The famous K-pop girl group’s leader and visual queen Red Velvet Irene faces rumors regarding her contract renewal as the group discusses their future with SM Entertainment. All the members of this quintet have a different contract expiration date. While Seulgi has already confirmed her continuation with the managing label, there are certain suspicions regarding Irene’s decision. Read ahead to find out the complete story.
Is Red Velvet Irene leaving SM Entertainment?
As per the reports of news outlet Star News Korea, Irene is considering separating from her current company and the home of her group, SM Entertainment. The report also claimed that Irene’s pending decision is the reason why the group hasn’t pursued any activities following their R To V Concert in London held in June 2023.
is irene really leaving sm pic.twitter.com/SnLAU4pqDD
— Girl Joe Gideon (@fIawlessvictory) September 13, 2023
- The popular third-generation K-pop girl group, consisting of Irene, Seulgi, Wendy, Joy, and Yeri, debuted as five in 2015 with their first EP, Ice Cream Cake. The four debuted in 2014 with the single Happiness, while Yeri was the last member to join the group almost a year later. The official contracts of the members are differently dated.
- Most contracts in the K-pop industry are of six to seven years. During the remaining three months of the contract, the groups decide if they wish to continue, pursue solo careers, change their agencies, or discuss the demands and modifications in the previous contract.
pause wdym Red velvet is disbanding?.
— fae ☆ | 📌 (@m9uche) September 14, 2023
- Until the third generation of K-pop idols, there were hardly a handful of groups that continued together after the expiration of their seven-year contracts. However, this has significantly changed, lifting the title ‘seven-year curse.’ Red Velvet also broke this ‘curse’ in 2021 when they all renewed their contracts, yet the nervousness among the fans continued during this time.
- As for Irene, the rumors appear to indicate that she is still in discussions with her managing agency, SM Entertainment. No one can confirm if she is leaving the agency until SM or she confirms herself.
Fans react to the rumors
Following the publication of Star News Korea’s article, the fans of Red Velvet expressed their rage and disappointment with the media house for their choice of words. The fans stated that the article appears to put Irene into the wrong box for discussing her contract renewal.
- Some also claimed that this is a media play by SM Entertainment to lower the prospects of the idol joining any other agency. Read their reactions to the news below.
Irene is the only person I trust. She has given her best to this time, both for herself and for the group she is a part of. She was in that company for years, but she never got what she deserved. No matter what her decision is, I will always support and love her 🩷 pic.twitter.com/OtL4lb7j3k
— irene pics (@picsofirene) September 13, 2023
Seulgi's "It's just the beginning" and Irene's "We'll meet soon" when they started recording for RV3 🥹 trust only their words, screw anyone who tries to speak over them😠 @RVsmtown pic.twitter.com/84PZujykCf
— Ivy | NSBS📷🐻- BJH1💽🐰 (@girinnation) September 13, 2023
before this blows up further, i hope everyone realise how damaging this article is as it puts her at a vulnerable position of getting blamed for stopping group album and promotions if she doesn’t renew. irene herself have said we’ll meet soon so please trust her and her only https://t.co/fJXaCrDZKl
— rbb 🎀 (@_renedys) September 13, 2023
- After the rumors of Red Velvet Irene leaving her group and/or SM Entertainment reached the international media, the idol and group are trending on social media.
- The tag “Red Velvet Irene???” is also steadily climbing the trending charts on platform X (formerly known as Twitter) as fans continue to express their confusion regarding the future of the K-pop girl group in light of disbandment rumors.
- At this point, we can only confirm that Seulgi is continuing her career with SM Entertainment. As the fans’ wishes for the group to continue together are high, the chances of their disbandment are slim. The worst-case scenario could happen if Red Velvet Irene, her members and company fail to make a mutual decision.
What is your opinion about Red Velvet Irene’s contract renewal with SM Entertainment? Share with us in the comments below. For more content, stay with us here at Spiel Times. Make sure you subscribe to our push notifications and never miss an update. You can also follow us on Spiel Anime, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Until next time!
