Hearts2Hearts’ March showcases signal strategic shift under SM 3.0
SM Entertainment is moving more aggressively into the US market, deploying its rookie groups earlier than ever as part of its evolving global strategy.
For years, SM concentrated its core music business in Asia, particularly Korea and Japan, while rivals such as Hybe and JYP Entertainment pivoted more decisively toward the US. That approach began to change in 2023, when SM unveiled its “SM 3.0” strategy, naming the US a “key market” it must secure to become a top global entertainment company.
With no SM act yet firmly established in the US mainstream, the company is now pushing newer groups to gain a foothold.
Hearts2Hearts, SM’s latest girl group, will begin US promotions in March, just over a year after their debut in February. The group announced Tuesday that it will hold the “2026 Hearts2Hearts Premiere Showcase in North America” in New York on March 19 and in Los Angeles on March 22.
While Hearts2Hearts previously met US fans at “SMTown Live 2025 in LA” in May, the upcoming showcases mark the group’s first stand-alone performances in North America, effectively serving as its official US debut.
The move highlights how much SM is accelerating timelines for its rookie acts. Boy group Riize, which debuted in September 2023, held its first North American tour this October — roughly two years after its debut. Hearts2Hearts is reaching the US stage in about half that time.
Riize itself was considered an early mover by SM standards. The group signed a US promotion deal with RCA Records around the time of its Korean debut and released an English version of its debut single “Get a Guitar” in November 2023. Still, it did not headline any concerts in the US until 2025.
An industry official said the shift reflects a clear change in SM’s priorities since the launch of SM 3.0.
“Since the SM 3.0 strategy, the company has been actively expanding in the US market,” the official said. “Riize has already held solo concerts, and Hearts2Hearts will hold a US showcase next year. SM appears intent on targeting the market aggressively from a group’s early years, and this approach is likely to continue for the time being.”
SM has experimented with US expansion before.
NCT 127, a Seoul-based unit of NCT, debuted in April 2016 and made its US television debut two years later, performing “Regular” and “Cherry Bomb” on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in October 2018. That appearance paved the way for broader US promotions, including the group’s first North American headlining tour, “Neo City — The Origin,” in April 2019.
Music critic Lim Hee-yun said SM’s renewed push reflects changing conditions in the US market.
“Previously, from a cost-efficiency standpoint, it made more sense to focus on nearby markets like Japan, China and Southeast Asia, and the US was often seen as too expensive relative to returns,” Lim said. “But over the past four or five years, the atmosphere in the US has changed. Interest in K-pop has broadened, and it now seems like a market worth seriously testing.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.koreaherald.com ’
