It’s that time of year again! While December is filled with year-end countdowns, I like to take a look back at some of K-pop’s biggest agencies during November. Before reading (especially if you’re new to the blog), it’s helpful to know that my grading focuses most heavily on music releases and how comebacks are managed and delivered to fans. Scandals and non-musical factors can certainly impact an agency’s grade, but the biggest criteria will always be the music itself.

As usual, the thoughts below are my own and aren’t privy to any insider information. There will be plenty of subjective critique. 

The Good

Though this year was a relatively unambitious one for SM Entertainment, it did boast one high profile debut. New girl group Hearts2Hearts have not yet found their huge public-friendly hit (that usually doesn’t happen right away for SM groups), but their chart performance has been decent and their output has been varied enough that at least one song is bound to appeal to every listener. In a year with few notable girl group debuts, Hearts2Hearts seem to be positioned relatively well.

Also debuting this year was ex-RIIZE member Seunghan under the project XngHan & Xoul. While fans will rightfully not forget his awful treatment in the past, I’m glad SM kept their word and eventually gave him his own promotions.

SM Entertainment has always done a nice job giving its artists frequent comebacks. Yet again, 2025 was stuffed with new music from both older and newer acts. Almost every current act received promotion of some sort, even if that was in the form of solo or sub-unit comebacks. This was an especially banner year for the agency’s legacy acts, with full albums from Super Junior, BoA, Key and TVXQ’s U-Know.

As far as music quality, there were a few bright spots. RIIZE’s first full-length album was fantastic from start to finish. NCT Dream and Super Junior also released strong material during the summer.

Commercially, aespa continue to be a juggernaut even when their music isn’t as strong as it could be. They feel well-established now and an obvious pillar of this generation of SM artists. NCT Wish are also establishing a solid fan base, well-positioned for success in both Korea and Japan. And as group activities for NCT have stalled, SM is taking advantage of the members’ various talents with a string of successful solo releases.

The Bad

SM Entertainment’s quality control is not what it used to be – at least musically. In years and decades past, the agency reliably churned out legendary song after legendary song. This year, very few SM title tracks did much for me. And apart from running on the fumes of established popularity, very few made much noise in public discourse either. It just doesn’t feel like there’s any overall creative vision at the moment.

When I look at my own playlist, it includes less SM songs than ever before. Too many of their 2025 releases lacked ambition and/or a unique soundscape, making it feel that the agency is simply following trends rather than establishing them. This is a sharp turn from where they used to be, driving the musical culture of K-pop. SM has always favored outside producers and song camps, but now they have very few visionaries left in their orbit. This makes their music blend in with every other agency who outsources their material.

Even SM’s most successful artists underwhelmed this year. aespa continue to dominate charts but their music hit a real roadblock in 2025. Most of the agency’s solo efforts came and went in the blink of an eye, selling well one week before disappearing from public consciousness the next. For the first time in what seems like forever, I don’t think SM had a genuine, iconic hit this year – the kind of song that will be remembered in not only fans’ minds but in the general public’s as well.

Though SM does a nice job honoring their legacy artists, these releases are either under-promoted or mismanaged. EXO’s long-awaited 2026 comeback is already mired in issues as SM seems to be blocking some members from participating at all. As artists begin to leave the agency for their solo endeavors, it becomes harder to cobble together group reunions, making these celebratory comebacks feel choked by unnecessary controversy.

As K-pop’s purchase starts to slide internationally, SM has been forced to cancel or modify several high-profile tours. This isn’t a problem unique to them, but the agency seems to have overestimated their ability to sell tickets internationally. The buzz around their artists just doesn’t feel as strong as it could be, and that’s likely due to a lack of industry-defining hits and an increasing desire to milk their fans for as much money as possible.

Overall, this feels like the least exciting era for SM Entertainment in some time. And with other agencies stepping up their game, there’s a lot that could be improved upon.

(Also, RIP to MYTRO and DearALICE, who seem to have been forgotten before they even took off…)

2025 Grade: C-

What I’d like to see in 2026:

A greater emphasis on bold songs that push the agency’s sound forward
A big public hit to fully establish Hearts2Hearts
Less song camps, more specific and unique songwriting voices
Strong comebacks from legacy artists we barely head from this year (EXO, SHINee, SNSD, TVXQ)

Previous years: 2024 // 2023 // 2022 // 2021 // 2020 // 2019 // 2018 // 2017 // 2016