The process of being trained in K-pop is tough, and for international trainees, it could be even more exhausting. Former EXO member Tao once told us about his SM Entertainment experiences and his journey before debuting.
Tao could not help but be extremely anxious and nervous when he first became a trainee when he moved to a different country.
"At that time, it was my first boarding on a plane. Of course, I was very nervous because I was entering a new place and no idea what would happen," he shared.
"You do not know what kind of people around you are like. You must blend into a new lifestyle and a new environment," he added.
The early days of Tao becoming a trainee were exceptionally hard because of his incapacity to converse or reach out to people.
"Even when I want to speak to others, I was unable to communicate, including wanting to learn dance or being with members. I couldn't speak or order food," he narrated.
It took a huge toll on him not to become less capable of expressing his feelings and thoughts to others.
"Sometimes, when you want to speak yet, you're unable to express yourself, you stifle it in your heart, or when you speak and speak until you have no idea what you were talking about. Being unable to communicate is extremely torturous," Tao said.
This motivated Tao to work very hard on learning Korean, and he spent several hours trying to improve each day.
"To be honest, I worked hard at learning Korean. I took a book and pen every day, and I'd pen down whatever I didn't know. I was unable to learn that kind of language in that kind of environment," he said
All through his time as a trainee, Tao couldn't rest enough since he would typically rest for 5-6 hours a day.
"I usually slept 5 to 6 hours a day. If I want to rest a bit, then I slept more. But I had to force myself to wake up because I need to practice because I need to learn new things," he revealed.
For Tao, leisure time wasn't really a possible option, as he got to spend most of his time practicing.
"At the time, I wasn't expecting any kind of life, music, dance were my life," Tao confessed.
Another factor Tao worked incredibly hard was that as soon as he arrived in the country, SM Entertainment already wanted him to be an EXO member.
"When I first arrived, I was already a trainee preparing for a debut. I was extremely stressed, so on the very first day, I was already practicing in the basement." Tao said.
Tao trained for a year before he made his debut with the group. But even so, he began to feel he was not yet prepared to make his debut, so he decided to ask SM Entertainment if he could be pulled out of the group, but they rejected it.
"At the time, I even told the company I didn't want to debut and asked if I could train for another year or two. They rejected me," he confessed.
The interviewer went on to ask Tao if he's afraid because he wasn't ready at the moment to debut in the group, he responded, "I was actually afraid. I was debuting in an unprepared state. After all, the time was too short, but because it was a group, everyone had their own talents. So when they blend in, it is truly a group."
He added, "At the time, I was also growing up in the process of learning."
WATCH FULL INTERVIEW BELOW:
