As a K-pop trainee, there's no guarantee that you will debut under the entertainment agency where you first joined and spent months or years honing your skills in dancing and singing. Hence, switching labels before officially debuting as an idol is inevitable.
Below are 7 K-pop idols who trained under more than two agencies.
7 K-pop Idols Trained Under More Than 2 Agencies Before Debut
Park Jihoon
Park Jihoon switched companies multiple times before making his debut as a member of WANNA ONE and later debuting as a solo artist. He first trained under SM Entertainment, and then he moved to Fantagio.
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It is believed that he could have debuted in SM's NCT or Fantagio's ASTRO. However, for some reason, he could not debut as a member of the two boy groups.
Reportedly, he had a knee injury and so he did not make it to the debut lineup of ASTRO. Hence, he left and moved to Maroo Entertainment, his current agency.
ENHYPEN Jungwon
Like Park Jihoon, ENHYPEN Jungwon is also a former SM trainee. He trained under SM for three years before transferring to Big Hit Music, where he stayed for one year and four months.
Jungwon later joined Belift Lab and participated in the survival show "I-LAND," which formed the label's first boy group ENHYPEN.
Ciipher Hyunbin
Another K-pop idol who trained under more than two companies is Ciipher Hyunbin. He began training under Starship Entertainment and was supposed to debut as a CRAVITY member. He announced his departure from the agency in October 2019.
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He then trained at YG Entertainment but left before the survival show "YG TREASURE BOX" started. He ended up moving to Rain Company and became the leader of Ciipher.
Kep1er Mashiro
Besides male artists, some female K-pop idols also trained under more than two companies and one of them is Kep1er Mashiro. She is originally a JYP trainee from 2016 to 2018, then she trained under Pledis Entertainment from 2019 to 2020.
Mashiro eventually left Pledis and joined 143 Entertainment in 2021, where she met her fellow Kep1er member and former BUSTER member Yeseo who also moved to the label in the same year.
Former Stray Kids Woojin
Another former Fantagio trainee on the list is former Stray Kids Woojin, who is friends with Park Jihoon. He then became an SM trainee along with the current NCT members and was supposed to debut in the group.
He ended up joining JYP Entertainment, where he trained for a few months. He was a trainee for a total of two years under Fantagio, SM, and JYP.
A.C.E. Jun
Before debuting under Beat Interactive, A.C.E. Jun had two previous companies as well. He is initially a trainee under Jellyfish Entertainment, where he trained together with the current VIXX members.
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He later became a trainee under CJ E&M where he met his two fellow A.C.E. members Wow and Donghun. The three left the company together after discovering that CJ E&M wasn't planning to debut an idol group any time soon.
Kep1er Yeseo
Another female artist and Kep1er member included on the list is Kep1er Yeseo. She became a trainee under several agencies before finally making her debut in BUSTER.
Yeseo first trained under Big Star Entertainment from 2010 to 2013. Sometime in 2014, she transferred to IN Entertainment, where she was set to debut in the girl group named Pritti. However, due to unknown reasons, she left the company before the band's debut.
She later joined JTG Entertainment's subsidiary label Marbling E&M and was added to the girl group BUSTER in February 2019. She departed from BUSTER and the agency in 2020 and was revealed to be a trainee under 143 Entertainment in April 2021 alongside Mashiro.
Which other K-pop idols do you know became a trainee under more than one label? Mention them in the comments section below!
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Written by Mhaliya Scott
