Pledis Entertainment () is a South Korean entertainment company founded by Han Sung-Soo in 2007. The label is home to actress

Nana Nana, Nanna, Na Na or NANA may refer to: People and fictional characters * Nana (given name), including a list of people and characters with the given name * Nana (surname), including a list of people and characters with the surname * Nana ( ...

Hwang Min-hyun Hwang Min-hyun (; born August 9, 1995), known mononymously as Minhyun, is a South Korean singer, songwriter and actor. He began his professional career in 2012 as a lead vocalist of the South Korean boy group NU'EST. In 2017, he participated in s ...

, Baekho, and

K-pop K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, gos ...

groups

Seventeen Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18 * one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017 Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine * ''Seventeen'' (Japanese m ...

and

Fromis 9 Fromis 9 (; stylized as fromis_9) is a South Korean girl group formed by CJ E&M through the 2017 reality show '' Idol School''. The group is composed of eight members: Roh Ji-sun, Song Ha-young, Lee Sae-rom, Lee Chae-young, Lee Na-gyung, Park Ji ...

. Its name originates from the

pleiades The Pleiades (), also known as The Seven Sisters, Messier 45 and other names by different cultures, is an asterism and an open star cluster containing middle-aged, hot B-type stars in the north-west of the constellation Taurus. At a distance of ...

, a star cluster in the constellation

Taurus Taurus is Latin for 'bull' and may refer to: * Taurus (astrology), the astrological sign * Taurus (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac * Taurus (mythology), one of two Greek mythological characters named Taurus * '' Bos tauru ...

. On May 25, 2020,

Hybe Corporation Hybe Co., Ltd. (, stylized as HYBE Corporation) is a South Korean multinational entertainment company established in 2005 by Bang Si-hyuk as Big Hit Entertainment Co., Ltd. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production ...

became the majority shareholder of Pledis Entertainment, subdivision of Hybe Corp., as an independent label.

History

2007–2012: Founding and early artists

Pledis Entertainment was founded in 2007.

Son Dam-bi Son Dam-bi (; born September 25, 1983) is a South Korean singer, actress and entertainer. She began her career as a solo singer in 2007. She also made her acting debut in the 2009 Korean drama ''Dream.'' Career Son first came to fame when she ...

was the first artist to debut under Pledis, and was dubbed the 'female

Rain Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...

' by media outlets. In its beginning stages, the agency did not have management premises, only a practice room. In January 2009, Pledis debuted its first girl group, After School. A sub-unit of After School called

Orange Caramel Orange Caramel () is the first subgroup of South Korean girl group After School. The subgroup was formed in 2010 with the third generation After School members Nana, Raina, and Lizzy. As of December 2019, Orange Caramel only has one member un ...

was formed in 2010, consisting of members

, Lizzy and Raina. In December 2010, Pledis released ''

Happy Pledis 1st Album "Happy Pledis 1st Album" is a charity single by the South Korean girl group After School. The album was released under the name "Happy Pledis" and is a charity release. The album didn't include rapper Bekah, as she was on holiday during promotion ...

'', featuring After School, which included the tracks "Love Love Love" and "Someone Is You". ''Happy Pledis'' was a series of albums to be released annually, featuring Pledis artists, with proceeds going to charity. Proceeds from the first album were donated to

Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic ...

. In July 2011, two further sub-units of After School were created, A.S. Red and A.S. Blue. ''

Happy Pledis 2nd Album ''Happy Pledis 2nd Album'' is a charity single by the South Korean music label Pledis Entertainment's artists Son Dam-bi, Kahi, After School, NU'EST's JR and Baekho, Hello Venus's Yoo Ara and Lime and Pre-School Girl Park Jung-hyun. The album ...

'', featuring Son Dam-bi, After School, Pledis Boys, and

Yoo Ara Yoo Ara (born September 26, 1992) is a South Korean singer and actress, known for her work as a former member of the South Korean girl group Hello Venus. Career Pre-debut Ara was part of a training program, called 'Pre-School Girls', that wo ...

, was released in December, with proceeds going to

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...

2012–2020: Joint ventures and development

In March 2012, Pledis debuted their first boy band

NU'EST NU'EST (; short for New Establish Style Tempo) was a South Korean boy band formed and managed by Pledis Entertainment. The group consisted of five members: JR, Aron, Baekho, Minhyun and Ren. They debuted on March 15, 2012, with the single t ...

