#is it too obvious that im a reveluv?

[nexthitjcink]

a history of next hit.

Under the cut you will find a (semi) brief history of the site's setting and focus company, NEXT HIT Entertainment. Everyone in the RP will be working under NH, so it's important we discuss the company's history! This post will give an overview of the history of major players in NH's history and present. If there are any questions about any of the following, feel free to ask away.

BEFORE NEXT HIT

NEXT HIT ENTERTAINMENT is an entertainment agency founded in 2009, which manages multiple artists and subsidiary labels. First, a bit of history on how NH came to be. Waterfall Entertainment was an early company in the K-Pop entertainment world, where Nam Dohyun began his career as a road manager in the early 2000s. Nam would eventually worked his way up to become Creative Director of Waterfall. However, in 2008 Waterfall Ent. went bankrupt and was dissolved. This did not deter Nam, who used his knowledge from almost a decade in the industry to establish NEXT HIT Entertainment, with a team made up of mostly former Waterfall employees.

HWA

Like much of their creative and management teams, NH's first artist, HWA (based on IU) was also a Waterfall rescue. At only 18, she was the first (and currently only) solo aritst signed to Next Hit Entertainment, releasing her first album Growing Up only months after the establishment of the label. The album was originally supposed to be her next release under Waterfall, but with the dissolving of her company she was more than happy to put it in Nam hands, who she had worked closely with during her Waterfall days. While the album had moderate success, enough to keep the new company afloat, she would achieve national acclaim with the release of her third EP, REAL and her hit single Good Day. As years went on, her wholesome self-made image has propelled to her to be one of the most popular and respected artists in K-Pop history.

2CHAN

While nowadays not discussed as much as their other artists, 2CHAN (composed of members Woochan and Chanbin) debuted as NH's first original group in 2010 with the single "Bounce," now seen as a commercial flop. The duo disbanded after their third single, “Keep Your Head Down” was another commercial failure in 2013. Woochan is a successful soloist and actor (albeit under a different company), while Chanbin has become a renowned vocal coach. In 2020, the pair joined for the first time since their disbandment for a reunion concert.

SAGA

The success of HWA allowed for NH to comfortably build a small roster of trainees and plan for future projects and endeavors. Rumors of the company's next big hit spread around the K-Pop world. After years of waiting, fans of NH were finally given answers to the question with the surprise drop of a dance practice video featuring four, up until then unknown, trainees and the original song "4 Walls" in late 2015. The internet went insane over the video and NH officially announced the debut of their first girl group, SAGA, early the next year. The girl group finally debutted on Valentines Day, 2016 with dual title tracks Whistle and Automatic, and an additional member, Angel, not featured in 4 Walls' initial release. The first mini album SAGA: The Beginning, was met with wide commercial success and marked the start of the of the leading groups in the third generation of K-Pop.

The quintet has gone on to become of the most notable, awarded, and successful group in K-Pop history, known together as "The Queens of Girl Crush" and members being some of the most sought after celebrities. Some of their top hits include: "Peek-A-Boo" (2018), "Black Dress" (2018), "Bad Boy" (2018), "Psycho" (2020), "Lovesick Girls" (2021), and most recently, "Feel My Rhythm" and "Birthday" released together in 2022. The members are also activity in sub-unit and solo endeavors, with their unit So Far having one of the most successful sub-unit debuts with the 2021 hit, "Monster" and has continued that success with their 2023 release "Air Force One".

NOON

With HWA being secure in her spot as the "Nation's Little Sister" and SAGA gradually taking the world by storm, NH found themselves with more capital than they knew what to do with. Over half a decade into NH's lifetime, Nam Dohyun wanted to something fresh and new to add to their roster. That was when he happened upon a small indie group, 눈높 (NunNop), looking to get their first record label. The group was well known in the indie scene for their songwriting abilities, lead by then guitarist Moon Ryuwon and the every flowing charisma of their lead singer, Jake Yang. After the departure of a member (Kitae, who had been critical of them "selling out" and now performs as a soloist under the name "Kit") the group signed as quartet and began work on their first album in 2017. Since joining NH, they have become one of the most well known K-Bands domestically and internationally, best known for their heart-wrenching break up songs. Some of their top hits include: "Congratulations" "Shoot Me" and "Love Cut." Main Vocalist and Guitarist Jake, has also become one of the biggest solo artists after his solo debut in 2022 (inspired by Baekhyun).

SUBSIDARIES

NH STUDIOS - Producing Path

Since the founding of NH Entertainment, its focus has largely been on expanding the capabilities and expectations of Korean popular music. As NH Ent. grew, it required more time, effort, and energy put into this aspect of its brand. Thus, the creation of NH Studios, home to producers and music creatives under the NH Ent. brand. NH Studios plans to increase it's output with new talent behind and in front of the screen.

NOHARM - Modeling Path

NoHarm was originally created to help handle SAGA's growing modeling careers and endeavors (specifically that of member Soul, who established her own brand RE:Born under the label). With creative director Kim Sookyung at the helm, NoHarm has been on the cutting edge of everything in the world of fashion and design. Always focusing on every aspect of the design process, its roster has become not only some of the most sought-after models, but also creatives in the industry.

CLASS ACT - Acting Path

Class Act was established to support the growth of NH's brand into the film industry. Class Act has been home to great talent in the film and theater industries. Partnerships with domestic and international distributors, writers, directors, and actors, has allowed Class Act to quickly rise as one of the top film production houses in South Korea. In the nature of NH Entertainment's company mission of creation, in the beginning of 2023, Class Act began forays into the creating its own films and television shows. Plans to expand these continue to be in development as Class Act grows its talent roster.

SCANDALS

One of the first major scandals that faced NH had to do with SAGA's Visual, Soul. Mid-promotions of their 2017 song, "I Like That," was injured on stage and had to go on a full hiatus, causing her to miss their first tour later that same year. This was after videos of the girls looking exhausted and weak backstage had gone viral. Fans called for a full group hiatus due to the issue, since the girls had been working practically nonstop since debut. NH never announced an official hiatus, but did attempt to spread out promotions in 2018 and onward.

In late 2022, rumors spread of SAGA's Leader Mia possibly being an relationship after photos were leaked of her out with a mysterious man. Dispatch, on New Years Day 2023, confirmed that the man in question was NOON's Drummer and Maknae Jaewon, and that the couple had been dating since 2022. NH quickly confirmed that the two were in a relationship. Both released letters to their fans, thanking them for support and asking for privacy in their personal lives. The two have gone on to appear together on various red carpets, and Mia has been seen attending Noon's Toronto concert (where she is from) during their most recent world tour with some of her hometown friends. The pair have been named "MiWon" by fans with most being supportive of the couple.

and that is all for this preview! i hope you enjoyed this little look into NH's history and lore. i can't wait for all of us to build upon this lore with our own characters and plots. as always, feel free to throw any lore questions my way--probably best done in our discord!