If you are dreaming of becoming a popular K-pop star, then it's no-brainer that you should initially pass the trainee audition.
As K-pop is ubiquitous locally and in the international scene, it's not surprising that a lot of young girls and boys dream of becoming an idol. While one should possess good looks, talent, and confidence as a starter, an aspirant shoud bear in mind that the willingness to undergo extreme training is a must. Training to become a K-pop idol is never a walk on a flowery path because one must be prepared to render years to debut.
If you're one of those who would like to pursue an idol career, you should be fully aware of the emotionally, physically, and mentally draining routines that have been seen in the testimonies of the many stars prior to stardom.
After digging into this matter, here are some of the trainees' leaked schedules to guide you as to what to expect when you become one.
(Disclaimer: The routine schedules below are said to have leaked from some trainees among various South Korean entertainment agencies.)
SM Entertainment
5:00 am - 7:00 am: Wake-up time
8:00 am - 3:00 pm.: School schedule (schedule differs from school to school)
2:00 pm - 11:00 pm: Training time for those going to school (training ranges from 8 to 10 hours while for those who don't, it can be 14 hours.)
11:00 pm - 1:00 am: Sleeping time
Trainees eventually go to school because education is still necessary in spite of undergoing training. They have various classes like singing, rapping, dancing, etiquette, and even language classes, too.
Unknown Agency
6:30 am - 7:00 am: Wake-up time
8:00 am - 1:00 pm: School
1:30 pm - 2:00 pm: Meetings
2:00 pm - 8:00 pm: Practice/Training
8:00 pm - 8:30 pm: Dinner
8:30 pm - 10:00 pm: Evaluations + Extra training
10:00 pm -1:00 am: Practice/Training
1:00 am - 3:00 am: Extra allotted time (work on fault points, working out, working on schoolwork)
3:00 am - 3:30am: Usual sleep time
Unknown Agency
Monday - Friday
6:00 am - Wake up
6:30 am - Going to school
7:00 am - School starts (sometimes 8, depending on the class load)
3:00 pm - After school
3:30 pm - Heading back
4:00 pm - 11:00 pm - Training (singing, dancing, language, etc)
Saturday - training
Sunday - day off
Seeing through these schedules, it's safe to say that K-pop idols that we have today indeed worked hard. Whatever they may have right now are the fruits of their labor that they have harvested from the intensive trainings, sweat, and tears of becoming a K-pop star.
If you're up for these challenges, then here's a pat on the back. Hwaiting!
