“Could the “CEO phenomenon” be hurting the identity of their groups? (YG, JYP… and now Jay Park?)”
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before anything else, we want to make it clear that this is absolutely not hate.
these are simply constructive criticisms and personal observations. people should be able to discuss an artistic direction or a management strategy without immediately being labeled as antis.
and honestly, if we’re taking the time to write this post, it’s precisely because we genuinely think LNGSHOT has a lot of potential.
our main point revolves around what we’d call the “CEO phenomenon” in K-pop: when a founder or producer becomes so omnipresent around a group that the idols themselves slowly start losing their own artistic identity.
since their recent comeback, one thing especially caught our attention: the CEO is now vocally participating alongside the members in the majority of their recent tracks.
at first, this idea could have been interesting on one specific song — bringing a more experienced voice, a different presence. why not.
however, the fact that it has now extended across almost the entire project raises some questions.
because previously, the group already seemed capable of functioning coherently without this constant presence. ideally, a group should also be able to evolve through its own dynamic.
as time goes on, one impression becomes harder and harder to ignore: Jay Park feels extremely present in the overall narrative surrounding the group.
at times, it creates an awkward balance between mentorship and personal spotlight, even if this may simply be part of an intentional promotional strategy.
either way, this omnipresence gradually shifts part of the attention away from the members and back onto him.
at some point, it starts feeling less supportive and more suffocating.
and honestly, that’s where things start becoming genuinely questionable to us.
what is presented as “promoting his artists” sometimes starts feeling more like a personal need to remain constantly attached to their success.
and that changes the group dynamic significantly.
in some content, we’ve already seen members joking or lightly complaining about their CEO’s constant presence.
at first, those moments actually felt refreshing because most idols don’t have that kind of freedom. (and the fact that Jay Park himself highlights this dynamic in videos shows there’s a clear awareness of that image.)
but looking back on it now, it becomes obvious that this subject was already an open conversation among the members themselves.
certain anecdotes shared through fan discussions or content that initially seemed harmless now feel slightly stranger when placed within the broader context of his omnipresence around the group.
taken separately, many of those moments could probably just be interpreted as jokes, a “cool” CEO-artist relationship, or an attempt to create a more relaxed atmosphere than traditional agencies.
but combined with how often the group’s narrative circles back to him, it eventually creates a dynamic that may make part of the audience uncomfortable.
because at some point, you stop watching LNGSHOT as a group building its own identity. instead, it starts feeling like a project where the CEO struggles to fully step back and let the artists grow naturally on their own.
the CEO is often visually or stylistically separated from the rest of the group. if it’s not the outfit, it’s the hairstyle. and while it’s understandable for a CEO to occasionally stand at the center during red carpets, casual photos, or special content, seeing him constantly highlighted in teasers, promotions, and music videos naturally raises questions about the intended visual hierarchy.
it’s gotten to the point where even in comment sections, people joke less about “LNGSHOT 4sho” and more about “5sho.” discussions frequently revolve around him instead of the members themselves. that may sound harmless, but for a rookie group still trying to establish strong individual identities, it can become counterproductive. audiences are supposed to emotionally attach themselves to the members, not the founder.
additionally, many introductions and promotional narratives repeatedly circle back to his own journey, his methods, and his role in “saving” or building the group.
the overall image also sometimes feels overly performative. yes, we understand that many idols are heavily restricted regarding their image, food, lifestyle, and behavior. but constantly insisting that they are “different from traditional idols” eventually starts feeling forced rather than authentic.
pushing “anti-industry” aesthetics and provocative messaging this early into their career also risks making the group feel more caricatural than genuine.
while some people argue that this is simply “Jay Park’s way of promoting the group,” we personally think it’s difficult to ignore the possibility that this strategy could eventually hurt them more than help them.
because in the end, most discussions seem to revolve more around Jay Park than around the members themselves.
the rollout for “YEAH YEAH” especially reinforced that feeling for us.
opening the MV with “fck the industry” felt oddly placed.
the industry already knows Jay Park has had a complicated relationship with the Korean entertainment scene and experienced periods of rejection. but why project that frustration onto rookies who literally just debuted and mainly want to make music?
what exactly are they trying to “fuck”?
they barely know the industry yet.
as a result, the message feels disconnected from their actual journey, which ultimately makes the concept feel less believable and less interesting.
similarly, it’s difficult to build an image where the group is portrayed as humble, starting from nothing, promoting themselves in the streets and trying to escape anonymity— only to immediately jump into flexing money and success.
