Girls’ Generation’s Sunny Signs with Lee Soo Man’s Label, Becomes Trainee Producer

Girls’ Generation’s Sunny has joined forces with Lee Soo Man, the founder of SM Entertainment, to take on a key role at his new company.

The SNSD member left SM Entertainment in 2023, however, continued to pursue entertainment activities and remained active with the group.

On April 9, An A2O Entertainment official revealed to CBS Nocut News, “Sunny has recently completed her contract with A2O Entertainment. She is currently undergoing training under the guidance of producer Yoo Young Jin.” 

They added, “She is also designing training programs for A2O trainees and providing psychological care. She is participating in filming video content, styling, and even choreographing.”

Previously,  Sunny was spotted guiding trainees at A2O Entertainment, a company founded by her uncle, Lee Soo Man, after his departure from SM Entertainment. A video titled “A2O Summer Training Camp 2024 Highlights” on A2O Entertainment’s YouTube channel shows Sunny interacting with trainees.

Sunny is the niece of Lee Soo Man and the youngest daughter of Lee Soo Young, a former CEO of Starworld.

The 35-year-old K-pop star concluded her exclusive contract with SM Entertainment in August 2023, coinciding with the 16th anniversary of her debut with Girls’ Generation. At the time, she took a moment to thank those who have been by her side, saying, ‘I want to thank my managers who’ve been with me through thick and thin during my 16 years in the entertainment industry, as well as all the staff members who’ve helped me share positive energy with fans through various performances and content with good music and a good image.’

A2O Entertainment is a newly established agency founded by Lee Soo Man, former general producer of SM Entertainment. Following the Kakao-SM-HYBE dispute over SM management rights, Lee is currently focused on producing content overseas due to a non-competition clause that restricts him from producing domestic albums for three years.

In February 2023, SM announced ‘SM 3.0,’ which included the resignation of founder Lee Soo Man. Things escalated on March 7 when Kakao acquired a 9.05% stake in SM. Then, the conflict heated up when HYBE made a major move by acquiring a 14.8% stake in SM, previously owned by Soo Man. This made HYBE the largest shareholder, however, it eventually handed over its share to Kakao Entertainment to stay out of the dispute.

The agency is headquartered overseas and has already debuted its first group, A2O May, in December of last year. A2O Entertainment operates a trainee program called ‘Rookies,’ which showcases aspiring artists through various content, including:

• Cover songs and choreography videos
• Evaluation videos
• Behind-the-scenes footage

This setup allows A2O Entertainment to nurture and promote new talent while sticking to the terms of Lee Soo Man’s non-competition agreement.