Following in the footsteps of fellow major Korean entertainment industry player SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment will be debuting another boy group this summer!
According to recent reports, the company is currently preparing their 15-17 year old trainees for a July debut. Prominent YG trainee, Bang Ye-dam, who was runner up in the popular audition program K-pop Star’s second season, is said to be the main vocalist of the group. Ye-dam is only 16 years old this year, highlighting YG’s first attempt at debuting a group so young.
The news met the protest of other YG Entertainment artists’ fans, with dissent voiced particularly loudly by Inner Circles and Ikonics, as fans of WINNER and iKON are called. WINNER debuted late 2014 after a fierce survival program of their own and iKON was formed a year later and haven’t promoted domestically as much as their fans had hoped.
With WINNER and iKON still lacking a solid domestic fanbase, fans are concerned that the priorities are inappropriate, especially in the light of YG Entertainment’s breadwinning boy group, Big Bang, taking a group hiatus after member T.O.P’s enlistment.
But to reassure worried fans, reports also reveal there are plans to promote iKON, Winner, rookie female group BLACKPINK and Sechskies until the new boy group debut in July.
But YG Entertainment has built up a reputation over the years of tardiness – will the group actually see its debut this year? Fans aren’t so sure.
#Peace.Love.NewYGBoyGroup
