Former 2NE1 member and current soloist Gong Minzy recently revealed on "Video Star" that she auditioned at SM Entertainment the same day she auditioned for YG Entertainment, and actually chose to audition at SM Entertainment first!
She revealed that she received love calls from both companies, and had been asked by both labels to audition for the company. She said on the show:
"It was around the time I was competing and winning a lot of dance competitions. YG personally saw my dance video and contacted me. They said, 'I want you to join our company. Come visit us in Seoul one day.
But SM Entertainment had also already contacted me and asked to see me in person. So... Actually, I went to SM first."
Dara, another former 2NE1 member and current TV personality was also on the show with Minzy. She revealed that she knew that Minzy had auditioned for SM Entertainment before officially signing on as a trainee in YG Entertainment, but she had no idea that Minzy's first choice was actually SM Entertainment.
Just imagine if Minzy had signed as a trainee with SM Entertainment. Do you think she would have debuted with Girls' Generation? Or f(x)? If she signed with SM Entertainment, she would end up not debuting with the superstar girl group, 2NE1. Do you think she would have suited in SM Entertainment?
Minzy went on to reveal that when she ended up signing to YG Entertainment, her fellow labelmates had treated her so well, allowing her to feel at home. BIG BANG's G-Dragon and Taeyang were high schoolers at the time Minzy entered the company, and Dara had signed on just a few months after Minzy did.
Minzy recalled that G-Dragon and Taeyang looked after the two girls well. As they were already promoting with YG Family, they decided to treat the Minzy and Dara to Outback Steak House. Minzy also mentioned that the two BIG BANG members had taken Dara and Minzy on a trip around Seoul, bringing them to a famous amusement park. They wanted to do this for Minzy as it was her first time in the big city.
Minzy said, "Since it was my first time in Seoul, G-Dragon and Taeyang decided to take me on a Seoul tour! G-Dragon, Taeyang, Dara, and I went to a famous amusement park together."
Prior to Minzy's debut, she participated in numerous dance completions and contests. A video of her at a dance competition in Gwanju was posted online and she received praise for her skills. The video was subsequently posted onto YG Entertainment's homepage and was noticed by then-CEO Yang Hyun Suk. He contacted her personally and recruited her to join the company.
She debuted with 2NE1 under YG Entertainment in 2009 and was the group's main dancer. She stayed with the group for seven years before withdrawing from the group and company in 2016. Because of her early departure, she did not take part in 2NE1's song "Goodbye," a single they released after announcing their disbandment. Despite this, she is still close with the members and keeps contact with them.
In May 2016, she announced that she signed with Music Works and released her solo debut EP in April 2017. In April 2020, she left Music Works, and the month after, she released "Lovely", her first single as an independent artist.
