The New Era of SM Entertainment: The Debut of RIIZE

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As K-pop continues to gain international recognition and success, partnerships continue between Korean and American labels. Alongside RCA Records in the States, SM Entertainment’s newest boy group, RIIZE, is showing enormous promise in the growing music market. The group’s name is a combination of two works: rise and realize to mean “a group that grows together to realize a dream”. The group consists of members Shotaro, Eunseok, Sungchan, Wonbin, Seunghan, Sohee, and Anton. 

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On September 4, 2023, RIIZE made their debut with the single album, ‘Get A Guitar’, featuring two tracks, ‘Get A Guitar’ and ‘Memories’. ‘Get A Guitar’ strays away from SM’s venture into the world of synths with groups like NCT, and is instead a pop-centric song with a youthful vibe. As the name suggests, the song features a guitar hook, leading to a groovy and infectious beat. ‘Memories’ evokes nostalgia through a catchy guitar rhythm meshed with warm synth sounds. The track is a poetic ode to youth and the days filled with dreams and aspirations. Through RIIZE’s smooth harmonies and meaningful lyrics, the song conveys an immense sense of optimism. 

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Since their debut, RIIZE has reached great success, including selling over a million copies of the album, ‘Get A Guitar’ in the first week. The group has already established themselves as a group with a distinct sound and incredible talents, providing an exciting portrayal of the future of Kpop. 

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