Lee Sung-soo

In this Korean name, the family name is Lee.

Lee Sung-soo^[2] (Korean: 이성수; also spelled Lee Sung-su;^[3] born November 3, 1979) is a South Korean music production director and A&R executive. He is the chief A&R officer of SM Entertainment and CEO of Kreation Music Rights. He was formerly the CEO of SM Entertainment and SM Entertainment USA. Lee began working for SM as early as 1998 as a part-timer and officially joined the agency in 2005 as an A&R representative, before later becoming head of the production division.

Lee Sung-soo
Lee in 2017
Born	(1979-11-03) November 3, 1979 (age 45)
Other names	Chris Lee[1]
Alma mater	Hankuk University of Foreign Studies
Years active	1998–present
Title	CAO of SM Entertainment CEO of Kreation Music Rights
Relatives	Lee Soo-man (uncle)
Korean name
Hangul	이성수
Revised Romanization	Lee Seong-su
McCune–Reischauer	Lee Sŏngsu
Signature

Lee is an expert in the field of music production and is considered one of the key figures who has led the growth of SM. A member of the company's core organization of A&R, he has been responsible for the songs and concepts of SM artists such as BoA, Girls' Generation, Shinee, f(x), Exo, Red Velvet, and NCT.^[4][5] He is also known for introducing the idea of the songwriting camp to the K-pop industry.

Life and career

Born on November 3, 1979,^[6] Lee Sung-soo graduated from the Department of International Trade at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.^[7] He is the nephew of SM founder Lee Soo-man's late wife.^[8] Lee began working for SM Entertainment as early as 1998 while attending university as a part-timer focused on various tasks, such as identifying fan club trends.^[7][9] He developed an interest in A&R^[10] and attended the SM Academy, where he studied computer composition and arrangement, stating that he should "know how to make music to be good at A&R".^[11] He officially joined SM in 2005 as a member of the A&R department and worked with Chinese singer Zhang Liyin as his first project.^[10] The first group he worked with was Shinee,^[12] whom he wrote two songs for: "Romeo and Juliette" and "The Name I Loved".^[13] He became head of the A&R department in 2009 and head of the production division in 2015, directly under Lee Soo-man.^[13] By that point, he was directing 80 percent of artist production.^[11] Lee worked with numerous artists, including BoA, Girls' Generation, Exo, Red Velvet, and NCT,^[4] but his influence was most clearly felt in the work of Shinee and f(x), whose "unique" style stood in opposition to the intense, performance-driven music championed by Yoo Young-jin, SM's music director.^[5]

In 2013, Lee introduced the idea of the songwriting camp to the K-pop industry.^[14] He had first started teaming up with foreign composers in the early 2000s, but initially found it difficult due to the low profile of K-pop at the time. Following the release of several hit songs by SM artists in 2009, he began to be invited to songwriting camps hosted by foreign music publishers, and brought the idea back to South Korea. Over the years, he identified talented composers and compiled them into a list, and within SM, they formed a studio that could operate a songwriting camp all year round.^[15] Lee stayed abroad for a third of the year and formed a "strong" network of foreign composers, hosting songwriting camps for SM with them and the company's in-house composers.^[16][17] This system was eventually adopted by other K-pop companies.^[14] He was also responsible for the creation of SM Station and SM Classics.^[18]

Lee was appointed a registered director in 2017^[4] and became CEO of SM Entertainment USA in 2019.^[13] On March 10, 2020, SM announced through the board of directors that Lee Sung-soo, general director of music production, and Tak Young-jun, general director of artist management, had been appointed co-CEOs of the company.^[19] Through the announcement of the company's appointment of two new executives, Lee was appointed as the chief executive officer (CEO), with Tak as the chief marketing officer (CMO), as SM celebrated its 25th year.^[20]

In 2023, Lee and Tak became embroiled in a dispute over SM's management rights with founder Lee Soo-man. After being pushed out of the company due to shareholder outrage over high producing fees, Lee Soo-man sold his shares to Hybe Corporation, making them the largest shareholder. Lee and Tak, who had been planning to restructure the company, allied themselves with technology company Kakao in an effort to guarantee SM's independence.^[8] On March 12, Hybe withdrew from the takeover battle, ceding control of SM's management rights to Kakao.^[21] Lee announced his intention to stand down as CEO and return to his role in A&R.^[18] His term came to an end on March 31.^[22] He was appointed the chief A&R officer (CAO) and is leading the A&R Committee following SM's reorganisation.^[23] He was also appointed CEO of Kreation Music Rights, a newly-created subsidiary that focuses on music publishing.^[12]

