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Yam Entertainment is a South Korean entertainment company which was founded by Yeong Changmin in 1996. In January 2019 the company closed its doors due to Changmin wanting to retire. He refused to pass it on to others who had an interest in buying the company because it was his passion project and he believed that once someone starts their company with passion then they should end the company with passion.
History[]
1996: Beginning of the Company[]
Yeong Changmin decided to create the company because he felt that k-pop would be a successful business. He is a businessman who graduated with a business management degree and so he knew somewhat of how to create a business. With some help from others who have created businesses he manages to figure out the basics and what he would need to do to make it successful. For a while he had no idea what to do call the company and an employee as a joke brought up the word “Yam” which ended up sticking and they decided to name the company that.
Soon after he figured out the company name he started to release out ads to try and get trainees to join the company. Soon many trainees join the company and soon a trainee boy group was created and then advertised as The Yam Boys.
March 1997 - August 1998: The Yam Boys Debut, VXMPIRE Debut, Rumours and Hiatus, The Yam Boys Statement, Yam Boys First Studio Album and VXMPIRE's comeback from hiatus[]
In March 1997 they manage to debut The Yam Boys who decide to keep their pre-debut name. The company advertises them as an exciting and fun group that will keep fans entertained. Changmin had hoped that debuting their first group would create some sort of interest in the company but unfortunately it did not and he very nearly decided to give up on the company.
In September 1997 there is rumours about a new boy group that might appear under the company. It was believed that the company was purposely going to disband The Yam Boys so they can start from scratch and create an even better and more popular boy group. At the time many fans protested against the idea even though it was all just rumours and speculation. It got to the point that Changmin had to create a statement telling fans that this is not what he was planning to do and that he was just wanting to create another group with a different concept and theme.
In January 1998 Yam Entertainment presented their new boy group VXMPIRE. A group with a supernatural and dark concept. Whilst there were lots of people who were interested and intrigued by them there were still speculation that this group was going to replace The Yam Boys and some fans decided that they will boycott VXMPIRE’s album when it comes out. Changmin once again had to tell fans that whatever rumours they were hearing are just rumours. This still did not calm people.
In March 1998 VXMPIRE finally debut with the mini album Suck Up and they end up almost disbanding as soon as they started because of all the hate that was thrown towards them. They barely made any sales due to the boycott. A month after their debut VXMPIRE go on a hiatus and many believe that they might have disbanded. During VXMPIRE’s hiatus The Yam Boys create a statement stating that the rumours are not true and that fans are not helping with this situation. Since this was a statement created by the artist they thought was being affected many fans believed what they said and felt guilty for how they treated VXMPIRE.
On April 1998 The Yam Boys release a studio album called TYB: The First Album. Since there were so many rumours and fuss about the company many people found out about the group and they finally ended up gaining some traction after an unsuccessful first year as idols.
On August 1998 VXMPIRE comeback from hiatus with a lineup change. Two members had left the group because of the rumours.
January to October 1999: Apology Letters Sent To Company, VXMPIRE's First Comeback, The Yam Boys Comeback Twice and Talk Of A TV Show[]
At the beginning of 1999 fans decided to do a monthly apology letter to the company for their behaviour during the rumours and how awfully they treated the members of VXMPIRE. Soon the VXMPIRE members showed their appreciation and accept the apology from fans.
VXMPIRE have their first comeback with the mini album Red at the end of January 1999. This time there was no boycotting and they enjoyed some success. This mini album caused them have an influx of fans because of how their music sounds and how different it was from The Yam Boys.
The Yam Boys comeback twice in 1999. The first mini album they release is called The Game which was released in March. It was more of a more serious comeback for the group where the mini album followed the story about a toxic relationship and how both parties were affected both in and outside of this relationship. Some fans disliked it because it sounded different from their usual sound. The second mini album they release is called All For You and it was released in October. A more happier sounding mini album about first love and the feelings it can give somebody.
