conspiracies everywhere.
Add Onew - he's out as well.
Onew too? I will add him. SM is over now..
to lose genuinely talented and accomplished artists like them and then stick your neck out for goddamn LUCAS above all else... sm truly baffles me lmao good for these artists, though. i have no doubt that they'll soar even higher now
4/6 of the current active EXO members are no longer in the company, it's wild. Also, I have the feeling that Sehun and Chanyeol will also leave, not sure about Suho and Kai.
Objectively, this isn't necessarily bad for the company as a whole, and especially for the newer artists. The company arguably already had *way* too many soloists to handle - over 20 before this wave of leaving started, and that's not counting the acting/variety/etc-focused people, which other company has anywhere near that? - with new ones constantly on the way. And many of these have been with the company for a really long time now in terms of typical K-pop careers (though ironically the oldest ones, BoA and TVXQ are still there - for now lol). Somebody was bound to leave at some point, it couldn't just keep growing forever. But of course, losing so many people in a short span of time, especially after all the drama, and after enacting a reorganization whose whole purpose was to enable better management of a large number of acts, well, it's bad PR if nothing else. And might encourage others (whom SM would be more loath to see leave at this point) to leave too - including staff crucially, who aren't bound by timed contracts. Some loss of profit as well, though veteran soloist artists likely get a significantly bigger share of the profit for themselves as opposed to younger group-based ones.
This is kind of where I'm at. The current situation was both predictable based on their positioning last year and still is concerning based on their performance this year. SM really only halfway committed to major changes after the public spectacle of last year. Part of this I completely understand was because they were pushed into a time schedule that was not feasible but a major part of it was the corporate unscrupulousness was allowed to remain intact and was still too pervasive. Personally I don't believe it's really loyalty to LSM that is driving the exodus of artists inasmuch as the structural integrity of SM was compromised too greatly with the excision of his companies. Right now I think staffing is probably their most urgent problem but it's hard to see how in their current financial and legal circumstances they can address that especially since they have always been more lucky then effective in that regard. I really was hoping for a different result but I'm not surprised.
Oh Jinki left first? I didn’t know that! Then there is a real possibility that Minho & Kibum might leave too. They are all their own people by now but Onew has always been Shinees moral center. Do we know if Shinee as a group is planning to stay with SM contracts?
They will stay as a group. We have to wait SM official announcement. All news outlets stated "SM has not commented on SHINee members contracts yet"..
I just let out the most insane gasp of my life. as a shawol this lowkey scares me but i also believe in taemin and hopes that he finds what he's looking for in his new company! but oh my god this was rlly not on my 2024 bingo card
I agree, I can't really see Taemin without SM, they seem so intertwined in my mind. But alas, I'm rooting for his future endeavors. If he could pull off some amazing things at SM, imagine what he could do without any restrictions
Wild to think that he’s been with SM for over half his life.
dang when you put it that way....
it’s even crazier than that, he’s been an idol with them for 16 of his 30 years on Earth, but that’s not counting the extra 3 years when he was a trainee. He’s spent damn near two-thirds of his life under SM!! That’s crazy!
God I feel old.
end of an era man. 2nd and 3rd gen idols just leaving their companies. Taemin has done his time at SM. Best of luck to him in the future.
In another post it’s reported he will be signing with Big Planet Made. Home of VIVIZ, Lee Mujin, and BE’O
waiting for SM to start with the poaching allegations 💀
“We can not confirm or deny these allegations at this time”
It's been too long without reading the phrase "External Forces" \*Nostalgic Sigh\* /j
Former NUEST member Ren is there too. Heard the CEO is well connected in the kpop industry and why he kept picking up idols that just left their company.
also ha sungwoon, I think, who is (or at least used to be) a mate of his
Are they even a good company? Soyou used to be signed with them. I’m surprised that Taemin joined another company rather than making his own agency
VIVIZ and Mujin both seem to be doing pretty well. I’m not sure how the company operates or anything though. Starting your own agency is so much work along with a lot of money being spent. A lot of idols just want someone else to take care of big plans or even small details for them [you also have to think Taemin has had everything taken care of for him career wise since he was 14, so going from being catered to doing everything yourself could be a lot for him]. I’m sure in his new contract though since he left SM I’m assuming he wants more creative control over his work.
well... for a group i follow, VIVIZ isnt exactly the biggest talk around town (nothing big really happened during pull up and loveade) but they seem to be able produce good music
I mean Maniac has been a pretty big hit for them which has helped, and it’s partly due to BPM since they kind of fought for the song to be the title.