Keynote speeches

List of Lee Sung-soo keynote speeches

Event	Date	City	Venue	Theme	Ref.
2014 Hallyu Trends and Prospects	January 20, 2014	Seoul	Korea Press Center	Production and Cultural Technology that Led to the Success of K-pop	[24]
International Hallyu Workshop: Content Innovation for Korean Wave 3.0	August 2, 2014	Busan	—	Production Technology and Internationalization	[25]
K-Factor: An Orchestral Exploration of K-pop	June 19, 2019[A]	New York City	David Rubenstein Atrium	The True Value of K-pop	[27]
2019 Content Industry Forum	June 25, 2019[B]	Seoul	CKL Stage	Idol Worldview Strategy	[29]
Day of Action	September 7, 2019		Starfield Library	Dreaming Together: The Future of K-pop and Culture Technology	[30]
Digital New Deal Cultural Content Industry	September 24, 2020	Gimpo	Camp One	Examples of Online Non-face-to-face K-pop Performances	[31]
Mu:Con Online 2020[C]	September 25, 2020[D]	—		Culture Technology, IP Industry and Untact	[35]
Korea Investment Festival (KIF) 2020	October 7, 2020[E]	Seoul	Conrad Hotel	The Future Strategy of K-pop in the Post-Corona Era	[37] [38]
ComeUp 2020	November 21, 2020[F]	Goyang	CJ ENM Ilsan Production Center	Culture Technology, Shining in the Untact Era	[40]
2nd World Culture Industry Forum (WCIF)	July 1, 2021	—		Combination of the Virtual and Real Worlds and Changes in the Entertainment Industry[G]	[42]
2021 StartUp:Con	October 7, 2021			SM Content Roadmap - Future Content Era with SMCU	[43] [44]
2022 Content Industry Forum	April 27, 2022[H]			World to Communicate with SMCU (SM Culture Universe)	[46]
3rd World Culture Industry Forum (WCIF)	July 6, 2022[I]	Daegu	Hotel Susung Convention Hall	The Age of Metaverse: The Music and Entertainment Industry	[48] [49]
"—" denotes events where its venue was not publicized or was held online.

Filmography

List of documentary title, year released, and role

Year	Title	Role	Ref.
2022	K-pop Generation	Himself	[50]

Accolades

SM Entertainment was selected in the job creation category of the Korea Creative Management 2020 award for two consecutive years. Lee Sung-soo was mentioned as having a pivotal role in establishing SM as a "leading entertainment company in Asia," adding that Lee maintained the company's musical color and completeness due to operating and developing his system with producer Lee Soo-man since the mid-2000s.^[51] Lee was listed along with Tak Young-jun in Billboard's 2022 International Power Players,^[52] and was included again in 2023.^[53] Additionally, Lee was on the list of Billboard's 2022 Indie Power Players, along with Tak, with Lee expressing his satisfaction with their achievement being noticed as the "trailblazers in the global music industry during such an exciting time for K-pop."^[54]

Notes

1. The K-Factor: An Orchestral Exploration of K-pop was held on June 20, 2019, at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center, where a 50-piece orchestra from the Juilliard School reinterpreted K-pop to a classical performance. The "special lecture" was held a day before the event, with Lee Sung-soo as a "special speaker".^[26]
2. The 2019 Content Industry Forum was held on June 18–20 and 25–27, 2019, with Lee having his story forum only on June 25.^[28]
3. also called as 2020 Seoul International Music Fair^[32]
4. The Mu:Con Online 2020 was held on September 23–26, 2020,^[33] with Lee giving his keynote speech only on September 25.^[34]
5. The Korea Investment Festival (KIF) 2020 was held on October 6–7, 2020, with Lee giving his presentation on the afternoon of October 7.^[36]
6. The ComeUp 2020 was held on November 19–21, 2020, with Lee delivering his keynote lecture on November 21.^[39]
7. Lee Soo-man gave the keynote speech at the conference with the theme: Future Technology Change and Vision of the K-pop Industry, with Lee Sung-soo only attending the forum's second session as a panelist.^[41]
8. The 2022 Content Industry Forum was held on April 26–28, 2022, with Lee giving his keynote speech on April 27.^[45]
9. The 3rd World Culture Industry Forum was held on July 6–7, 2022, with Lee giving his keynote speech on July 6.^[47]

