YG Entertainment artists have been making a comeback once every 3 months since February 2014, dominating in the charts and music programs. Beginning with 2NE1 in February, Akdong Musician (AKMU) in April, Taeyang in July, WINNER in August, and lastly Epik High in October, YG Family artists have been on an all-kill streak. The five artists / groups have dominated in music programs as well, with all artists winning numerous trophies before their promotions ended.
This is the year of YG Entertainment, with Yang Hyun Suk showing extreme confidence in all his artists. The CEO has allowed for two of his rookie groups, Akdong Musician and WINNER to include self-written songs in their debut album. This, along with their strong presence on audition shows, have allowed for the groups to create an instant fandom that surpasses even some veteran groups.
2NE1’s hip hop background allowed for their 2nd official album, Crush, to be layered with a unique style that the public could not get enough of. Akdong Musician (AKMU) created a very “non-YG Entertainment” album, with their genre being much closer to folk music than any other Korean genre. They left a very strong impression on the industry with their first album, Play.
Taeyang also attempted to experiment with his 2nd official album, Rise, breaking free of the preconceptions that was formed against him. His vocal skills were formerly overshadowed by his extremely talented dancing skills, but the artist focused only on vocals for his new album.
WINNER’s debut album, 2014 S/S, also took off rapidly in the charts winning first place in a mere 10 days. The group plans to expand their activities by traveling back and forth between Korea and Japan for constant promotions.
Epik High, who released their first album in 2 years together, took 1st place for the first time in the lsat 6 years. Epik High, who went through a lot of controversy and issues as a group, as well as individually, have finally struck gold since singing with YG Entertainment. Their new album, Shoebox, has received praise from everyone in the industry as well as fans, signaling their return to the music industry.
YG Entertainment is now predicted to have a 100% win rate this year, with all their artists taking home 1st place. For his final plans,Yang Hyun Suk is set to release a new sub-unit, Hi Suhyun, containing Lee Hi and Akdong Musician’s Lee Suhyun. The group will feature upcoming rookie artist, iKON’s Bobby, who also won Show Me The Money Season 3.
Number of 1st place trophies YG Entertainment artists have taken:
2Ne1 — 3
AKMU — 10
Taeyang — 8
WINNER — 6
Epik High— 2
This is a translated OP-ED by Korean media site, TVReport with slight information additions by Koreaboo.
