Back in May 2018, the K-pop community was shocked to learn that after eight years, Park Jae-Sang — better known by his stage name Psy (often stylized in all capitals) — would be leaving YG Entertainment. Still to this day, we do not know why Psy decided to leave, but we speculated he was leaving to start his own entertainment agency.
Speculation became reality last week when Psy announced his new entertainment agency, P-Nation. In less
YMC and Cube Entertainment’s losses is P-Nation’s gain!
Jessica Hyun-Ju Ho — better known by her stage name Jessi — is the first artist to sign on with P-Nation (if we do not include Psy). Her signing was made known a little after P-Nation was announced.
Four days later, both Kim Hyun-Ah and Kim Hyo-Jong — known by their stage names Hyuna and E’Dawn respectively — signed on with P-Nation too. Prior to their signing being officially announced, K-pop fans speculated that E’Dawn signed on after Psy followed him on Instagram. Later on, Psy teased images of two hands with their thumbs reddened with ink.
P-Nation signing Jessi, Hyuna, and E’Dawn has gained the new entertainment company a lot of traction. This is good as they are the new small fish in a small pond already occupied by numerous other fish (including the “Big Three” of SM, YG, and JYP Entertainment).
Also, their differing sounds and styles will help keep P-Nation versatile. Ergo, if P-Nation were to become as big as the “Big Three,” trainee hopefuls may find P-Nation to be an alternative that concentrates on all styles of Korean music, especially when it comes to K-pop.
Who else will sign on with P-Nation?
This might seem like a loaded question but with Psy having a great track record with his professional relationships along with his popularity both domestically and internationally, many free agents might want to jump to P-Nation.
What we can report is that P-Nation is currently seeking out potential trainees for their own original musical acts. It is also possible that P-Nation might take on actors if anyone on Psy’s team has noteworthy experience managing them.
As for big names, T-ara would be a good start. And if it is possible, P-Nation can possibly give a “new start” for Stellar, after their experiences with The Entertainment Pascal.