Cai Xu Kun's Ex-Band Member Reveals They Were Asked To Pay Their Former Company S$16.4Mil For Refusing To Sign A 20-Year Contract

Over the years, we've seen lots of bad blood between celebs and their ex-management companies. And it often boils down to that one thing: contractual issues. 

 Chinese singer Cai Xu Kun's former group, SWIN, which he was part of before participating in 2018 hit Chinese variety show Idol Producer, had suffered the same fate.

According to fellow ex-SWIN member Tian Shuchen, 27, who's also Chinese boyband TFBoy's ex-choreographer, the 10 members were asked to compensate their management company an exorbitant amount for not extending their contract back then. 

He initially thought that the high penalty was 'cos the company really valued him

In a recent interview, Shuchen, who entered showbiz in 2016 after participating in Chinese-South Korean reality series Super Idol, revealed what caused the group to disband back in the day.

According to Shuchen, the company had asked for the group's contract to be extended to 20 years instead of the original 10. 

"That was too scary," said Shuchen, who added that the group then unanimously decided to reject the company's request. 

He went on to say that when he signed the original contract, it was stated that they had to pay the company 80mil yuan (S$16.4mil) in liquidated damages. 

For those not in the know, liquidated damages are found in legal contracts as an estimate of hard-to-define losses to one of the parties, and they take effect should there be a breach of contract.

At that time, Shuchen said he thought "[he was] worth 80mil yuan since the company had pegged [him] to such a high price". He only realised later on how unreasonable that amount was.

The company even tried to set him up?

That wasn't the only time the company did him dirty.

Shuchen shared that when he saw how his fellow group mates had made a name for themselves after participating in reality competitions, he decided to go on Chinese variety show All For One in 2018.

He recalled how, on the night before filming began, the show's director came to him to say that he could not go on without signing a contract.

When Shuchen looked at the contract, he realised it was actually drawn up by his own management company.

Fortunately, Shuchen and the rest of Swin were freed from the contract when the company collapsed. The bosses also went MIA.

After Shuchen's exposé, many netizens were shocked by how high the liquidated damages were, with one netizen saying that "there are traps everywhere in showbiz."

Photos: sinchew, baike, bingguner