References

1. Herman, Tamar (June 29, 2021). "K-pop label's big plans for NCT, Aespa and other acts in 2021". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
2. Hyun-su, Yim (April 14, 2020). "SM Entertainment, Naver team up to launch concert streaming service". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
3. Dong, Sun-hwa (June 29, 2021). "SM Entertainment invites K-pop fans to futuristic 'culture universe'". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
4. Jeong, Mi-hyung (March 13, 2020). SM엔터, '킹메이커' 경영 전면 배치 노림수는 [SM Entertainment is Aiming to Deploy 'Kingmaker's' Management to the Public]. The Bell (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
5. 착한 처조카 이성수는 왜 저항군 대장으로 '광야'에 섰을까 [조은별 기자의 ★★레터] [Why did Lee Sung-soo, a good wife's nephew, stand in the 'wilderness' as a resistance leader? [Reporter Jo Eun-byeol's ★★ Letter]]. Sports Seoul (in Korean). February 27, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
6. (주)에스엠엔터테인먼트 대표이사변경 [Change of CEO of SM Entertainment Co., Ltd.]. ETomato (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 23, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
7. Jang, Young-yeop (February 11, 2014). "SM의 매뉴얼은 독창적 기술이다" ["SM's Manual is an Original Technique"]. Cine21 (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 5, 2017. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
8. Kwaak, Jeyup S.; Peoples, Glenn (March 9, 2023). "How Hybe's Battle For SM Entertainment Became a South Korean 'Succession' Drama". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
9. Jo, Eun-byul (March 10, 2020). SM, 40대 젊은 피 택했다! 이성수·탁영준 공동대표 선임 [SM Chose a Young Man in His 40s! Appointment of Lee Sung-soo and Tak Young-jun as Co-representatives]. Bridge Economy (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
10. Herman, Tamar (May 8, 2019). "SM Entertainment A&R Chris Lee Talks 'Cultural Technology' & Creating K-Pop Hits". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 25, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
11. Im, Hee-yoon (November 11, 2015). 이성수 SM엔터테인먼트 프로듀싱본부장 "중요성 커지는 노랫말에 집중투자" [Lee Sung-soo, Director of SM Entertainment's Production Department, Said, "It's Important to Focus on the Growing Number of Songs"]. The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 28, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
12. Lee, Ji-hye (August 22, 2023). 이성수, A&R경력 앞세워 음악 퍼블리싱 자회사 지휘 [Lee Sung-soo, with his A&R experience, leads a music publishing subsidiary]. The Bell (in Korean). Retrieved August 22, 2023.
13. Choi, Yu-ri (February 17, 2023). [뉴스속 인물]이수만 저격나선 '처조카' 이성수 [[Person in the News] Lee Sung-soo, the 'nephew of his wife' who attacked Lee Soo-man]. Asia Economy (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023 – via Naver.
14. Morin, Natalie (July 8, 2022). "Meet the Veteran Producer Behind Dozens of K-Pop's Biggest Hits". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
15. Kim, Bong-hyun (January 23, 2014). 한국 가요, 외국인 작곡가 시대 열리나 [K-pop, Will the Era of Foreign Composers Open?]. The Hankyoreh (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 4, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
16. Lee, Eun-jung (October 7, 2013). 다국적 작곡가 "SM 곡 함께 만든다"…K팝 제작 진화 [Multi-national Composer "Making SM songs together"…Evolution of K-pop Production]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022 – via Naver.
17. Min, Kyung-won (December 1, 2016). "Singers finding space to experiment : With digital channels, agencies create arena for artists to try new sounds". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on December 2, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
18. Kwak, Hyun-su (February 22, 2023). [Y피플] SM 이성수 CEO, '이수만 처조카' 타이틀 한 꺼풀 벗기면 [CEO of SM Lee Sung-soo, if you take away the title of Lee Soo-man's wife's nephew]. YTN (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023 – via Naver.