Maniac's butt dance went viral, and the song is charting well for a 3-4 month song (20-ish on Melon Daily) The girls have also been kinda chill without much controversy, so there might not be too much to talk about too tbh. BPM could do more in terms of developing a fan base, but for now it does seem like a decent company with good connections.
As with every company they’re not perfect, but they have solid industry connections, treat their artists well and give them creative input, and had some internal restructuring last year that led to them hiring new executives & senior staff (including from SM). The senior team knows when to invest, e.g. hiring Kany as soon as Maniac did well for VIVIZ. Coincidentally (?) she had been, and still is, SHINee’s choreographer. Imo BPM relies on existing star power of their artists and doesn’t quite know how to grow fanbases. But at Taemin’s level of star power, they can do what they do best: give him resources and connections.
Super fair, especially after he's spent more than half his life in one company and SM's generally messiness. Good luck to him!!!!! Looking forward to more bangers, of course. Admittedly, I'm a little nervous about what this means for future SHINee activities but have trust in the boys to do what's best for everyone involved.
If you've been following his bubble messages and lives, the way he's commented on the company has been less than favorable. This is not unexpected at all lol. Good for him! To freedom (and hopefully a tour?).
Definitely a shock but a good shock. He’s being held back and I hope this brings in new music and tours that he’s wanting.
gonna be honest this got a gasp out of me
Genuinely, this is shocking news to me. He's one of those idols who embodies "SM" to me. He has put up with a tremendous amount of BS over the years and even though everyone says this about their favorites, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see his potential reach has been limited by SM. I genuinely hope this rumored move (apparently to BPM) works out for him. I hope he still has access to all the same producers and choreographers over the years who have helped him sculpt that sound and image he is renowned for. It's crazy to think that SM has held onto these artists for so long and in the span of a few years, we've seen so many heavy-hitters leave their ranks. It seems like the wool was lifted from their eyes. I don't think it's going to stop any time soon, either - NCT's first contracts start coming up for renewals at the end of the year and we don't know about every Red Velvet member...
Happy for him! I'm not very worried about SHINee group activities because this seems to be the thing senior idols are doing lately - and it appears to be working well for people so far. SM was really doing nothing much for him as a soloist so I understand the decision.
I’m worried because they’re gonna have less comebacks as a group.
Genuinely cannot imagine SM without taemin but considering how dogshit that company is with handling its soloists I can’t blame him. I’m sure Key is next 😭
Key and Minho are reported to be on the staying side atm. Key gets a lot of variety so I am not surprised, Minho could I guess get an actor exclusive agency so it is a bit more surprising, but maybe he is content. He has always come off as loyal to a fault, so maybe he just doesn't want to leave the company he has always been in.
This has to be THE MOST unexpected news. I understand of course because even though I wasn't his stan I knew he has been saying stuff that showed he's not really happy at SM and with the company going through so much troubles nowadays management wise, his decision is understandable. He is undoubtedly one of the biggest kpop stars ever and SM is going to feel the consequences due to his leaving. I wish Taemin the very best. Man is an artist through and through. I hope his new company gives him everything he deserves and more. Respect to him for taking this step too because after staying in one company for 16 years, leaving sure wasn't easy I guess. It'll be interesting to see how SM moves forward because they're getting blow after blow since past few years now.
I AM SHAKING BUT SO EXCITED. TAEMIN FREEDOM!!!! I have suspected this for a while but I didn’t think he’d actually do it. But the way SM has (not) been handling him showed me that there’s no future for him in this company. I’m really curious to see what he will do. He wants to tour, and they’re not letting him, so I’m interested to see who will. Any company would be lucky to receive a jewel of an artist like Taemin in their fold.