At the end of the year it was announced that the company and its groups were going to do a yearly tv mini series with some or all of the members from that group as characters in that show. It wasn’t announced when these series were going to be released.
April 2000 - August 2000: The Yam Boys Release Two Albums, VXMPIRE Release Their First Studio Album and Yam Entertainments TV Show Is Released[]
The Yam Boys release their third studio album in April called Crazy Times which fans assume is based on the wild feud between fans and the company. One of the songs feature Winnie and Wonpil from VXMPIRE. The song was called White Flag and many believed that it was about the feud was solidified by both fandoms.
In May VXMPIRE release a studio album called Dangerous without any promotion for the album. It was sudden but successful.
In July the company announced that one of the first tv series that they were talking about releasing. The series was to be called Jam Stars and featured Kai, Sunghyun and Jay from The Yam Boys and Win, Wonpil and Erin from Vxmpire. The shows extras were all staff who worked in the company. The series was about six highschool boys who all want to win a singing competition at their school with the hopes that they get noticed by a famous star.
On September Jam Stars was released on a video streaming platform for fans to watch. It was obvious that there was very little budget for it and that the boys had never acted before but fans had fun with it even though non-fans thought it was stupid. Since there wasn’t much success the company decided not to carry on with their plans with yearly tv shows.
June 2003 - June 2005: Girl Group Auditions And CANDY! Debut[]
In late April 2003 the company announced that they were going to hold auditions for female trainees aged from 15 to 20 years old to try and create their first girl group. They stated that they wanted girl who were interested in joining a group that would have a cute concept.
At the start of 2004 it was announced that the company had created a five member girl group that would debut sometime in 2005. Their pre-debut name were The Yam Girls.
In September of 2004 the girls of the group were announced. The group is called CANDY! And they debuted in June 2005.
On February 2005 it was announced that two of the girls had officially left the group before debut because of personal reasons. Even though they had left it did not impact their debut and the remaining girls had to re-record parts that were previously sung by the other members.
In June 2005 CANDY! officially debut with a single album called CANDY! START.
2008: SUGAR HIGH! Debut, VXMPIRE Go On Hiatus, Minjun Debuts as Soloist and The Yam Boys Disbandment[]
In 2008 the brother group of CANDY! was announced. They were called SUGAR HIGH! Their songs were to be about the cute and fluffy side of love. All seven members were announced at the same time. Like CANDY! All of the members were 20 or younger. The youngest member being twelve and the oldest being seventeen. Many people did not like that someone that young was debuting but the members came out and stated that they were in a good company who treated them well. This caused backlash with fans expressing concern for the youngest member.
On April 2008 it was announced that The Yam Boys were going to disband because they wanted to retire. Whilst they enjoyed being idols they felt that they needed a break.
On October 2008 it was announced that VXMPIRE were going to go on a hiatus after a long period of silence.
In February 2009 ex VXMPIRE member Minjun debuts as soloist which make fans think that the group has silently disbanded.
2010: SUGAR HIGH! Disbandment[]
After two years of activity SUGAR HIGH! disband due to a decreasing interest in the group. Many fans preferred CANDY! And it was noticeable. The group decided to disband on their own terms because they felt that if they continued they would not get to the point that they really wanted to reach. There was also a lot of fans who felt sympathetic towards them and specifically to the youngest member Carlos because they believed he should not have joined a k-pop group at his age.
2012: CANDY! Disbandment And Pre-Debut Girl Group Rumours[]
In early 2012 CANDY! announces their disbandment. They felt that they were outgrowing their concept and all the members were wanting to go their separate ways.
In April there is another announcement of wanting more female trainees. Soon there are lots of rumours about a new girl group. It isn’t until August is it confirmed that a new girl group will debut the year after. All the members were of age and it was said that they were going to have a more mature concept. The group was called Red Beam. A pre-debut member of CANDY! was announced to also be part of the group.