19. Hong, Se-young (March 10, 2020). SM엔터테인먼트 이성수·탁영준 공동 대표이사 선임 [공식] [Lee Sung-soo·Tak Young-joon of SM Entertainment were Appointed as Co-CEOs]. Sports Dong-a (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
20. "SM Entertainment appoints new CEO & CMO". SBS PopAsia. March 11, 2020. Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
21. Frater, Patrick (March 11, 2023). "K-Pop: HYBE and Kakao End Hostilities in Takeover Battle for SM Entertainment". Variety. Archived from the original on March 12, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
22. Lee, Tae-soo (March 31, 2023). SM, 이수만 빠진 3.0 닻 올렸다…새 대표이사에 장철혁(종합) [SM raises anchor for 3.0 without Lee Soo-man... Jang Chul-hyuk is the new CEO]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Retrieved April 17, 2023 – via Naver.
23. Lee, Eun-young (April 14, 2023). [단독] 백의종군 한다던 SM 이성수 전 대표, C레벨 복귀 [[Exclusive] Former CEO Lee Sung-soo of SM, who was said to be Baek Ui-jong, returns to C level]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
24. Cho, Sang-in (January 20, 2014). K팝 열기, 아시아→유럽→남미 [K-pop Fever, Asia → Europe → South America]. Seoul Economy (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022 – via Naver.
25. Park, Hyun-joo (July 9, 2014). 고려대 민족문화연구원 한류학센터, 부산서 국제 한류 워크숍 [Korea University's Center for Korean Wave Studies, An International Korean Wave Workshop in Busan]. Aju Business Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
26. Lee, So-dam (June 26, 2019). "엑소 히트곡이 클래식으로"..SM 참여 링컨센터 최초 K팝 클래식 공연 성황 ["EXO's hits become classics"..The First K-pop Classical Performance at Lincoln Center with SM's Participation]. Osen (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
27. Choi, Hee-eun (May 1, 2019). '케이팝' 링컨센터 무대 오른다 ['K-pop' is Going Up on Stage at Lincoln Center]. The Korea Times (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
28. Lee, Seok-won (June 11, 2019). "앞으로 10년은…" 2019 콘텐츠 산업포럼 열린다 ["In the next 10 years…" 2019 Content Industry Forum will be Held]. VentureSquare (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 25, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
29. Park, Hyun-joo (June 11, 2019). 콘텐츠산업 지난 10년 앞으로 10년, 어떤 전략 필요한가? [What strategies are needed for the content industry in the next 10 years?]. Newsis (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
30. Lim, Hee-yoon (September 9, 2019). 태풍처럼 왔다 간 요요마 "맘에 드는 케이팝, 언제든 연주" [Yo-Yo Ma, Who Came and Went Like a Typhoon "My favorite K-pop, play anytime"]. The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
31. Lee, Jin-wook (September 24, 2020). 성공사례 발표하는 이성수 대표 [CEO Lee Sung-soo Presenting Success Stories]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
32. Yoo, Seung-mok (September 9, 2020). '코로나19' 이후 K-뮤직 나아가야 할 방향은? [What Direction Should K-Music Go After 'COVID-19'?]. Money Today (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
33. Yoon, Ki-baek (September 9, 2020). '뮤콘 온라인 2020' 23일 팡파르… 콘퍼런스부터 쇼케이스까지 '다채' ['MuCon Online 2020' Fanfare on the 23rd… From 'Various' Conferences to Showcases]. Edaily (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
34. Ko, Seung-ah (September 25, 2020). '뮤콘' SM 이성수 대표 "'비욘드 라이브' 코로나19 이전부터 준비, 뿌듯" ['Mu:Con' Lee Sung-soo, SM CEO, "I prepared for 'Beyond Live' even before COVID-19, so I'm proud"]. News1 (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
35. Hwang, Hye-jin (September 25, 2022). '뮤콘' SM 이성수 대표 "이수만, 코로나 전부터 '비욘드라이브' 준비, 뿌듯" ['Mu:Con" Lee Sung-soo, CEO of SM "Lee Soo-man, I'm proud to prepare for 'Beyond Live' even before COVID-19"]. Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
36. 'BBIG가 여는 미래'는 어떤 그림일까…한경 'KIF 2020' 내달 6일 개막 [What Kind of Picture is 'The Future Opened by BBIG'…Hankyung 'KIF 2020' Opens on the 6th of Next Month]. The Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). September 23, 2020. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