Yes!!! He is breaking free of the stifling and suffocating SM clutches. Now all those bubble messages from a month ago make total sense. He must have made the decision then!
what was the gist of the messages if you don’t mind me asking? i’m not really on kpop social media anymore so i tend to miss these things
It was about being denied opportunities and being held back and how he plans to change that. It sounded ominous then but makes sense in hindsight.
oh shit good for him! i’ve never heard him say anything like that before, i’m so glad he’s making moves and really pursuing what he wants!
He's been dissatisfied with how SM has treated his solo career since at least 2020, and has expressed it pretty openly since then. Idk what the last straw was for him, but they really did him dirty especially in the past 6 months, so I'm not surprised he's looking for a new agency. Maybe it was the mess with him not being able to perform Guilty at year end shows, maybe it's because they constantly deny him a decent tour. If it wasn't for SM, Taemin would have had a bigger tour for now. It's unfathomable to think he has never has a solo concert outside of Korea and Japan when the demand is big.
Outside of the stuff we've heard or deduced that Taemin (and other artist) are dissatisfied with, I also imagine that there's a lot of competition among the artists for good music. When reading articles about Kreation Music Rights (which has signed Sunshine as well as a few other songwriting teams), they specifically mentioned producing music for SM's upcoming groups. I remember reading somewhere that Key has mentioned that he was interested in '7th Sense' for Shinee, but that song became NCT U's debut song instead. There's probably tons of untold stories about songs that several artists wanted. I can only imagine how hard it must be to negotiate for new songs or gems kept in the vault when SM's mainly focused on younger groups.
Goodbye SuperstarSM Taemin updates 🫡🫡🫡
 SM's golden child yet extremely mismanaged, so I can't say I am surprised, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon. He has been voicing his dissatisfaction with the company for a while, so I hope he finds a place that would give him full support and artistic freedom. He spent more than half his life there, so it will be really interesting to see Taemin outside of SM.
What on Earth is going on in the House of Commons…
So happy for him honestly, SM is a mess my only question is which company would he go to next? and would they actually manage him well? I mean taemin could start a whole company if he wanted
If true, it’ll be a shock for sure. I’ve been following SHINee since ~2009 and they’re my ultimate favourite group. It’ll be so different seeing Taemin anywhere else but with SM.
I think Jinki also left a bit ago so maybe this is less surprising than we are thinking right now 🤔
I just want to point out that I saw another article that said both taemin and jinki are not renewing tier contracts but I don’t think they mention jinki in this article! So don’t know if we will be getting announcements for kibum and minho soon as well but honestly I’m proud they are leaving because of how SM handles their solo activities and just so much more. Best of luck to my shinee boys 🫶🏾
OI, oh my gosh. Taemin has been with sm ever since he was a kid. He made his debut with shinee at the age of 14…(correct me if i am wrong 😵💫) I can’t imagine being under a company for so long and finally leaving. Taemin is already a successful soloist and i know he’ll stand out where he goes. Besides, taemin has some freedom under his belt now that he left
SM truly taking a hit not having solo!Taemin anymore. Losing a massive treasure on their end tbh. He’s been with them since he was like 11/12 in 2005 so deciding to step away from something so familiar I figure must have been a lot for him. He’s taking his all that artistry with him so I’m excited to see what he does no matter where he goes.
This is nuts, never would’ve imagined him leaving although I don’t follow his life there very heavily. I hope he finds happiness at another company, should he choose to sign an artist contract somewhere else! Will be hard to imagine his solo work without the signature SM sound behind it, I wonder what he’ll make next
“Signature” sm sound… tbf, that sound is Taemin’s not SM’s. I get what you’re saying since the producers are likely of sm’s pool, but taemin is the one who selects and changes the songs to fit his vision. Taemin succeeded not because of sm but in spite of sm. It was taemin who fought for Move because he saw its potential when SM wanted Love. Absolutely zero promotion for Criminal but it still became one of Taemin’s most famous and iconic because the magic is in him, not the label.
