Rumors of discontent among members of the popular three-artist group Dream Girls were further compounded earlier this week after the group’s leader, Emily Song (宋米秦), accused fellow member Puff Kuo’s (郭雪芙) manager of attempting to ostracize her over the past three years.
According to reports by the Chinese-language Apple Daily, when the group was established in 2011, it was handled by an agent nicknamed Elsa, who was later assigned to be Kuo’s personal manager as Kuo’s popularity began to rise.
Dorian International Entertainment, which signed the group to its label, then assigned another manager, nicknamed Amanda, to manage the affairs of the other two members after Elsa’s reassignment, the report said.
Photo: Wang Wen-lin, Taipei Times
According to reports, the group members had maintained cordial relations under Amanda’s management, with Amanda even helping to organize Song’s wedding and publishing a book for Song. However, Amanda died from a cerebral hemorrhage in December last year, resulting in less exposure as a group and more individual attention.
Dorian International appointed Elsa to handle the group’s affairs for a short period after Amanda’s death, but Elsa reportedly complained of having little time to tend to the other two members, leaving the company to assign another manager, nicknamed Ray, to manage the affairs of Song and Tia Lee (李毓芬), the third member of the group.
Song on Monday said on Facebook that she had left South Korea for Taiwan to pursue her dream as a singer, adding that in a foreign country, she had no friends or family other than her fellow group members and her agent.
Photo: courtesy of FTV
“An agent is not like other staff, they are like family,” Song wrote, adding that she was sad to find herself slowly being ostracized by Elsa.
She said that by making the matter public, she hoped the group could avoid further speculation, adding that every member felt attached to the group and wanted to nominally stay together while pursuing individual careers.
The true source of discontent in the group stemmed not from its members, but from Elsa, Song said.
Elsa was reportedly not aware of Song’s comments, as she was traveling, and only found out the following day, with sources saying that she was in tears after reading them.
One source quoted Elsa as telling a friend that she felt “extremely tired over the past year since Amanda passed away.”
Elsa promised to discuss the matter with Song in an attempt to clear up any misunderstandings, but said that as a member of Dorian International, she was not at liberty to make any comments on the issue in order to protect the singers.
Lee on Tuesday expressed support for Song, saying on Facebook that she would stand behind Song all the way.
In response to reporters’ questions, Kuo yesterday said that she sees her fellow group members and their agents as important people in her life, and that she believes Song’s comments stemmed from long-time misunderstandings between Song and Elsa.
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