The Hardships of Becoming a Kpop Idol - Training

            What is the secret behind creating successful idols? The answer is the trainee system. Korean companies like JYP, SM, and YG have auditions all around the world to find talented young individuals to go under their company. But of course, not all the talented individuals chosen to be part of the company have the experience or the background of an idol. These individuals leave their family behind while, they become trained to increase their skills in dancing and singing, hoping to one day become the perfect Kpop star. Training may seem easy since becoming a trainee is almost halfway from becoming an idol, but there is still a long road full of hard work and hardships before trainees can debut.   

Jo kwon and Jaebum dancing during their JYP trainee days
 Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGqyTowIut4

Although ,trainees are already part of a Korean company, they are constantly thrown into singing and dancing classes, where they are given no guarantee if they are able to debut. Trainees have schedules consisting of singing, dancing, and language lessons every day from day to night. After a week of lessons, trainees are evaluated by their company based on if the trainee improved. If the company doesn’t see a trainee as good enough, he or she will be cut from the company.

      Jo Kwon during his trainee days                 
            Source: http://angangwoo.wordpress.com/2010/03/03/
this-was-our-leadja-this-is-our-park-jaebum

           Many renowned Kpop idols that also went through the same trainee system, recall their trainee days as the time when they endured the most hardships to be where they are now. Jo Kwon, from the ballad group called 2AM, had to train under JYP for 8 years basically spending almost all his teenage life as a trainee. He exclaims “I had no idea it would take this long, and I kept wondering why I wasn’t being cut.” Jo Kwon didn’t know if he was ever going to debut because Jin Young Park (Founder of JYP) never complimented him. He felt pressured when he saw new trainees like Nichkhun and Taecyeon from 2pm. While, Key , from SHINee, who came to Seoul, South Korea from Daegu (a Korean city) to become a singer described himself as being depressed because his “skills weren’t improving” and others “kept criticizing and pointing out [his] weak spots.”  

Key from Shinee
   Source: http://kpcave.blogspot.com/2011/12
/shinee-amigo-repackage-album.html

Similarly to Key and Jo Kwon’s experiences, trainees constantly have to work hard and be persistent in order to become idols. Trainees are constantly told that they are not good enough and that they need to work harder but it’s hard when they see other trainees better than themselves. Key, felt like he wasn’t good enough and in the end felt depressed because his dream of becoming an idol didn’t seem like it was going to come true. The feeling of not being good enough, can really hurt trainees emotionally, making them feel depressed and wanting to give up.

When you’re a trainee, it seems as if becoming an idol is so close but in reality it’s a lot farther. The trainee life is hard and not many people are able to endure the kind of competition and hard work needed to become an idol. But when it comes to following your dreams anything is possible. Would you want to become a trainee for a Korean Company?