That Time Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon Called Out KBS’s Music Bank During Her Winning Speech

Then and now, Girls’ Generation‘s Taeyeon isn’t afraid to speak her mind, even if it’s at the cost of her career. Arguably the best example of this is during one of her guest appearances on KBS‘s Music Bank back in 2010.

That day, she performed a special stage of Kelly Clarkson’s “My Life Would Suck Without You” with K-Pop idols from different companies.

In an unearthed clip, Taeyeon could be seen frowning towards the end of the song. As someone who is usually 100% focused on the performance, this was clearly out of character for her.

She and her members performed their hit song “Oh!” afterwards, and they were also nominated for the K-Chart Mid-Year Special Award.

It was during the girl group’s winning speech at the end of the night where it became apparent why Taeyeon was upset. She outrightly called out Music Bank, implying she was disappointed in their lack of preparation for the singers.

In her speech, she politely asked that they help everyone perform well by “providing a better environment.”

Not just us, but every other group who performed today did really well. So I want to applaud everyone. I hope KBS Music Bank is able to provide a better environment so that all these hard working artists are able to perform well.

— Taeyeon

Taeyeon’s earpiece was said to have malfunctioned during her first performance, causing her to go off-key. She could not sing to the best of her abilities, so she brought it to the PD’s attention afterwards. However, they allegedly denied that it was broken and did not provide any of the K-Pop idols with a new earpiece. They also reportedly rejected her request to re-do the performance even though they typically allow it on other days.

After the speech, Taeyeon was met with both criticism and sympathy. Some questioned if the way she addressed the issue was truly the best option, arguing that she lacked professionalism. Others, meanwhile, supported her and agreed that Music Bank needed to do better.

Ultimately, what Taeyeon did could not have been easy. She may have criticized the music show in the hopes that they would not ignore a public call-out. Moreover, her method may have been the fastest and most effective way to bring the issue to their attention, and it would have benefited all the succeeding guest singers.