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Was BTS being 'sabotaged' by EXO during debut days? American Hustle Life mentor's claims about SM Ent spark outrage
Nate Walka, a mentor on BTS’ American Hustle Life, claims SM Entertainment tried to persuade him to work with EXO instead, implying sabotage of BTS’ early success. Fans are outraged. Read more!
In a recent interview that reignited discussions about BTS’ uphill climb to stardom, American songwriter and producer Nate Walka shared a behind-the-scenes account of his experience with the group during their rookie days, one that has sparked a wave of backlash against SM Entertainment.
Nate Walka, a Grammy-winning artist who played a key mentorship role in BTS’ series American Hustle Life, recently opened up in a candid interview where he reminisced about his time working with the now-global superstars. The 2014 reality show, known among fans as one of BTS' earliest and most defining projects, followed the group as they traveled to Los Angeles to study the roots of hip-hop and undergo artist development under industry professionals, including Walka and fellow mentor Tony Jones.
Walka explained that he was already familiar with BTS before signing onto the project and said their energy and potential immediately stood out to him. However, what fans weren’t expecting was his shocking revelation that, at the time, there were serious efforts from others in the industry to steer him away from the BTS collaboration entirely.
Without naming names directly, Walka revealed that during the same period American Hustle Life was in development, he was approached by a team connected to a songwriting camp for EXO, one of SM Entertainment’s leading acts. According to him, there was a clear push to divert his attention away from BTS in favor of working with EXO, who were already dominating charts and enjoying mainstream success.
“At this time, there was this writing camp for EXO going on,” Walka shared. “I believe EXO had a number one record at the time, and their camp was trying to get me to not do the show and come and work with EXO.”
The songwriter’s recollection didn’t stop there. He went on to describe the widespread doubt that surrounded BTS in their early days, noting that many in the industry dismissed the group as a fleeting experiment. “They were saying, ‘BTS, they’re not…” he continued. “Believe it or not, there was a lot of doubters of them, saying they felt like it was an experiment and that it wasn’t going to, they were calling them a filler kind of group.”
These statements quickly made waves online, especially among longtime ARMYs who have witnessed BTS’ transformation from underdogs to global icons. The interview clip, which has since gone viral online, prompted intense reactions from fans who expressed both outrage and vindication. Many accused SM Entertainment of trying to undercut BTS before they had even gained traction, calling it a deliberate attempt to sabotage their debut-era projects by enticing key collaborators away.
The controversy has reawakened a long-standing narrative within the K-pop community about the challenges BTS faced as a group from a small, then-unknown label. Backed by BIGHIT MUSIC (then Big Hit Entertainment), BTS debuted in 2013 with little mainstream support and a fiercely competitive industry stacked against them. Despite these obstacles, the group went on to break records, top global charts, and redefine the boundaries of K-pop on the international stage.