“First month of my debut money in the bank."
even if lines like this are clearly aimed at haters or criticism, within the context of a rookie group still building its identity, they mainly create tonal inconsistency.
instead of feeling like natural growth, it feels narratively rushed.
and as a result, it comes across more pretentious than impactful.
when the group felt less “full of themselves,” they honestly came across more authentic and naturally cool.
beyond personal taste, this is also about perception: artists who don’t constantly center validation or self-glorification tend to feel more spontaneous and easier to connect with.
which is why some of the recent lyrical and conceptual choices feel slightly questionable.
regarding the members themselves, some of them may not yet have had enough room to fully establish a recognizable stage identity.
for example, OHYUL still seems to be in the process of developing his own stage presence, with fewer individually memorable moments compared to other members.
even if this remains subjective, the fact that this impression exists at all suggests there may still be room to improve the distribution of spotlight and the development of each member individually.
in projects like this, it’s important for every member to eventually have a moment where audiences think:
that kind of immediate recognition often plays a major role in how groups maintain long-term public attachment.
instead of slowing down and allowing each member to build a clearer individual identity, the project currently feels like it’s accelerating rapidly through constant comebacks and an increasingly strong CEO presence within the final product.
meanwhile, some members already seem more established in their artistic identity — Louis, for example, brings a softer energy, an almost angelic vocal tone, and a much more immediate camera presence, which heavily contributes to his visual impact. it’s probably not a coincidence that “Moonwalking” is currently their most viewed MV.
but when it comes to OHYUL, it still feels difficult at this stage to clearly identify a strong artistic or performance signature within the group.
priorities may need to be reorganized more carefully.
the same applies to the artistic direction of their recent music videos, where we’ve personally noticed a certain visual regression — and honestly, this is probably the aspect that disappoints us the most right now.
if you’re making entertainment, then the entertainment itself should remain the priority.
their older releases had visually memorable moments that strongly contributed to the group’s identity.
with “YEAH YEAH,” however, the editing feels far more chaotic: the visual pacing is constant, energetic, and aggressive, but there’s very little hierarchy between shots. everything moves, everything is loud, but almost nothing feels intentionally designed to become iconic or memorable.
as a result, we understand the intention — a rougher, anti-industry, disorganized vibe — but the MV lacks visual anchor points that actually stay in your mind afterward.
that’s probably why, despite its energy, the MV feels less rewatchable than their previous work: you understand the intention, but not the memorable moments.
and once again, certain lyrics feel less suited to the current maturity level of the group.
“This ain’t Carti this ain’t Travis this 4sho”
doesn’t hit particularly hard when audiences are still barely familiar with the members individually.
and that’s frustrating, because we’ve already seen that they’re capable of delivering much better.
with the group’s current direction, it becomes increasingly difficult to fully understand the overall trajectory or end goal of the project.
at this point, the image no longer feels like “a charming rookie group doing the best they can with limited means,” but rather like a group that clearly could offer more — yet doesn’t always seem willing to fully push that effort visually or artistically.
the current direction (“4SHO 4SHO,” “YEAH YEAH”) sometimes feels overly focused on projecting a “larger than life” image far too early.
but strong fandoms cannot be forced.
they are built progressively through time, consistency, and emotional attachment.
which makes all of this especially unfortunate because LNGSHOT genuinely has an “out-of-the-ordinary” identity with real potential.
their appeal heavily relies on vibe, visuals, attitude, and artistic universe.
and if those elements lose coherence or impact, there’s suddenly much less that truly separates them from countless other groups.
ultimately, this post is not meant to attack the intentions behind the project.
we simply wanted to share our overall thoughts regarding the current direction and cohesion of the group.
we genuinely want the best for LNGSHOT.
the group clearly has potential and an interesting identity — which is precisely why some recent decisions feel slightly premature or unbalanced to us.
of course, all of this remains subjective and fully open to discussion.