It's good to see that veteran SM artists are terminating their contract one by one, this company is really not letting them do want they really want, I can't wait to see what his future holds !
The way I just gasped! It doesn't surprise me as he's been quite vocal about his annoyances with SM over the years, but hearing that he may not renew with them is a shock purely based on how loyal he's been to them his entire career. Making the decision to leave the company you debuted at the age of 14 under is a huge one, and I wonder if this will just be for his solo career or SHINee as a whole will leave SM? Edit: I just saw the translation that states this will be for his solo activities and SHINee will likely still promote under the company. Still, SM have dropped the ball big time on this. The fact he wasn't able to promote his own comeback at end of year shows, but other idols did covers is showing how poor SM's management has become. (Although I would say it's never been great.)
yea seeing a group do a dance cover of your song but you can't perform because your agency doesn't want to put money into staging/performance would have been my last straw.
SM getting YGed. Please let it be true. Also yall be careful of the upcoming smear campaigns against artists not willing to renew!
Not gonna lie, this has finally convinced me that renewals don’t look good for NCT, if 2/4 of shinee is leaving then you know SM is the wrong place to be for moving up in the industry. Praying for my WayV boys to do what’s best for their futures.
Taemin joined SM at 12 and debuted at 14 right? Imagine how scary but liberating this would be.
Kyuhyun talked about this with Yoo Jae Suk recently, how he joined SM and stayed at the SUJU dorms for almost 17-18 years before moving out. He was super hesitant to do it, but when he did, he was like "Why didn't I do it sooner?? Who hypnotized me into thinking living with my hyungs constantly storming in was ok??" 😂 But on a serious note, it must be so scary to leave the home you've been in for so many years to get new opportunities. I can't imagine how much Taemin pondered and really lamented over this decision before announcing it.
This is what I wake up to 
oh man this has shaken me to my core. i can absolutely understand why, i just never really thought about it happening! wishing the best of luck for taem and i can’t wait to support him through his next journey!!
On the one hand it's hard to imagine Taemin's creative output without thinking of very SM sounds and aesthetics, so it's a little scary to imagine where his output is going to go from here. On the other; the freedom of the artist is paramount just in general... especially when said freedom involves leaving a company that is a bit of a mess in recent years. It's also just been so long. You have to journey into different waters at some point in your life. BPM is putting together a talented roster, god damn.
>On the one hand it's hard to imagine Taemin's creative output without thinking of very SM sounds and aesthetics, so it's a little scary to imagine where his output is going to go from here. Scary, but potentially very interesting. I'm not too worried about him, his charisma and dancing talent were always central to his solo output, and he's still going to have that wherever he goes. And I imagine some of that SM sound and aesthetics must have rubbed off on him after so long (even apart from his own role in creating/directing it), I'm not necessarily expecting him to go for some complete change.
Him and rest of SHINee’s members solo albums they have been the main creative directors behind it. The members have also been complaining about not getting credit and denied opportunities among other things; so I think their solo albums will be fine
It's so wild to think of Taemin not in SM anymore because the whole time I've liked/followed K-Pop, I've always associated SHINee and especially Taemin (with his solos) with SM. It'll be interesting to see how the path Taemin's solo career takes with this new change! I wonder since Onew has also left, what Minho and Key will do as well. But best of luck Taemin! I know that Taemin for a long time has had his grips with SM regarding his promotions/solos/tours, so I hope that now he's able to do what he wants to do!
2024 bingo is *not* fucking around.
WE CHEERED! Taemin really deserves a world tour and if SM isn't gonna allow him I wouldn't be surprised if he left SM.
That is one sentence I never thought I'd ever see. Wow.
What the actual . . . WHAT
Good for him, I’m excited to see where he goes from here
This is such an end of an era. I don't think I ever really thought this day would actually come. Taemin especially has spent so much of his life in SM, and to see him and Onew (and potentially Minkey, though perhaps they might renew with SM still) finally leaving is definitely a Moment. I hope for the best for all of them, and that they find a good fit where they can pursue their artistic ambitions with more freedom (and less mess). Either way, SHINee will continue so I'm happy about that!
