Sunny of Girls' Generation joins Lee Soo-man's agency as K-pop producer

Sunny of Girls' Generation / Newsis

Sunny of Girls' Generation has signed an exclusive contract with A2O Entertainment, the new agency founded by her uncle and former SM Entertainment chief producer Lee Soo-man.

The label confirmed the deal Wednesday, saying the K-pop star is currently undergoing undergoing training as a producer under SM's former producer Yoo Young-jin.

The agency added that Sunny is also taking an active role in shaping its next generation of talent — from mentoring trainees and designing training programs to offering psychological support, overseeing styling and choreography and appearing in video content.

“We are always grateful for the love and interest in Sunny,” A2O said. “We hope to show her in [an] even better light going forward.”

Speculation about her involvement in the company began earlier this week after A2O posted a behind-the-scenes video showing Sunny observing a trainee's recording session. The footage was released as A2O trainees were attending a training camp in the U.S.

Lee soo-man, founder of SM Entertainment and current CEO of A2O Entertainment / Newsis

Sunny, 35, debuted in 2007 as a member of Girls' Generation. Her exclusive contract with SM ended in August 2023 and her decision not to renew has since sparked curiosity about her next move.

Lee, who founded SM and shaped the careers of artists such as BoA, TVXQ! and EXO, left the company in February 2023. He launched A2O the following year but agreed to a non-compete clause with HYBE Labels as part of a stock sale deal.

The agreement bars him from producing music in Korea for three years — prompting him to focus on developing artists through overseas channels.

Since A2O's launch, the label has introduced a roster of trainees via YouTube and debuted its first girl group, A2O MAY, in December 2024 with a remake of TVXQ!'s 2008 hit “Mirotic.”