In December the official concept for Red Beam's debut album is released and the members are formally introduced. The members chose the concept themselves and they wanted to tell a more mature story. They stated that their first album was going to be all about first love.
2013: Red Beam Debut, Controversies and Responses[]
Red Beam officially debut in February, 2013 with the studio album, Sensational. The music video for their title track was about a young woman falling in love with someone else of the same sex for the first time. Three of the tracks on the album were about the same character and her feelings and her anxieties when thinking about asking her crush out. The person who played the main character was the groups leader, Eunjoo and the groups all rounder, Ariel.
Their debut did not come without controversies because while a lot of fans loved this fresh and new concept and how open and accepting the group is to the LGBTQ+ community there were of course those who were against the concept and the group entirely. Those people who were against the group tried to also go against the company and tried to boycott in hopes the company lost money. These attempts however did not work.
What ended the controversies was the company creating a statement that they would sue those who create more rumours and they would laos also sue those are openly homophobic and threatening to hurt the members.
2013 - 2014: VXMPIRE Comeback With New Lineup, Haeun and Carlos Debut as Soloists[]
In early 2013 VXMPIRE suddenly comeback from hiatus with a completely new lineup. This lineup started off with only four members which were aged from 18 to 21 years of age. They were marketed as the second generation of VXMPIRE.
The second generation officially debut on January 1st 2014 with the studio album, Vampire. Their sound the same as before which many fans were happy and excited about.
On March 5th 2014 a teaser for the companies second ever soloist is released. The teaser had someone standing with hands on hips. Their whole body shrouded in a silhouette. Three days later it was revealed that it is Haeun, an ex member of the group CANDY!. This time as a soloist she would be a trot singer. She officially debuted with a single called “Aria”.
On August 10th 2014 it was announced that ex SUGAR HIGH! Member Carlos would also become a soloist as well. He however would stay as an idol. He debuts with the mini album “Soulless” which had a concept where he is a grim reaper type character who lives in a dystopian wasteland.
2016: Minjun Retires, Carlos joins VXMPIRE and a Documentary[]
On the first day of January it was announced that Minjun had decided to retire as a soloist and wanted to stop being an idol all together. Soon after this announcement nearly all of his socials were deleted and nobody could find any online accounts of his.
On May 21st it was announced that Carlos had joined VXMPIRE as their sixth member. He stated that he will be doing solo work as well as joining in on comebacks and activities with VXMPIRE.
On July 3rd it was announced that the company had decided to create a documentary about the company. It included all the current groups of the company talking about what it was like training there and what the working conditions were like. The documentary was called Yam Entertainment: True Stories and it was released on the companies youtube channel.
2018: Haeun Retires As A Soloist and Rumours of The Company Closing[]
Haeun decides to retire as a soloist. She keeps all her social media open and she ends up very active on it. She stated that she now wants to do something different and that even though she enjoyed her job she felt that she needed to take a break from it.
Sometime during the year someone accidently leaks some private information about the company that should not had been shown. It was about Changmin's health and whether he should keep going as the CEO of the company. Soon many rumours arose about the possibility of the company closing down.
2019: Company Closes Down[]
Yeong Changmin officially releases a statement that the company will be closing down for good because he felt that he was getting old and needed to rest. He did not pass it down to anyone else because he felt like it should stay as his legacy. The groups and trainees that were part of that company in the present and past all say farewell and there is a farewell show that was created by all the previous groups and soloists that were part of the company throughout the years..
Former Artists[]
Groups[]
- The Yam Boys (1997 - 2008)
- VXMPIRE (1998 - 2019)
- CANDY! (2005 - 2012)
- SUGAR HIGH! (2008 - 2010)
- Red Beam (2013 - 2019)
Soloists[]
- Minjun (2009 - 2016)
- Haeun (2014 - 2018)
- Carlos (2014 - 2019)