On January 12, Taeyeon updated her Instagram with 2 stories. The stories, which included stickers of Girls’ Generation lightstick, included the caption, “Introducing a new friend.”
The attached photos from Taeyeon’s update seemingly reveals a close-up of part of a doll. Fans speculated that the doll, which reflects Taeyeon’s signature features in a cute and detailed manner, could be an official merchandise item set for future release.
Previously on November 15th, SM Entertainment officially teased part of the lineup for SMTOWN LIVE 2025, following a preliminary announcement in October. The event features artists spanning five generations, gathering some of the most iconic names in K-pop, such as BoA, TVXQ!, SNSD, EXO, aespa, and RIIZE.
SMTOWN LIVE 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of South Korea’s leading entertainment agency.
This concert series celebrates the 30th anniversary of SM Entertainment, a cornerstone of the K-pop industry. Scheduled for January 11-12, 2025, at Gocheok City Dome, the event can host up to 25,000 attendees. While specific details remain scarce, fans are already gearing up and pooling resources, bracing for fierce ticket competition.
However, excitement quickly turned to shock on November 30th when SNSD’s Taeyeon openly criticized SM Entertainment. During a livestream, she candidly shared: “I don’t think I’ll be participating in the upcoming SMTOWN concert. Recently, I haven’t had any good conversations with the company. I don’t understand why my name is still on the poster. I have no idea what their plan is.”
She continued her grievances: “Why hasn’t SM informed me about Weverse Live? SM, are you watching this? Is there any SM staff here?”
Fans of K-pop are no strangers to SM Entertainment’s perplexing artist management, particularly since Lee Soo Man stepped down as chairman in March of last year. This isn’t the first time Taeyeon has aired her frustrations about the company online. Previously, she criticized the lack of communication regarding Kwangya Club, a fan support initiative, and even her own music achievements. SM’s poor handling of artist security has also been a recurring issue.
Fans are increasingly concerned, especially for long-standing artists, who may struggle to navigate the complex new systems under SM 3.0. Neglecting an industry veteran like Taeyeon, who has dedicated two decades to the company, has been widely condemned as unacceptable.
This incident has fueled criticism of SM Entertainment’s negligence in managing their artists and their schedules. Many fans have even jokingly urged Taeyeon to leave the company and establish her own agency.
Netizen Comments:
- “Her recent comeback was amazing, but the promotions were so lackluster. What is SM even doing?”
- “SM did nothing for her this time. It felt like she didn’t even have a proper comeback.”
- “Since SM switched to 3.0, the shareholders only seem to care about profit. Look at how packed the idols’ schedules are this year.”
- “Leave SM already, Taeyeon! Start your own company and become a CEO.”
- “How is this possible? She’s one of their top-tier artists, yet her last two albums got such half-hearted promotions.”
Additionally, following Taeyeon’s remarks, Red Velvet’s Wendy and Super Junior’s Yesung also spoke up. Staff members of SM Entertainment, however, seem to hold a different point of view, criticizing Wendy and Taeyeon on an anonymous forum.