Taeyeon Will Not Attend SMTown’s 30th Anniversary Celebration Following Agency Criticism

Taeyeon Withdraws from SM Entertainment’s 30th Anniversary Event

In a surprising turn of events, Taeyeon, the lead singer of Girls’ Generation, has announced her withdrawal from the highly anticipated “SMTOWN Live in Seoul 2025″concert, despite her name being prominently featured on the event’s promotional materials.

Official Announcement from SM Entertainment

On December 11, SM Entertainment took to the Melon Ticket platform to formally communicate this significant change. The announcement read:

“Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon will not be appearing at SMTOWN LIVE 2025 in Seoul. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this lineup change. Ticket cancellations and refunds due to this change can be processed without cancellation fees through our customer service center.”

Taeyeon’s Personal Insights

While the agency’s announcement came as a shock, Taeyeon had earlier hinted at her decision during a livestream on her platform. She candidly expressed frustrations regarding the agency’s insufficient support and lack of promotional efforts for her music. “I don’t think I’ll be participating in the upcoming SMTOWN concert,”she stated, perplexed by the continued listing of her name on promotional materials without direct communication from SM Entertainment.

During the livestream, she questioned, “Why hasn’t SM informed me about Weverse Live? SM, are you watching this? Is there any SM staff here?”Such comments underlined her disappointment with the company’s management.

Communication Breakdowns with Management

Taeyeon elaborated on her grievances in a series of messages shared on November 20 via DearU Bubble. She pointed out that insufficient dialogue with the management led to significant oversights in the pre-promotion of her newest mini-album, “Letter to Myself.”She expressed her concerns, stating:

“Because of the poor communication with the management this time, there were mistakes in carrying out the pre-promotions. They should have done better with the promotional activities before the album was released.”

She continued, conveying her regret regarding the situation: “I feel upset that time was wasted like this and I apologize to the fans. Although it’s late, I’m doing my best and searching for ways to promote the activities that I can still do. I’m sorry I couldn’t fulfill all the various requests fans have shared with me today. I’m really upset about it.”

Details on SMTOWN Live 2025

The SMTOWN concert series, celebrating three decades of SM Entertainment—an influential force in the K-pop industry—will feature popular acts such as BoA, EXO, and aespa, among others. The event is slated for January 11-12, 2025, at the Gocheok City Dome in Seoul, boasting a capacity of 25,000 fans.

This situation highlights ongoing discussions surrounding artist management in the K-pop industry, emphasizing the need for effective communication and support for artists within their agencies.

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