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SM Classics
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SM Classics

SM Classics is the classical-music label inside SM Entertainment's LIC structure, and the official company page defines the lane clearly. The imprint rearranges K-pop songs into orchestral versions while also working across jazz, original soundtrack material, film scores, and broader classical collaborations. In other words, SM Classics is not just a novelty side project. It is SM's formal bridge between idol-pop IP and prestige instrumental or crossover work.

That positioning became easier to read in 2026 when soprano Sumi Jo signed as the label's first exclusive recording artist ahead of her 40th-anniversary album Continuum. The move gave SM Classics a stronger artist-facing identity and showed that the label can operate as a real release home, not only as a rearrangement engine for existing catalog.

On HITKULTR, SM Classics matters because it shows how one of K-pop's biggest companies is extending its music strategy into orchestral, jazz, soundtrack, and high-culture crossover territory without losing the commercial muscle of the wider SM system.

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Sumi Jo
Sumi JoArtist
Debut 1986

Fans Also Ask

What is SM Classics?
SM Classics is SM Entertainment's classical and jazz label. SM describes it as a production line spanning orchestral rearrangements of K-pop, jazz, original soundtrack work, film scores, and cross-genre collaborations. The imprint became more central in 2026 when it signed Sumi Jo as its first exclusive recording artist.
When was SM Classics founded?
SM Classics was established in 2020 after SM Entertainment signed a memorandum of understanding with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. The launch gave SM a formal classical imprint instead of treating orchestral projects as one-off experiments, and it helped position the company inside the broader K-classical conversation.
How is SM Classics connected to Sumi Jo's Continuum album?
SM Classics is the label releasing Sumi Jo's 40th anniversary album <em>Continuum</em>. Reporting from Yonhap and The Korea Herald said the deal makes Jo the first exclusive recording artist under the imprint, with the label handling recording, distribution, promotion, and digital release strategy.

Latest Articles

Sumi Jo performing onstage in a white gown during the rollout for her 40th anniversary album Continuum
Music5 min read

Sumi Jo signs with SM Entertainment for 40th anniversary album Continuum

Sumi Jo joins SM Classics as its first exclusive recording artist, with Continuum set for May and a reported EXO Suho duet adding crossover intrigue.

PakApril 22, 2026
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