EXO’s Baekhyun shared his heartfelt thoughts with fans during his concert in Hong Kong, following the recent emergency press conference by CBX regarding their dispute with SM Entertainment.
On June 10th, Baekhyun met with fans as part of his 2024 Asia Tour in Hong Kong. Toward the end of the performance, he expressed, “I want to be free. I just want to meet you all as often as I can; that’s all I want. As long as the people here understand, that’s enough for me. I’ll always be the same, wagging my tail like a puppy in front of you.”
He continued, “I’ll always think of Eris (a nickname for EXO-L, EXO’s official fandom). I established a company to meet our EXO-Ls more often and pursue my dreams further.” Baekhyun went on, “Honestly, I don’t have big dreams. I don’t want INB100 to become a large company; I don’t have such ambitions. I’ll remain loyal to Eris who love me and will communicate with you more closely in various ways.”
Earlier the same day, INB100, the company representing EXO’s CBX, held an emergency press conference, claiming unfair treatment by SM. INB100 stated, “Despite reaching a settlement in past negotiations, SM is reneging on their agreement to pay the 5.5% distribution fee for digital music and is unfairly demanding 10% of the artists’ individual activity revenues.”
In response, SM accused MC Mong and One Hundred Chairman Cha Ga Won engaged in tampering with CBX while they were still artists under SM. Tampering in the K-pop scene is a practice where an external party covertly persuades artists to leave the label and join theirs, often leaving the original team unaware and at a disadvantage. “We will not tolerate CBX’s repeated claims that their exclusive contracts and settlement agreements are invalid for their personal gain,” SM stated. “We will calmly respond according to law and principles and hold CBX accountable through the courts.”
Baekhyun’s comments on the CBX-SM dispute have sparked mixed reactions among netizens. While some support CBX, believing in their cause, others criticize the situation, saying, “SM has been more considerate of EXO and its fans,” “This shows a lack of respect and consideration for the members who remain with SM,” and “If they truly cared about the fans, they shouldn’t have made this so public.” The outcome of this controversy remains to be seen.
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