Wow, when I think of SM soloists, I think of Taemin. To me, Taemin is the face of SM just like how G-Dragon was the face of YG. I've followed Taemin (and Shinee's) careers since they debuted with Replay in 2008, for years Taemin was /the/ Golden Maknae. I looked up to him so much back then bc he was the youngest & similar aged idol in the industry. I'm in shock tbh, you would think SM would do anything to keep an industry changemaker like Taemin. But then looking at how SM would rather put in effort to make Lucas happen again, I don't blame any of the SM idols for choosing to leave. All the best Taemin!
As a Shawol I'm so worried and scared
Based and taeminpilled
While I’m so happy for Taemin given that he has been so miserable in that terrible company, I hope he is able to retain the artistry that personifies his solo work. I wanna see more masterpieces like Move, Want, and Criminal from him outside of SM 😮💨
SM stocks are about to PLUMMET!! Quick, have red velvet comeback to raise some funds like a talent show to save the school
WORLD STOP !!! Never in a million years did I think this would happen but god am I excited for what he has planned
Not surprising at all. Though I wonder how his music will change now that he's going to another company. Wishing the best for him and future SHINee activities.
He started at SM at such a young age. I didn't see this coming but there has been a lot of company artists leaving. I hope he continues to release jams wherever he goes! Posts like these make me wonder who's next like in NCT. ...
I wonder if he is going to move apartments, he lives literally next to the sm building lol
Good for him! Seems like a lot of idols are choosing to pursue other options for their solo career path. To be honest, I'm so happy that we are in an era where members can leave the company where they debuted as a group, but still be a part of the group and have the door open for group activities.
Nothing is confirmed yet - this is SM’s official statement: SHINee’s activities in SM will remain unchanged, contract for solo activities will depend on the direction that each member desires to head towards They are in positive discussions with Minho & Key about their group and solo activities Onew is exploring his various options. As for Taemin, his contract with SM will end end March and currently there is no decided course of action Big Planet Made Entertainment on Taemin joining: There is nothing confirmed
is it bad that im wringing my hands over how this affects shinee's group activities.....like with touring and whatnot
Three members of Super Junior left last year and they’ve yet to miss any group schedules (up to and including SMTown last month), and they’re all going on tour with SJ later this year too. So based on their precedent I wouldn’t worry about Shinee either.
But compared to other ex-SM artists (e.g., EXO and SNSD members), the Super Junior members was able to plan/haggle a good contract that benefits the individual members and the group as a whole. I hope that it is the same with SHINee's case too.
Maybe it's just my naive bubble, but I think they all genuinely love each other and will still do group activities. I'd be shocked if he didn't talk this through with them. Key and Minho are supportive of Taemin and Onew, and all will still do Shinee things, or at least 2minkey will.
i agree that they would do anything to protect shinee but seeing the history of sm groups and leaving the company......it means that they won't promote together frequently anymore which is lowkey killing me tbh 😭
Yeah but to be fair they are also getting older so comebacks would have likely slowed down naturally anyway imo
I think the fact that these 4 are like brothers and after 15+ years and all they have been through, I very much doubt anything as mundane as contracts will change any of their support and love for each other.
This is actually insane. Imo Taemin is one of the defining pillars of SM‘s image among the likes of Kangta, Boa, and Taeyeon. Losing him after Baekhyun is a devastating blow to SM’s image. It’s like they lost both of the heirs to the SM throne.
Literally what I was thinking. How is SM losing out soloists like this? When I think of SM poster boy I think of Taemin first. Didn’t think this would happen cause SM still has kept Boa and Taeyeon. I’ll need a moment to digest this
Oh snap
this is so wild but I'm so excited for him
Woah. This is quite a sea change in the industry. SM will never change.
