BoA closes historic chapter with SM Entertainment after 25 years
BoA / Courtesy of SM Entertainment
By Hankookilbo
BoA has ended her exclusive contract with SM Entertainment, the agency that has been by her side since her debut.
SM announced Monday that, “After extensive discussions with BoA over a long period, we mutually agreed to conclude our 25-year partnership as of Dec. 31.”
“BoA has been, in every sense, the pride and symbol of SM for 25 years,” the agency said. “Although her exclusive contract has ended, we will continue to support her future activities and challenges.”
The company also posted a five-minute video celebrating her career on YouTube.
BoA debuted in August 2000 at age 14 with her first album, “ID; Peace B.” Including her time as a trainee after being scouted in 1998 as a sixth grader, her relationship with SM spans more than 25 years.
BoA performs at her 20th anniversary concert, “THE BoA: Musicality,” at Olympic Hall in Olympic Park, Seoul, in March 2023. Courtesy of SM Entertainment
Since her debut, BoA has released hit songs such as “No.1,” “Atlantis Princess” and “Only One.” She helped lead the K-pop wave in Japan, becoming the first Korean artist to have two albums sell more than a million copies on the Oricon Albums Chart. She appeared on NHK’s “Kohaku Uta Gassen,” Japan’s premier year-end music show, for six consecutive years starting in 2002.
In 2009, she became the first Korean singer to enter the U.S. Billboard 200 Albums chart with her self-titled album, “BoA.”
“BoA is the ‘icon of overseas expansion’ and ‘the star of Asia,’ pioneering the Korean Wave across the region and serving as a role model for countless K-pop artists who followed,” SM said.
In 2024, she served as a producer for rookie group NCT WISH as an honorary director at SM. She also expanded her acting career by appearing in the tvN drama “Marry My Husband” that same year.
Last year, she released her 11th full-length album, “Crazier,” to mark the 25th year since her debut.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.