Why Did YG Entertainment Sign Tablo and Psy?

What do Tablo and Psy have in common?

The answer is that both have tasted what it feels like to be on top, and have also experienced the bottom thanks to many controversies. Both also have contracts with YG Entertainment. So why did YG decide to bring the two in under its roof without hesitation, when they were both such risky commodities?

That both are singer/songwriters certainly played a big role in the decision. A high level official from YG said in an interview with enews on November 15, “This is our first try at something like this in the 15 years [since the company started up]. That the two were singer/songwriters came as a priority when we scouted them.”

Tablo did write all of the songs in his first solo album Fever’s End, and Psy also wrote many hits such as Lee Seung Gi’s Because You′re My Girl, Lexy’s Baby Boy, Seo In Young’s Into the Rhythm and his own hit Champion.

The official said, “Both once sprinted ahead to the top, but they also went through difficulties in which they hit bottom. YG likes singer/songwriters and because we wanted to systemize the raising of producers, we brought them in.”

He emphasized, “Singer/songwriters just need a system in which they can just work on their music, but in the case of Psy and Tablo, both were both talented in music, but were having difficult times because of their surroundings. Because they were trying to take care of those problems themselves, they weren’t able to make music. We brought them in with the belief that their doing music would give more people happiness.”

YG doesn’t intervene any way in Tablo’s or Psy’s musical inclinations, unlike other agencies. It believes in them and supports the music they make. The same went for head CEO Yang Hyun Suk, who Tablo and Psy think of as an ‘anchor’.

Thanks to this mindset, Tablo was able to avoid appearing on television after only one or two appearances on music shows. YG respected Tablo’s resolution, as Tablo had completed his music before signing a contract with YG and wrote the songs without thinking of performing them.

The official added, “I believe that agencies should tailor the clothes to the singer. Whether they will be openly promoting or not will depend on their own decisions. In the case of Tablo, we believe that he has much skill as a singer, but we also believe he will be able to produce rookie singers from YG. That is why we hope that he becomes active in many areas, not only performing as a singer, but also honing his skills as a producer.”

As such, YG is hoping that by bringing in the talented singers Tablo and Psy, people will start listening to more diverse music, and that in the process YG would benefit.

Photo credit: Kim Byung Kwan, YG Entertainment

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Tablo (Epik High) 20111115 YG Entertainment 20111115 Yang Hyun Suk 20111115 Psy 20111115