• Surprising SM Casting Team Leaves K-netizens Puzzled: "Why Choose RIIZE's Sohee?"

    Netizens have been engaged in a discussion regarding the casting team of SM Entertainment, following a post made on Nate Pann.

    The post shared a scene from a web entertainment show, where the netizen visited the casting team office in SM's building.

    The netizen observed that there seemed to be around 13 to 14 employees in the casting team, based on the number of desks.

    They also noted that five of the team members appeared to be experienced, while four were responsible for casting through Instagram and online platforms.


    The netizen speculated that the empty desk in the back may belong to a field casting staff member.

    Furthermore, the netizen mentioned that they believed aespa's Karina and RIIZE's Sohee were picked by these casting team members. While they agreed with the casting decision for aespa, they questioned why RIIZE's Sohee was chosen.

    The post on Nate Pann prompted responses from other netizens. One netizen expressed their opinion that it is excessive to criticize the staff, as they are just ordinary office workers.

    They also questioned why the staff members showed their faces in the web entertainment show. Another netizen defended the casting team, highlighting that they spent a considerable amount of time searching on Instagram and successfully debuted idols like Wonbin and Karina.

    In contrast, there were netizens who expressed frustration with the casting decision for Sohee, claiming that she was cast through an audition.

    They expressed their strong dissatisfaction with this choice. Addressing the criticism about casting untalented individuals, another netizen pointed out that now the team is casting talented individuals, but there are still complaints regarding their choices.

    One netizen even expressed their desire to join the casting team, confident that they would do a better job in selecting talented individuals.

    Source(1)

  • SEVENTEEN’s ‘MAESTRO’ just hit 100 million streams on Spotify and fans can’t stop celebrating

    SEVENTEEN has proven once again that they’re global music powerhouses!

    On April 12, Spotify announced that SEVENTEEN’s title track “MAESTRO” from their best album ‘17 IS RIGHT HERE’ has reached 129.48 million streams as of April 10. This makes it their 14th song to cross the 100 million stream mark on the platform.

    “MAESTRO” is a powerful dance R&B track with a dramatic piano intro that instantly grabs your attention.

    The song carries a cool message about how people with different strengths can come together and lead the world like a conductor.

    Fans also loved how SEVENTEEN’s charismatic performance matched the intense and elegant vibe of the song.

    Right after its release, “MAESTRO” ranked high on major Korean music charts like Melon, Genie, and Bugs. It also stayed on the Billboard Global 200 and Global (excluding U.S.) charts for four straight weeks, showing its popularity around the world.

    With this new milestone, SEVENTEEN now has 14 songs that have over 100 million streams on Spotify:

    Source (1)

    • Over 200 million streams: Super, HOT, Don’t Wanna Cry, Very NICE
    • Over 100 million streams: Rock with you, Darl+ing, Left & Right, Clap, Pretty U, _WORLD, Ready to love, God of Music, Home, and now MAESTRO

    Fans are thrilled to see “MAESTRO” join the club, with many calling it “one of their best title tracks yet.”

    Meanwhile, SEVENTEEN is getting ready for their 2025 JAPAN FAN MEETING ‘HOLIDAY’, which will take place at Kyocera Dome Osaka on April 24, 26, and 27, and at Saitama Super Arena on May 10 and 11.

    SEVENTEEN just keeps winning—and “MAESTRO” is another clear sign of their unstoppable success.