. In May 2012, the agency joint ventures with

Fantagio Fantagio () is a South Korean entertainment company that operates as a record label, talent training and management agency, as well as movie and K-drama production company. The company was founded in September 2008 as N.O.A. Entertainment (stan ...

and debuted a six-member girl group,

Hello Venus Hello Venus (; often stylized as HELLOVENUS) was a South Korean girl group formed by Tricell Media (formerly a joint venture between Pledis Entertainment and Fantagio). The group originally consisted of: Alice, Nara, Lime, Yooara, Yoonjo and Yo ...

. In June 2012,

Kahi KAHI (950 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a news/talk format. Licensed to Auburn, California, United States, the station serves the Auburn area. The station is owned by Relevant Radio; the KAHI Corporation programs the station under a time ...

"graduated" from After School and continued with her solo career under Pledis. On November 11, 2013, Pledis Entertainment and Chinese agency

Yuehua Entertainment Yuehua Entertainment (Chinese: 乐华娱乐, Korean: 위에화 엔터테인먼트) is a privately held Chinese multinational entertainment group and talent agency based in Beijing. The company was founded in June 2009 by former Huayi Brothers empl ...

held a press conference titled "Yuehua Entertainment X Pledis" at the Beijing Banquet Hall, marking the start of a collaboration under which the sub-unit NU'EST-M was formed with the addition of Chinese member Jason Fulong Fei, known as JA. The six-member team performed for the first time at the press event. On July 21, 2014, the partnership between Pledis and Fantagio was dissolved. The two members under Pledis, Yoo Ara and Yoonjo, left Hello Venus while the four members under Fantagio continued as a group under the same name. In December 2014, Jooyeon graduated from After School after her contract expired. That month, Kahi announced to parted ways with the agency. Thirteen-member boy group

debuted in May 2015, after training under the company for several years. In June 2015, Son Dam-bi parted ways with the agency after ten years. In March 2016, Pledis formed a pre-debut team called "Pledis Girlz". Some of the pre-debut team members Nayoung, Roa, Yuha,

Eunwoo Jung Eun-woo (Korean: 정은우; Hanja: 鄭銀雨; born July 1, 1998), known mononymously as Eunwoo, is a South Korean singer. She is known for her participation on ''Produce 101'' and being a former member of Pristin, it's sub-group Pristin V a ...

, Rena,

Kyulkyung Zhou Jieqiong (; ; born December 16, 1998), known professionally as Jieqiong or Kyulkyung (in Korean), is a Chinese singer and actress based in China and South Korea and signed under Pledis Entertainment. After finishing sixth in survival show ...

and

Xiyeon Park Jung-hyun ( ko, 박정현, born November 14, 2000), professionally known as Xiyeon, is a South Korean actress and singer. A former child actress and model, she trained under Pledis Entertainment for nine years before making her official deb ...

had competed in the survival show ''

Produce 101 ''Produce 101'' is a reality television talent competition franchise created by South Korean entertainment conglomerate CJ E&M, based around the formation of a K-pop girl group or boy group. The format is noted for having no panel of judges, empl ...

'' and concluded the show with two members, Nayoung and Kyulkyung, debuting in the survival project girl group

I.O.I I.O.I (; also known as IOI or Ideal of Idol) was a South Korean girl group formed by CJ E&M through the 2016 reality show ''Produce 101'' on Mnet. The group was composed of eleven members chosen from a pool of 101 trainees from various enterta ...

. Before their debut, Pledis Girlz held concerts which the members performed weekly from May 2016 until January 2017 and also released their pre-debut single titled "WE", with the exception of Nayoung and Kyulkyung, who were still promoting with I.O.I at the time. In January 2017, Pledis Girlz concluded their weekly concerts with the announcement of the official group name

Pristin Pristin (; stylized as PRISTIN and formerly known as Pledis Girlz) was a South Korean girl group formed by Pledis Entertainment in 2016. The group was composed of ten members: Lim Na-young, Nayoung, Roa, Yuha, Eunwoo, Rena, Zhou Jieqiong, Kyulkyun ...

