YG’s competitiveness, 10 producers and 13 studios
Five years ago, Yang Hyun Suk once stated in an interview that he will “raise up Hallyu through talent.” These words became a reality. On YG’s 15th anniversary since it’s humble beginnings in a basement, Yang Hyun Suk is in his heyday as a producer. Big Bang and 2NE1 are being acknowledged worldwide as they are recording hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube, and YG Family’s year-end concert and Big Bang’s Big Show are success stories in the performance industry. Currently there are 150 staff members, 200 including free lancers. Last year’s income came in at 500 million won. This year we expect the income to be even higher than expected due to Big Bang’s comeback after 2 years and 3 months.
Looking back, from dancing, to Seo Taiji and Boys, and now as a producer, he spent each period in his life as his heyday. (Seo Taiji, who was preparing for his solo debut after the disbanding of Sinawe, went to Yang Hyun Suk to learn dance but in the end just wasted the lesson fee. As famous as this became in the formation of Seo Taiji and Boys, he was also a well-known dancer in clubs even before his debut.)
Yang Hyun Suk attributed YG’s growth and success of the last 15 years to excellence in quality and the system of producers.
He stated, “The reason there were no conflicts with Taiji during the time I spent as an idol in Seo Taiji and Boys is that each of our roles were very clear and well-defined. If Seo Taiji was in charge of the music, I was in charge of choreography and wardrobe, and so there was no room for any conflict. It’s the same now. The role I have now is to provide the producers a good space to make music and to provide guidelines for our choreography, fashion, and style.”
Having ten producers, including former 1TYM member Teddy, and 13 studios in the newly built headquarters, into which YG moved last year, is a way of ensuring that high quality contents are produced. YG studios have become a pit stop for all high profile world-renown producers when they visit the country. The advice they offer becomes a great help when it comes to advancing into the global music market.
“Whenever producers such as Will.I.Am or Quincy Jones visits the YG office, it becomes a great opportunity for the producers to talk with them. Will.I.Am in particular gave his praises saying our studio equipment and facilities are of a quality that is hard to find even in America. They like this place so much that they spend up to five hours here on a single day even though they have busy schedules. And he’s the one who told us that we should advance into the South American and European markets since he knows there are a lot of 2NE1 fans in Brazil. When we went to Brazil for a concert, it was just as he said, with fans waiting for us at the airport holding up signs. Quincy Jones also gave us a lot of good advice. Teddy asked him for advice about what to do when he hits a block while making music, and Jones told him that ‘music is not something I make, but something that comes from heaven and is expressed through me. All you have to do is express exactly what you feel. If you fill your head with good thoughts, then good music will come out,’ and they spent a long time talking together. They had something in common, so they were able to enjoy the conversation.”
We also asked him about the role of YG amongst what is called the Big 3, namely SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment and YG, who are at the forefront of the new Hallyu wave but each have their own unique styles. In his drama ‘Dream High,’ Park Jin Young referred to the bosses of each company, Yang Hyun Suk, Park Jin Young, and Lee Soo Man, simply as ‘Yang Jin Man’ and caused quite a stir.
“I think YG attracts the expert enthusiasts. It comes from the competitiveness amongst the producers. Park Jin Young always asks me if I want to stand on the stage again. I wouldn’t want to even if they paid me millions of dollars. I am jealous of Jin Young’s relentless passion, but what I want to do is something different. Lee Soo Man is of a different generation and is 17 years older than I am so he’s a difficult entity for me, but there’s a lot I can learn from his business style. There’s hardly any exchange amongst the three of us, because each of our directions is very different. Personally I like Girls’ Generation (SNSD). I don’t have that kind of emotion so I could never put together a group like that. So I think that’s even more amazing. My job is to make groups of the kind that do not exist yet, and I will continue to work towards that goal.”
He added, “These days I am fully realizing the strength of the new Hallyu wave through 2NE1 who was able to bring in over 5 million views on YouTube, something even American pop artists have a hard time doing these days. I feel both pride and responsibility when I think about how much times have changed since the days when K-pop would be overshadowed by movies and dramas, but is now popular even in culturally sophisticated places like France.”
The reason YG is called the Google of Korea
At the new YG headquarters which was newly built last year, energy is bursting at the seam all the way from the top floor where Yang Hyun Suk’s office is located down to the basement floor where one can find the dining hall. Each floor of this building, which was introduced in many architecture magazines, is designed with a different concept in a modern style.
As they say that the house becomes like the owner, and one can feel a sense of Yang Hyun Suk’s personality and values in each corner of the building. Visitors say that their favorite parts are the 13 different world-class studios and the dining hall on the bottom floor.
The dining hall not only draws attention with its restaurant-like high quality, but it’s a place where one can immediately see why YG is called the Google of Korea. This dining hall became famous by providing the company’s artists and workers with fruit around the clock. Coffee, beverages, cereal, and cup noodles are also available from time to time, but the reason fruit is especially included in the snack menu is because of Yang Hyun Suk’s idea that “it has to be the same as what you’d eat at home.” Having had only kim-bab to eat during his time with Seo Taiji and Boys, one can see the heart he has for juniors’ diet and health in the way he runs the dining hall. Meals are at 12 noon for lunch, 7:00pm for dinner, and again at midnight for a total of three meals a day. Late night dining closes at 3:00am. Everything is free.
YG’s dining hall is frequented by world famous musicians and business leaders, and is famous for having good food. Quicy Jones and Will.I.Am often have their meals here though it is mainly a Korean menu. The chef responsible for this delicious meal that reminds one of a mother’s dinner table was personally scouted by Yang Hyun Suk at a well-known food place in Hong Dae.
Yang Hyun Suk said, “One of the many grievances of these artists who move around a lot and often work until late hours is finding something to eat. Usually there’s no other choice but to have kim-bab or order take-out, but I started the dining hall thinking that at the very least, let’s provide them with food that is like what they can eat at home. There’s a lot of people who are surprised when they see our dining hall, but compared to our other expenses we didn’t spend a lot on it.”
The interior design of the building, which is decorated with pictures of the company’s stars, is not a stuffy space either. It is possible for one to de-stress in the yoga room or fitness room after working for along time in the office. In particular, the fitness room, which is at the disposal of anyone who is part of the YG Family, includes a shower room and a suntan booth that is of hotel standards, and elicits the jealousy of other entertainment companies. The stars often come here instead of going to clubs where they’d have to worry about unwanted attention. A game room with a ping-pong table and pool table and a break room are all at the disposal of the artists. And these facilities can all be used by the celebrities who have a break in their schedules, their managers, staff members, and other workers.
Unlike other companies, YG headquarters are not located in Kang Nam. Because they are an entertainment company that has to foster creativity and consequently develops a lot of stress, they focused that much more on the business environment. YG is located riverside where one can see a wide open view of the Han River and surrounding fields just a few shorts steps away from the studios and offices.
Though we ran into many workers who were taking a break and exercising or playing pool while we took our tour around the office with Yang Hyun Suk, who plays while he works and works while he plays, there was not a single person who became self-conscious or paranoid because the ‘boss’ had dropped in.
(End of Interview)
Source: Herald
Translated by Seungie
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