by In a presentation show held at SM Town COEX Artium on January 27, 2016, SM Entertainment (‘SM’) executive PD Lee Soo-man introduced ‘NCT,’ a core development technology that will lead to the 3rd stage of the Korean Wave. This is an abbreviation for ‘New Culture Technology,’ and Lee Soo-man first introduced the boy group NCT to the public on the same day he was thrown away. However, in the boy group’s NCT, ‘N’ is ‘Neo’ rather than ‘New,’ which differed in company vision and nuance.
NCT, which boasts the highest number of nationalities (9 countries) and many people (23 members), is a base for idol evolution devised by SM as of the end of November 2021, along with aespa, which operates between virtual and real. NCT, characterized by free member recruitment and change and unit operation that can be expanded indefinitely, has no limit in the active area, so it has already written NCT 127 with Seoul Gyeonggi as its team name, NCT DREAM, NCT U, WayV, etc. We are continuing our octopus activities. The reason they are a stopover rather than a destination for SM idol groups is another NCT project, ‘K-Pop,’ a joint venture between MGM and SM, the four major American film producers, and famous audition programs such as ‘Survival,’ ‘The Voice’ and ‘Shark Tank.’, Going to Hollywood’ will be aired worldwide soon. SM plans to focus on the US market by creating a new NCT Hollywood team with multinational members selected through this audition program.
Lee Soo-man, who has shown an obsessive interest in future technologies such as AI, bio, and nanotech, seems to have no end to his ideas that transcend time and space. Even though the number of members is too many, the project is confusing, and the standards for unit activities are still unclear. He shows no signs of stopping. Lee Soo-man-sink’s ‘K-pop localization’ strategy, which has been done since HOT, which benchmarked New Kids on the Block in the past, is ongoing, with NCT and Espa at the forefront. And next to him was a man named Yoo Young-jin, a longtime volunteer.
Although he is now a lyricist/composer/arranger/producer and exclusive director representing SM, Yoo Young-jin started dancing. After graduating from high school, he joined the MBC dance troupe in the late 1980s and met Mi-ae (the girl from the rap dance duo ‘Chul-i and Mi-ae’) and went to the Itaewon club ‘Moon Night.’ There, Yoo Young-jin became close with Kang Won-Rae and Gu Jun-yeop, and the reason that the relationship with the two ‘clones’ afterward is essential is that with them, Yoo Young-jin participated in the first disco contest for ‘Wow,’ the back dancer of Hyun Jin-young, the first planned idol of SM. Because. In this contest, Lee Ju-no and Yang Hyun-suk, who will become ‘children of the 90s along with Seo Tai-ji a few years later, also participated. However, Yoo Young-jin was unfortunately eliminated (the winners went to Kang Won-Rae and Koo Jun-yeop). As a dancer, I had to be content with knowing the existence of SM Entertainment.
Yoo Young-jin, who had a bitter taste in the selection process for ‘Wow,’ immediately enlisted. Thanks to his knowledge of dance, he was active in the dance part of the art troupe even after joining the military. Yoo Young-jin, who liked Otis Redding’s ‘These Arms Of Mine,’ made full use of his time in the military so that his future could be linked to music creation. He studied piano, guitar, and composition on his own. After such hard work, Yoo Young-jin, who had about 100 original songs in his hands by the time he was discharged, meets again with Lee Soo-man at the SM office where Kang Won-Rae and Gu Jun-yeop went to play. At this time, Yoo Young-jin, who had a human affinity for Lee Soo-man, who was always respectful to people younger than him, said, ‘I leave the office door with a vague thought that I want to work with such a person in music. And after a while, an opportunity came to him.
One day in 1993, when he could not find a place to showcase his musical skills, Yoo Young-jin saw an article about a job offer for aspiring singers posted by SM Entertainment in the ‘TV Journal’ and recalled his previous meeting with Lee Soo-man. Thinking that this was an unmistakable relationship, he went to the SM office with his recorded demo tape and handed it to the staff. Lee Soo-man, who received and listened to the music, though that Yoo Young-jin had a good understanding of black music and asked him for ten more songs a day to see if there were any other songs. Lee Soo-man’s heart was moved by Yoo Young-jin’s passion and sincerity, who willingly responded to the unreasonable demands. Yoo Young-jin signs an exclusive contract with SM 10 days after the incident. Of course, considering the relationship between the two people, the contract was a de facto life contract that went beyond exclusive.
Seven months after joining SM, Yoo Young-jin released her debut work. The production of this album was the responsibility of Hong Jong-Hwa, who was the SM’s chief producer at the time. The album, in which ‘Your Scent,’ which advocated Boyz to Men, gained incredible popularity, is famous for having a significant influence on R&B singers such as Kim Bum-soo and Wheesung. However, the company fell into a dilemma as Hyun Jin-young, the early star of SM, burst into marijuana and methamphetamine cases one after another. It was subtracted What is interesting is that SM’s crisis was an opportunity for Yoo Young-jin. Hong Jong-Hwa, who produced his debut work, also left SM at this time, but Yoo Young-jin, who had always prepared for the opportunity, naturally filled the position. Since then, starting with HOT and SES, the first generation of Korean idols, BoA, who was 13 at the time of recruitment, and TVXQ that shook the Japanese market together with TVXQ, Yoo Young-jin has been deeply involved as a creator and producer since the early days of idols who became the foundation of SM. Did.
What is surprising here is that he has taken his 25th year as a producer while looking at his 29th year of debut, passing Girls’ Generation, Super Junior, SHINee, EXO, Red Velvet, and the 4th generation idol groups NCT and Espa under his music field. Am. It is noteworthy that this is a state that can not be achieved by simply being interested in world music trends and can only be achieved by having a complete understanding of the agency’s collaboration (song camp) system and having the technical application skills of the equipment. Yoo Young-jin’s reputation as a producer who uses the most expensive equipment in Korea doesn’t seem like a hoax. He does not upgrade equipment to show others but treats equipment as a tool to upgrade his music according to the times. One day, Teddy Riley, synonymous with the new jack swing, said about the mixing of Girls’ Generation’s ‘The Boys,’ which he wrote/arranged, “The sound is shocking. I wish he would mix all of my songs. It’s cool.” “I said, “Yoo Young-jin was the one who mixed this song.
Last July 21st. Billboard announced the list of ’50 Greatest 21st Century Producers’. From Red One is working with Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez to Britney Spears, Ariana Grande, and Max Martin was chosen by The Weeknd. This list that meticulously covers the dinosaur-class producers of the new millennium includes two Korean producers, one of which is YG Entertainment’s Teddy (YG Entertainment). 25), and the other is Yoo Young-jin (39th), the main character of this article.
Billboard, which selected Super Junior, Shinhwa, and EXO as the representative artists who lit up producer Yoo Young-jin’s career, said, “His loud keys and tenacious dance beat have helped K-pop singers rise to stardom for over 20 years.” We paid particular attention to the explosive synth sound of Junior’s 2009 comeback single ‘Sorry, Sorry.’ In this way, Billboard’s selection gave an undeniable weight to why Yoo Young-jin should be the center of SM’s new cultural technology (NCT) led by Lee Soo-man, who was selected by the US ‘Variety 500’ for four consecutive years. From HOT to S-Spa, Yoo Young-jin, who received a thousand names this year, is still standing tall as a self-proclaimed SM’s sign producer.