, following Nayoung and Kyulkyung wrapping up their activities with

in the same months. Pristin officially debuted as a ten-member girl group in March 2017. On May 31, 2017, UEE graduated from After School after her contract expired. In May 2018, Lizzy graduated from After School following the expiration of her contract but remains a member of Orange Caramel. In June 2018, it was confirmed that After School member Kaeun and Huh Yunjin, a Korean-American trainee, would participate in the survival show series ''

Produce 48 ''Produce 48'' () was the third season of the South Korean reality competition series ''Produce 101''. It was a large-scale project in which the public "produces" a girl group by voting for members out of a pool of 96 contestants from South Kor ...

''. At the end of the show, it was revealed that Kaeun placed 14th overall and Yunjin placed 26th. Both failed to make it into the final lineup of the winning group,

Iz*One Iz*One ( ; ko, 아이즈원, Aijeuwon; ja, アイズワン, Aizuwan; stylized as IZ*ONE) was a South Korean–Japanese girl group formed through the Mnet reality competition show ''Produce 48''. The group was composed of twelve members: Jang ...

. Yunjin was later signed to

Source Music Diegetic music or source music is music in a drama (e.g., film or video game) that is part of the fictional setting and so, presumably, is heard by the characters. The term refers to diegesis, a style of storytelling. The opposite of source m ...

and debuted as an member of

Le Sserafim Le Sserafim ( ; ; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed by Source Music and Hybe Corporation. The group consists of five members: Sakura, Kim Chae-won, Huh Yun-jin, Kazuha and Hong Eun-chae. Originally a sextet, Kim Ga-ram ...

in May 2022. On May 24, 2019, Pristin was officially disbanded. Pledis announced that while Kyulkyung, Yehana, and Sungyeon would stay with the company, the remaining seven (Xiyeon, Rena, Roa, Kyla, Nayoung, Yuha, and Eunwoo) would be departing. After reuniting for the first time in almost two years, NU'EST announced their contract renewal with Pledis Entertainment. On July 6, 2019, Kaeun graduated from After School following the expiration of her contract. On December 20, 2019,

Han Dong-geun Han Dong-geun (born May 9, 1993) is a South Korean singer. He is the winner of MBC's Star Audition Season 3. Career On September 30, 2014 Han officially debuted with the digital single "Making a new ending for this story". He released the m ...

parted ways with Pledis Entertainment. On December 27, 2019, Raina graduated from After School following the expiration of her contract. On January 16, 2020, After School's E-Young announced that she has left Pledis Entertainment with the expiration of her contract.

2020–present: Hybe Labels, new headquarters and evolution

On May 25, 2020,

, formerly Big Hit Entertainment, officially announced the acquisition of a majority shareholder of Pledis Entertainment. It was also announced that Pledis Entertainment will receive financial and expertise support from Hybe Labels while still operating as an independent label. On October 18, 2020, Fair Trade Commission officially approved Hybe Corp.’s acquisition of Pledis Entertainment. On March 22, 2021, Pledis Entertainment, as well as the other labels part of Hybe Labels, moved to its new headquarters in the Yongsan Trade Center, the new headquarters of Hybe Corporation. On March 31, 2021, the official website of Pledis Entertainment in its ''Company'' section changed its physical address to the new building in

Yongsan Yongsan District (, ) is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. Yongsan has a population of 231,685 (2020) and has a geographic area of , and is divided into 19 '' dong'' (administrative neighborhoods). Yongsan is located in central Seoul ...

, Seoul. On July 19, 2021, all 13 members of

renewed their contracts with Pledis Entertainment. On August 16, 2021, it was announced that the girl group

fromis 9 Fromis 9 (; stylized as fromis_9) is a South Korean girl group formed by CJ E&M through the 2017 reality show '' Idol School''. The group is composed of eight members: Roh Ji-sun, Song Ha-young, Lee Sae-rom, Lee Chae-young, Lee Na-gyung, Park Ji ...

would be managed by Pledis Entertainment and they would be leaving Off The Record after the release of their single album ''

9 Way Ticket ''9 Way Ticket'' is the third single album by South Korean girl group Fromis 9. The album was released on May 17, 2021 by Off the Record and distributed by Stone Music. The physical version of the single album is available in two versions: "Tick ...

