Before officially debuting in the K-pop industry, many idols go through a long and exhausting journey as trainees. In fact, some artists admitted to almost quitting due to how difficult their training was or being rejected by several companies repeatedly. Here's a list of several K-pop idols who nearly gave up on reaching their dream when they were trainees.
6 K-pop Idols Who Almost Gave up on Their Dream of Debuting as Singers
TWICE Jihyo
TWICE Jihyo is well-known as one of the K-pop idols with the longest training period (10 years) and went through many difficult moments. One of those hard times she had to endure was when the debut of 6MIX- a pre-debut group comprising her and other JYP trainees- was canceled.
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Because of that, Jihyo thought of quitting. She revealed this during TWICE's appearance on "Carefree Travelers." She said, "Right before I debuted, I wanted to quit. Before TWICE, there was this team that I was part of. When that team disbanded, I just wanted to give up."
Red Velvet Seulgi
Seulgi was a trainee for seven years. In fact, she is the Red Velvet member who trained the longest. In an episode of "Idol Party," she revealed that after three years of training she began to question if she was on the right career path.
She shared, "I had a huge slump during the 4th and 5th year (of training). At that time, my mom got me through by telling me, 'You are going to make it. There is absolutely no question about that,'" Seulgi said.
BLACKPINK Lisa
In an interview with Rolling Stone, BLACKPINK Lisa- along with her co-members Jennie, Rosé, and Jisoo- opened up about her trainee days. At YG Entertainment, trainees had to undergo a rigorous monthly testing system, where they needed to perform solo and in teams for judges. Lisa eventually grew tired of it, but thanks to her mom, she overcame the tough training.
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"When was this going to end? Like, when? Do we have to get tested every single month?" Lisa told the magazine. "I'd call my mom [in Thailand], wanting to quit, and she'd tell me to hang on just another year, just hang on."
TWICE Sana
Another TWICE member who also considered giving up on her dream is Sana. Before her debut, she appeared in GOT7's "A" music video as the female lead. She may have garnered attention because of this, but it wasn't one of the happiest times for Sana.
In "TWICE: SEIZE THE LIGHT," the Japanese idol revealed that it was during that time she had stopped managing her weight as she was ready to stop pursuing her dream of becoming an idol.
KARD BM
During his appearance on Eric Nam's "K-pop Daebak," BM shared that he considered leaving the company a few months before KARD's debut. He explained that he felt everything in his life wasn't working out well, and he thought that it may be because he had not debuted yet. So, he went straight to the CEO of his agency to ask her to break his contract.
However, the CEO asked him not to leave. And shortly after that, BM debuted as a member of KARD in late 2016.
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TWICE Jeongyeon
Like Jihyo and Sana, TWICE Jeongyeon also had doubts about becoming an idol. After Jihyo, she is the group member with the second-longest training period (5 years and eight months). She started questioning herself whether she will continue as a trainee or not when she began working at a bakery. In fact, she wanted to put up her own bakery.
Do you know other K-pop idols who almost gave up on their dream of debuting as a singer when they were still trainees? Comment down below!
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Written by Maria Scott