37. Cho, Jin-hyung (October 4, 2020). BBIG의 미래 한눈에 본다…'KIF 2020' 참여 열기 후끈 [You Can See the Future of BBIG at a Glance…Participation in 'KIF 2020' is Heating Up]. The Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 6, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
38. 코리아 인베스트먼트 페스티벌 2020 – 프로그램 [Korea Investment Festival 2020 – Program]. The Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
39. Yoo, Seung-ho (November 10, 2020). 컴업2020에 스타트업 유명인사 114명 모인다…연사·투자자 확정 [114 Famous Startups will Gather at ComeUp 2020…Confirmation of Speakers and Investors]. Bridge Economic Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
40. Lee, Deok-ju (November 12, 2022). "마켓컬리·씨젠 등 스타기업 출동…비대면 스타트업축제 '컴업2020'". Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
41. Cho, Eun-mi (July 2, 2021). 이수만, 제2회 세계문화산업포럼 기조연설..프로슈머 영향력 강조 [Lee Soo-man, Keynote Speech at the 2nd World Culture Industry Forum..Emphasizing Prosumer Influence]. Herald POP (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 17, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
42. Lee, Seung-rok (July 2, 2021). 이수만 '프로듀서'의 시대 안에서 '프로슈머'가 정점을 이루는 시대 [In the era of Lee Soo-man's 'Producer' the Era when 'Prosumer' Peaked]. MyDaily (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 11, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
43. Oh, Hyo-jin (September 29, 2021). 콘진원, '2021 스타트업콘' 내달 온라인 개최 [Korea Creative Content Agency, Will Hold the 2021 Startup Concert Online Next Month]. VentureSquare (in Korean). Archived from the original on May 29, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
44. Baek, Ji-eun (October 7, 2021). [공식] SM 이성수 대표, '2021 스타트업콘' 기조연설 " SMCU 통해 콘텐츠 넥스트 레벨 실현" [[Official] SM CEO Lee Sung-soo, Delivered a Keynote Speech at the '2021 StartUp:Con', "Realizing the next level of content through SMCU"]. Sports Chosun (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
45. Cho, Joon-sung (April 19, 2022). 콘진원, "K-콘텐츠가 선도하는 미래"... '2022 콘텐츠 산업포럼' 온라인 개최 [Korea Creative Content Agency, "The future leading by K-contents"...'2022 Content Industry Forum' will be Held Online]. News Worker (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
46. Hwang, Hye-jin (April 28, 2022). SM 이성수 대표 '콘텐츠산업포럼' 기조연설 "진일보한 CT 만들 것" [SM CEO Lee Sung-soo's Keynote Speech at the 'Content Industry Forum' "We will make more CTs"]. Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
47. Baek, Un-yong (July 5, 2022). 대구시, 제3회 세계문화산업포럼(WCIF) 개최 [Daegu City, To Hold the 3rd World Culture Industry Forum (WCIF)]. Gukje News (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
48. Lee, Jin-young (July 6, 2022). 대구․수성구 '2022 제3회 세계문화산업포럼'개최 [Suseong-gu in Daegu will Host the '2022 3rd World Culture Industry Forum']. News Free Zone (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
49. Seo, Byung-ki (July 20, 2022). 제 3회 세계문화산업포럼, "메타버스는 팬이 주도하는 문화…팬덤 강한 에스파가 좋은 사례" [The 3rd World Culture Industry Forum, "Metaverse is a fan-led culture…Aespa with strong fandom is a good example"]. Herald Economy (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
50. Kang, Bo-ra (January 11, 2023). 아이브 안유진→NCT 도영, '케이팝제너레이션' 티저 "진짜 케이팝 이야기" [Ive An Yu-jin → NCT Doyoung, 'K-pop Generation' Teaser "Real K-pop story"]. Single List (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
51. Song, Deok-soon (May 26, 2020). [THE CREATIVE 2020] 다국적 작곡가와 협업, 세계 시장에 'K-팝' 각인시켜 [[THE CREATIVE 2020] Collaborate with Multinational Composers to Imprint 'K-pop' on the Global Market]. JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
52. "Revealed: Billboard's 2022 International Power Players". Billboard. April 25, 2022. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
53. Duffy, Thom (April 25, 2023). "Billboard's 2023 International Power Players Revealed". Billboard. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
54. "Revealed: 2022 Indie Power Players". Billboard. June 6, 2022. Archived from the original on June 6, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.