'' in May 2021 as the agency would be taking over all management of the group following their transfer to the agency. In December 2021,

has re-signed her contract with Pledis Entertainment. This is her third contract renewal with the agency within 12 years since her debut in 2009. On February 28, 2022, it was announced that

's exclusive contract with Pledis Entertainment will end on March 14, 2022. It was also announced that members Aron, JR and Ren will leave the agency at the conclusion of their contract, while Baekho and Minhyun opted to renew. With the news of their contract expiring, the NU'EST members confirmed the group's disbandment through handwritten letters to their fans, announcing their decision to go their own separate ways. On July 28, 2022, Pledis Entertainment announced that member

Jang Gyu-ri Jang Gyu-ri (, born December 27, 1997) is a South Korean singer and actress. She finished ninth in Mnet's girl group survival show '' Idol School'', becoming a member of the resulting girl group Fromis 9. Jang gained more recognition after sta ...

would be leaving fromis 9 on July 31. The company explained in their statement that when the group transferred to Pledis, every member signed a new exclusive artist contract with the company, however, Gyuri chose not to. After lengthy discussion about what is the best direction for each other, Gyuri chose not to sign a contract and embark on a new journey.

Artists

All artists under Pledis Entertainment are collectively known as ''Happy Pledis.''

Active artists

Groups * After School *

Subunits *

* BSS (''BooSeokSoon'') Soloists *

Bumzu Kye Beom-ju (Hangul: 계범주, born November 8, 1991), better known by the stage name Bumzu (Hangul: 범주), is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was a contestant on '' Superstar K4'' and released his debut album, ''S ...

* Baekho *

* Yehana * Sungyeon Producers *

* Baekho *

Woozi Lee Ji-hoon (; born November 22, 1996), better known by his stage name Woozi (), is a South Korean singer, songwriter and record producer. He is a member of the boy band Seventeen. Aside from his work as a soloist and with Seventeen, Woozi has ...

* Shannon (Sungyeon) Source: Actors *

* Baekho (Kang Dong Ho) *

Source:

Former artists

* After School (2009-2015) ** Soyoung (2009) ** Bekah (2009–2011) ** Jooyeon (2009–2014) **

(2009–2015) ** Jungah (2009–2016) **

Uee Kim Yu-jin (born April 9, 1988), better known by her stage name Uee (sometimes romanized as U-), is a South Korean singer and actress. She is best known for being a former member of South Korean girl group After School from 2009 to 2017, and ...

(2009–2017) ** Lizzy (2010–2018) ** Kaeun (2012–2019) ** Raina (2009–2019) **E-Young (2011–2020) *

(2012–2014, joint ventures with

'Tricell Media') **

Ara ARA may refer to: Media and the arts * American-Romanian Academy of Arts and Sciences * '' Artistička Radna Akcija'', compilation album released in former Yugoslavia * Associate of the Royal Academy, denoting membership in the British Royal Aca ...

(2011–2014) ** Yoonjo (2012–2014) *

(2007–2015) *

(2012–2022) ** NU'EST-M (2013–2014) ***Jason (2013–2014) **

NU'EST W NU'EST W was the second subunit of South Korean boy band, NU'EST. The group consisted of NU'EST members, JR, Aron, Baekho, and Ren, promoting in the absence of Minhyun, who at the time was promoting with Wanna One. The group disbanded on Dec ...

(2017–2018) *** JR (2012–2022) ***

Aron Aron may refer to: Characters *Aron (comics), from the Marvel Universe comic ''Aron! HyperSpace Boy!'' *Aron (Pokémon), in the ''Pokémon'' franchise * Aron Trask, from John Steinbeck's novel ''East of Eden'' *Áron or Aaron, the brother of Mos ...

(2012–2022) *** Ren (2012–2022) *

(2016–2019) **

Pristin V Pristin V () was the first and only official sub-group of South Korean girl group Pristin, formed by Pledis Entertainment in 2018. It was composed of five Pristin members: Nayoung, Roa, Eunwoo, Rena, and Kyulkyung. History 2018: Debut with ''Li ...

(2018–2019) *** Nayoung (2016–2019) *** Roa (2016–2019) ***

(2016–2019) *** Rena (2016–2019) ***

(2016–2019) ** Yuha (2016–2019) **

(2016–2019) ** Kyla (2016–2019) *

(2013–2019) *

(2021–2022)

Discography

;Happy Pledis discography * ''

'' – "Love Love Love" (2010) * ''

'' – "Love Letter" (2011) * Happy Pledis Digital Single – "Dashing Through The Snow with High Heels" (2012)

References

External links

* {{Authority control South Korean record labels Talent agencies of South Korea Music companies of South Korea Entertainment companies established in 2007 Publishing companies established in 2007 South Korean companies established in 2007 Companies based in Seoul Gangnam District Hybe Corporation