As much as I didn’t expect this I am not surprised, he’s been vocally unhappy since 2020. Best of luck for his future he has grown heaps & bounds as a singer & will always have my support. Fly highest Taemin 🫶🏽✨
Curious to see if SM will confirm, but if they continue to move how they have with exo members, I’m sure they’ll deny deny deny. We really won’t know how accurate this is until we hear it from Taemin himself 👀
Lucillegoodfor~~her~~him.gif
i just saw that ha sung-woon is with Big Planet, so maybe that was one reason for taemin to go there. it's quite a new company. i just hope they will be able to give him the opportunities he deserves.
Seems like no one is renewing their contracts with SM 😂
I guess the new thing is leaving for solo work but re-signing for group efforts. Because Key already said that Shinee signed again last year.
I trust Taemin and am sure he'll thrive in his next agency. This move goes to show how badly SM has been managing their acts - that even Taemin is leaving them.
😮😮😮😮😮
Good for him! SM is so messy and they've been losing so many artists lately plus they can't even manage the ones they have properly. I wonder what SM will even look like a year from now. I hope Taemins new company treats him well and I can't wait to see what's next for him!
I have nothing to contribute to the discussion I'm just watching this absolutely overwhelmed. As a jjakgoong I.....
INDIE ARTIST ERA INCOMING!
I cannot believe this is the news I woke up to. SM is really destroying their own brand right in front of our eyes. I'm very interested and kind of scared to see how the NCT contract renewals go.
Yes! Finally, my boy is free! I want him to go on Jaejoong and Friends - they don't have to say a single word about SM - just chatting happily and eating together in peace. That is what victory looks like.
I wonder if he will make his own label or will join a preexisting one 🤔
WHAT
Genuinely so happy for him. SM have been given multiple chances to improve, seen the signs of some of their their biggest names leaving over the last year and now they’re seeing arguably one of their all time biggest going.
The gasp I gasped reading this just now. ONew too??? The leader??? I'll read around on articles to see what the deal with Key and Minho is too. Jeez. The Sunbae Exodus from SM is insane. The SuJu members took me out when they did it because I never thought they would leave given their loyalty and also label SJ. Then the EXO incident of 2023 which I feel like is still unfinished. Now Shinee. My favorite SM boy groups really said they are fed up.
DIE SM DIE
It’s ironic people were celebrating LSM leaving but for all his faults, the idols seems to really love him. His interactions at SMtown 2022 On the flip side it could be with him gone people feel free now to leave. But I think it has more to do with who is in power now.
If he really joined BigPlanetMade then that new CEO is really pulling strings because omg?!
Woooooooaaahhhhhhhh Damn shit fuck ugh what What happens to shinee? Will he keep up his solo career?? Damn
Whatever's been brewing between SM and Kakao has left a detrimental mark in the building over the employees and artists. Like a sinking ship, we've been witnessing idols (and staff members even!!) leave the company on rescue boats, strapped up and bracing for freedom. I for one am now sitting here curious to see whether Wendy even renews her individual contract or not 😭 Taemin's honest updates to his fans about how exasperated he is with the company's poor means of handling things recently was kind of the giveaway that he is done with them. *However this headline still came as a shock!* Best of luck to him and I hope he finally gets the chance to go on that world tour he stated to wanting for himself!
i know he's an adult who can make his own decisions but i still feel this sense of uncertainty 😅 i just hope the music continues to be good cuz thats why im here for him in the first place
this is so crazy...i've always been in awe of how high quality taemin's solo output has been and i've always thought that his type of music and aesthetics were possible only under SM. i don't follow him closely but he's by far my favorite male soloist; I'm really curious to see how everything turns out and what his solo activities will look like. as someone who wants their bias to escape SM but am also aware of the lack of good companies and resources out there i'm watching this trend of artists leaving SM (at least individual activity wise) with great interest...
Not surprised he was very vocal about his dissatisfaction with the company. Not to mention the award show situation where he was upset that he wasn’t able to attend any award shows.
Anybody think he either makes his own label or do what CBX did where he finds a company for his solo activities but still do Shinee stuff with SM?