SM Entertainment Celebrates 30th Anniversary With SMTOWN 2025 : THE CULTURE, THE FUTURE
On February 14, SM Entertainment released an album reimagining classics from the company’s famous catalog of songs for its 30th anniversary. SMTOWN 2025 : THE CULTURE, THE FUTURE honors K-Pop’s past and present with a special twist. The title track “Thank You” heads the 17-track album, which includes covers of the company’s songs by SM Entertainment artists from all K-Pop generations. SM Entertainment’s EDM subsidiary ScreaM Records and its jazz and classical music subsidiary SM Classics, also join in on the celebration with their instrumental remixes. SM Entertainment’s new slogan, which serves as the album’s subtitle, reflects SM Entertainment’s ambition “to create unparalleled value in the global music market” as a vital part of the Korean Wave.
TRACKLIST:
“Thank You” by various SM Entertainment artists
“Miracle” by NCT WISH (orig. Super Junior)
“Run Devil Run” by Red Velvet (orig. Girls’ Generation)
“Love Me Right” by NCT Dream (orig. EXO)
“흐린 기억 속의 그대 (You In Vague Memory)” by NCT 127 (orig. Hyun Jinyoung)
“열정 (My Everything)” by Girls’ Generation (orig. The Grace)
“I Pray 4 U” by Super Junior (orig. SHINHWA)
“Psycho” by TVXQ (orig. Red Velvet)
“Just a Feeling” by Kangta (orig. S.E.S)
“Game” by nævis (orig. BoA)
“View” by ScreaM Records (orig. SHINee)
“My Name” by SM Classics TOWN Orchestra (orig. BoA)
“End of a Day (하루의 끝)” by BoA (orig. Jonghyun)
Saying “Thank You” for Support Over the Years
With the fitting title “Thank You,” the album’s title track expresses gratitude towards fans of SM Entertainment’s artists. Using messages written by famous SM Entertainment lyricist KENZIE, 26 artists sing about the “unforgettable” memories created with fans standing by their side through thick and thin. This pop ballad includes beautiful harmonies from singers across multiple acts:
H.O.T’s Kangta
BoA
TVXQ’s U-Know and Changmin
Super Junior’s Leeteuk and Ryeowook
Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon and Hyoyeon
SHINee’s Key and Minho
EXO’s Suho and Chanyeol
Red Velvet’s Seulgi and Joy
NCT’s Doyoung, Ten, Mark, Jeno, Haechan, Yangyang, Sion, and Yushi
aespa’s Karina and Winter
RIIZE’s Wonbin and Sohee
The song’s music video blends animation with past music videos. A cartoon boy explores a montage of SM Entertainment’s music videos, going through history until he reaches a concert stage—likely one meant to mirror SMTOWN LIVE 2025 [THE CULTURE, THE FUTURE], the company’s anniversary tour. Though the video does not visually show the artists singing the song, it does capture a heartwarming, nostalgic feeling.
An Ode to SM Entertainment’s History
The covers released on this anniversary album also get remixes that fit the original songs to another artists’ style. For example, NCT WISH’s reinterpretation of Super Junior’s “Miracle” adds the new jack swing genre, Red Velvet transforms Girls’ Generation’s “Run Devil Run” with a velvety smooth jazz rearrangement, and virtual soloist nævis makes BoA’s “Game” into a video game with her electronic sound. These covers also include songs of artists no longer active under SM Entertainment, such as girl group The Grace. Girls’ Generation’s covered The Grace’s song “열정 (My Everything),” whose original music video starred Girls’ Generation’s Yoona and former Super Junior member Kibum before their respective debuts. This also marked Girls’ Generation’s first song in three years, making their surprising tribute to The Grace an additional celebration.
Many of these covers premiered at SMTOWN LIVE 2025 [THE CULTURE, THE FUTURE] in Seoul last month, and the official audio makes them sound even better. Despite the departure of the company’s founder, Lee Sooman, in 2023, SM Entertainment has made an album that brings out the best in its old and new discography.
The party continues with upcoming celebrations: SMTOWN LIVE 2025 [THE CULTURE, THE FUTURE] heads to Mexico City, Los Angeles, London, and Tokyo later this year. SM Entertainment will also add British boy group dearALICE and girl group HEARTS2HEARTS to their roster later this month. Trot boy group MYTRO will debut later this year, and SMTR25, the male trainees unveiled at SMTOWN LIVE 2025 [THE CULTURE, THE FUTURE] in Seoul, will begin pre-debut activities later this year. There will be more music and performances to enjoy for years to come.
Edited by Joi Berry