Many individuals today aspire to become a K-Pop idol. But, the process is not easy as it entails years of training and discipline.
Despite knowing all the challenges and struggles, several people still try to enter the industry by going to auditions. This is the only way to become an official trainee into becoming an idol.
Considering that the number of hopefuls is significant, rejections are, also, rampant. Koreaboo released a brief list of some famous South Korean artists today who previously failed some of their auditions. As noted, these personalities "overcame" their failed attempts and succeeded in becoming a full bloom K-Pop idol.
JooE of MOMOLAND is one of the idols who are vocal about their failed auditions. She revealed in some of her interviews about the matter, noting that she experienced several rejections in the past.
What was shocking, though, is that over 50 auditions rejected her. She said that this happened throughout her middle and high school years until she got accepted.
JooE claimed, nevertheless, that she would receive positive feedback from the panel. But, she would always question why they rejected her if she was great in the first place.
Another popular personality who failed at her auditions is IU. While it is a surprising thing for many people today, she previously shared that about 20 try-outs rejected her.
She, also, once stated that she experienced a scam in the past. Upon auditioning and passing, the company disappeared.
Other K-Pop idols on the same list are Choa of AOA and Yeonjun of TXT. They both shared that they got rejected several times.
A separate report from Koreaboo said that it is normal for every aspirant to attend over 30 auditions. Accordingly, rejections are nearly usual.
While the scrutiny during the try-outs is already challenging, this is seemingly nothing in comparison to the struggles when in training. As revealed, the process is rigorous and strenuous, not only physically but emotionally and mentally, as well.
Apart from training to improve their dancing and singing capabilities, trainees, also, have to train for their communication and language skills. In addition, they need to watch over their visuals and diets, as well, because companies have "weigh-ins."
Buzzfeed once released a report, covering former K-Pop trainee Gina Maeng's revelations about the training process to become an idol. As noted, she spent more than a decade in training but, did not end up debuting in a group.
She said that the length of time in training is not the same for everyone. As an example, Jimin of BTS spent only ten months in training while Jennie of BLACKPINK trained for over six years.
