By Jeong Hye-won, SPOTV News — World-renowned soprano Sumi Jo has signed an exclusive contract with SM Entertainment to produce albums and recordings.
On the 21st, SM announced that it had signed an exclusive agreement with Sumi Jo for album and recording production.
The agreement makes Jo the first exclusive recording artist to join SM’s classical & jazz label, SM Classics. Through SM Classics, Jo plans a wide-ranging musical agenda, beginning with Continuum, a special 40th-anniversary album scheduled for release in May.
Jo described the album as both the culmination of a long career and the start of a new chapter. “My music doesn’t stay in one place — it keeps moving toward new possibilities,” she said. She added that the record includes demanding coloratura arias she has not recorded before, alongside new works by contemporary composers.
Continuum comprises 11 expansive pieces that trace Jo’s past, present and future. Top composers from Korea and abroad — including Yiruma, Park Jong-hoon, Kim Jin-hwan, Choi Jin, Ko Young-hwan, Yoon Ja-eun and Muramatsu Takatsugu — contributed to the project. Conductor Choi Young-sun and the Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra helped shape the album’s sound. A duet with EXO’s Suho and a feature from violinist Danny Gu add a more popular sensibility to the classical core.
SM Classics has entered a second phase by appointing Jo Hee-kyung as head. Jo Hee-kyung is a seasoned classical and jazz producer who has worked with global labels such as Universal Music and Warner Music, and her hire is intended to help expand and globalize K-classical music.
The exclusive recording-artist agreement between SM Classics and Sumi Jo follows the standard model used by major global labels: a collaboration focused on planning, recording and distributing albums and tracks. Under the contract, SM Classics will provide Jo with full support for album and recording production.
Most Commented