Studio Blu

Studio Blu was a South Korean in-house music and artist-management label established by Stone Music Entertainment in 2018. It operated within the CJ ENM entertainment ecosystem and was associated with the management and promotion of solo musicians and other entertainment personalities. The label’s publicly identified roster included singer-songwriter Heize, artists Mia and DAVII, rapper Truedy, and $ammy, who joined the company in 2019. Studio Blu also became linked to a proposed return of I.O.I, the project girl group formed through the first season of Produce 101, although that project did not ultimately proceed as planned. The label’s role was primarily that of an artist-management and music-promotion imprint rather than a consumer-facing product brand. Its activities included representing artists, supporting music releases, coordinating promotional work, and participating in the management structure surrounding performers associated with Stone Music Entertainment and CJ ENM. In 2019, Studio Blu and Swing Entertainment were announced as co-managers for a potential I.O.I reunion, which was expected to involve the group’s original members. The proposed activity was later effectively abandoned amid member scheduling difficulties and continuing investigations related to the Produce franchise. Studio Blu’s artist roster changed over time. Heize was associated with the label from 2018 through 2020, while the available reference material identifies DAVII, Mia, Truedy, and $ammy as Studio Blu artists without providing complete start and end dates for each relationship. The label also represented several individual I.O.I members in 2019, including Lim Na-young, Kim Chung-ha, Kim So-hye, Kim Se-jeong, Jung Chae-yeon, Zhou Jieqiong, Choi Yoo-jung, Kang Mi-na, and Kim Do-yeon. These individual listings reflected management affiliations during the period surrounding the proposed group activities. In August 2021, Studio Blu was integrated with other CJ ENM labels into Wake One. This reorganization ended Studio Blu’s operation as a distinct label identity and placed its relevant activities within Wake One’s broader artist-management structure. Because the available public material provides limited information about its corporate leadership, finances, offices, and detailed release catalog, those fields remain unspecified.

Studio Blu was founded in 2018 by Stone Music Entertainment as an in-house label within the CJ ENM entertainment network. Its business centered on music artists and talent management, including artist representation, release support, and promotional coordination. The label was not presented as an independent public company and there is no reliable public information in the supplied material about its separate financial performance, corporate officers, or standalone headquarters. From its early period, Studio Blu was associated with several Korean music acts. Heize was listed as a Studio Blu artist from 2018 to 2020. The available reference material also identifies Mia, DAVII, and Truedy as artists connected to the label. $ammy joined in 2019. The label’s roster illustrates its focus on individual recording artists rather than a broad retail or consumer-goods portfolio. Studio Blu also participated in the management arrangements surrounding a proposed I.O.I return. In 2019, three years after the group’s disbandment, a reunion was announced as a possibility, with Studio Blu and Swing Entertainment expected to co-manage the activity. The plan reportedly contemplated the participation of all eleven original members. It did not materialize in the proposed form. Scheduling conflicts among the members and the continuing investigations connected to the Produce series contributed to the project being effectively canceled. Several former I.O.I members were listed in connection with Studio Blu in 2019, including Lim Na-young, Kim Chung-ha, Kim Se-jeong, Jung Chae-yeon, Zhou Jieqiong, Kim So-hye, Choi Yoo-jung, Kang Mi-na, and Kim Do-yeon. These affiliations were part of the label’s wider artist-management activity during the period of the proposed reunion. The supplied material does not establish that Studio Blu managed every member under identical contractual terms or for the same duration. Studio Blu ceased to operate as a distinct label in August 2021, when it was integrated with other CJ ENM labels into Wake One. This restructuring placed the label’s activities and relevant artist-management functions within Wake One’s consolidated structure. As a result, Studio Blu is best understood as a former CJ ENM-affiliated label rather than an active standalone agency. Publicly documented information about its detailed discography, internal management, financial results, and post-integration asset allocation is limited.

1. 2021Integration into Wake One

   Studio Blu is integrated with other CJ ENM labels into Wake One in August.

   Source
2. 2019I.O.I reunion management is announced

   Studio Blu and Swing Entertainment are identified as co-managers for a proposed I.O.I return.

   Source
3. 2019$ammy joins the label

   $ammy becomes associated with Studio Blu.

   Source
4. 2018Studio Blu is founded

   Stone Music Entertainment establishes Studio Blu as an in-house music and artist-management label.

   Source

An in-house South Korean music and talent-management label serving artists within the Stone Music Entertainment and CJ ENM ecosystem.

• Artist-management servicesTalent management2018

  Studio Blu’s principal offering was representation and career support for music artists and entertainers. This included managing artist relationships, coordinating activities, and supporting promotional work within the Stone Music Entertainment and CJ ENM ecosystem.

• Music releases and promotionMusic services2018

  As a music label, Studio Blu supported the release and promotion of work by associated artists. The supplied material does not provide a complete catalog or enough information to identify a definitive flagship release.

• 2019Proposed I.O.I reunion

  South Korea

  Studio Blu and Swing Entertainment were announced as co-managers for a proposed I.O.I return involving potentially all eleven original members.

  Outcome. The planned comeback was effectively canceled because of scheduling conflicts among the members and the ongoing Produce investigations.

  Source

• 2021Integration into Wake OneStrategy

  CJ ENM consolidated Studio Blu with other affiliated labels.

  What changed. Studio Blu was integrated into Wake One in August 2021.

  Aftermath. Studio Blu no longer operated as a separate label, with its activities absorbed into Wake One’s broader structure.

  Source
• 2019Co-management of a proposed I.O.I returnStrategy

  A reunion for I.O.I was proposed three years after the group’s disbandment, with the possibility of involving all original members.

  What changed. Studio Blu and Swing Entertainment were announced as co-managers for the planned activity.

  Aftermath. The planned comeback was effectively canceled because of scheduling conflicts and the continuing Produce investigations.

  Source

• 2019Produce investigations affected the proposed I.O.I reunionControversy

  The continuing investigations related to the Produce franchise were cited alongside member scheduling conflicts as a factor in the failure of the proposed I.O.I comeback. The supplied material does not allege separate misconduct by Studio Blu itself.

  Source

• 2021Studio Blu integrated into Wake One

  In August 2021, Studio Blu was integrated with other CJ ENM labels into Wake One, ending its operation as a separate label.

  M&A
  Source
• 2019Studio Blu became associated with a planned I.O.I reunion

  Studio Blu and Swing Entertainment were announced as co-managers for a potential I.O.I return, with the proposed activity expected to involve the group’s original members. The project was later effectively canceled because of scheduling conflicts and the continuing Produce investigations.

  OtherCampaign
  Source
• 2019$ammy joined Studio Blu

  $ammy joined Studio Blu during the label’s period of artist-management activity.

  Leadership change
  Source
• 2018Studio Blu founded as a Stone Music Entertainment in-house label

  Stone Music Entertainment established Studio Blu as an in-house label for music and artist-management activities. Heize was among the artists associated with the label from its founding period.

  Other
  Source

1. Studio Blu