TEN Leaves SM's 'Ready-Made Plate' Behind, Proves What He Can Do on His Own

TEN may have wrapped up promotions for "OUTWEST," but his first release since leaving SM Entertainment is still rolling out. The music video for "IRL," released three days after he ended music show promotions on Sept. 11, is nearing 100,000 views on YouTube in just three days.

"IRL" is part of TEN's first release under ILLIMNT, the creative company he co-founded after ending his exclusive contract with SM in April. With his first promotional cycle now complete, the project offers the clearest look yet at what has changed after a decade under SM: TEN now has a much bigger hand in deciding what his music looks and sounds like.

Separating solo and group activities is not new in K-POP. BLACKPINK's members, among others, have kept group activities with their former agency while managing individual careers elsewhere. TEN has taken a similar route by remaining a member of NCT and WayV, making what he does differently outside SM more notable than the structure itself.

That difference starts with how he makes his music. In a recent interview with a British magazine, TEN compared his previous creative process to being given an already prepared plate that he could adjust to his liking. At ILLIMNT, he said, he starts with an empty plate and decides what to put on it himself.

That approach shaped "OUTWEST" and "IRL." Rather than choosing from completed demos, TEN spent nine days at a songwriting camp in Los Angeles, working with producers, songwriters and topliners from the beginning. He is credited with writing and composing both tracks and also took part in the art direction and visual concepts for the release.

The two songs show different sides of the direction he is taking. "OUTWEST" combines hip-hop, tech house and R&B influences, while the warmer "IRL" looks back on his 10-year career and the people who have supported him. TEN has described the new chapter not as rejecting his past but as expanding the picture.

His first release outside SM also showed that his established audience remains strong. "OUTWEST" debuted at No. 1 on Spotify's Daily Top Songs chart in Thailand and stayed there for four consecutive days, while also topping the weekly chart for Sept. 4-10.

For the Thai-born singer, however, a strong response in Thailand is not new. The country has long been one of his biggest markets, with his 2025 single "STUNNER" enjoying a lengthy run there and his solo concerts drawing large crowds. Rather than representing a breakthrough, the performance of "OUTWEST" shows that the audience TEN built before leaving SM has followed him into his independent career.

That puts TEN in a different position from an artist starting over after leaving a major agency. He entered ILLIMNT with a decade of recognition through NCT, WayV and his solo work. The task now is to build on that foundation, with ILLIMNT and its partners taking on the production, promotion and touring previously backed by SM.

It is still too early to measure "OUTWEST" directly against "STUNNER." The new single has been out for less than two weeks, while "STUNNER" has had more than a year to accumulate streams and views.

What is already clear is that TEN has been taking his independent career directly to fans in different markets. After kicking off ILLIMNT with three concerts in his home country, Thailand, he promoted "OUTWEST" on Korean music shows and held a listening party in Shanghai. He will next head to the U.S. for a 14-city showcase tour in October.

For now, "OUTWEST" offers the clearest look at what has changed since TEN left SM. He is building on an audience developed over the past decade, but this time he has been involved from the earliest stages in deciding what music to make and how to present it.

TEN described his previous creative process as adding to a plate that had already been prepared. With "OUTWEST," he started with an empty one. His first release under ILLIMNT shows what he chose to put on it.