How Long Does It Take to Become a Kpop Idol
Sources
TLDR
Summary
Chat with GigaBrain
What Redditors are SayingHow Long Does It Take to Become a K-Pop Idol?
TL;DR Becoming a K-pop idol typically involves several years of intense training, often ranging from 4-5 years, but this can vary widely based on individual circumstances and talent.
Training Duration and Process
The journey to becoming a K-pop idol is long and arduous. Trainees usually undergo rigorous training for several years before debuting. This training includes daily vocal and dance lessons, language classes, media training, and more 
[3:4]. The training schedule is often compared to that of professional athletes or military training due to its intensity and demands [3:2]. Monthly evaluations are common, where trainees perform in front of company executives to assess their progress [3:3].
Challenges and Industry Realities
The K-pop industry is notoriously challenging, with a high risk of not succeeding despite years of effort [2:1]. Many trainees face a stressful and competitive environment, and the chances of making it big are slim unless one is part of a major agency [2:2]. The industry is known for its harsh working conditions, including long hours, strict diets, and sometimes even cosmetic procedures to meet the industry's standards [3:1].
Education and Career Balance
Balancing education with training is another challenge faced by aspiring idols. While some trainees drop out of school to focus on their careers, others manage to continue their education alongside their training [4:1]. Many idols attend arts-focused high schools that accommodate their training schedules, and some even pursue higher education while being active in the industry [4:4].
Audition Process
The audition process is the first step towards becoming a trainee. For example, JYP Entertainment may take months to evaluate auditions, but if they are particularly interested in a candidate, they might expedite the process with a follow-up audition [5:1]. Aspiring idols often go through multiple rounds of auditions and must be prepared for a lengthy evaluation period.
In conclusion, the path to becoming a K-pop idol is demanding and uncertain, requiring years of dedication, talent, and perseverance. It's essential for aspiring idols to be aware of the industry's challenges and to have backup plans in case their dreams don't materialize.
Turn chaos into clarity with Ultra.
Your insights at a glance—try Gigabrain Ultra to filter through the vastness of Reddit content and easily monitor your audience and market trends.Source Threads
POST SUMMARY • [1]Summarize
Do I have a chance to become an “idol”?
Posted by AnthonyViolin · in r/kpoppers · 24 days ago
ORIGINAL POSTI go to an art school where the main subjects are art, dance, and music (instruments and singing). I play the violin, so I already have a good ear and can sing in tune, but I’ve never had singing lessons, so I don’t have real experience yet. I’ve also never trained in dance, and since my school doesn’t focus on K-pop style (mostly balet and other types), I plan to learn that outside of school so I can continue with violin.
My goal is to start one singing lesson and one dance lesson per week as soon as I turn 15 (in about a month), and to practice about 20–30 minutes of each every day, with more time on weekends. If I improve a lot, I’ll definitely practice more, especially during school holidays.
Do you think I could realistically have a chance of joining a global boy group or something similar if I stick to this plan?
You’re young and already willing to put yourself out there and learn, so you won’t be immediately written off. But the idol industry is tough to crack into and even harder to stay in for years on end, especially for foreigners. Nothing wrong with trying tho, the most you can do is take every opportunity that presents itself and hope for the best! Just don’t put all your eggs in one basket and ONLY jump at the chance to become an idol. There’s probably some good workshops and dance/vocal camps you could join to further improve your skills and connect you with industry insiders. And if you don’t end up as an idol straight away, you might end up as a back-up dancer for certain groups or work as a vocal coach at a kpop company if you continue to hone your skills. Everyone has to start somewhere, even BTS started as back-up dancers so if this is smtg you really want, take every opportunity and network where you can to give yourself the best odds of success
To speak seriously, debuting as an idol is not something that happens through one person’s ability and will alone. Even with outstanding looks, sufficient skills, and relentless effort, countless trainees have failed to debut because they couldn’t seize the right timing, didn’t fit the concept, or didn’t match the trend. People in the industry say that the number of boy trainees dreaming of becoming BG has decreased these days, and company make global groups…There may be a few more opportunities than before. but, you know? yes, in the end, only God knows.
Yeah that’s also true but do you think it’s possible for me to become good enough to have the chance to join a global group?
It depends on talent and effort, of course. Are you asking me to judge you just based on this text? I can’t say about that. One thing’s for sure: idols at your age were already signed to company or going around auditioning. And they probably practiced 2–3 hours a day, maybe even more. I’m not sure about global groups, but that’s how the existing idols did it.
I think there's always a possibility but a very slim one. If this is a dream of yours, I'd say go for it take the dancing lessons, taking the singing lessons and when the time comes go to auditions. I can't say for sure you're gonna make it because there's always hundreds, maybe thousands, who do these auditions and don't make it but at least you know you tried so you don't live with a what if for forever. Just don't get your hopes up and always think of other career options in case something like that doesn't work out.
When I was younger I wanted to become a violinist but now that I think about it being a Kpop idol looks easier (Yes I know its still very hard but it seems more fun)
Edit: I know both are just as hard but it looks easier in the way that that the fastest a violinist became a virtuoso was about 4-5 years but then when you look at Manon from Katseye… in only 3 months she became an idol without experience before. Everyone likes to compare which is easier and fight over them but in my opinion every single career is hard, what I meant to say was that dancing and singing looks much more fun (in my opinion) and if you enjoy it more obviously its easier in a way
Hahaha you must still be young
>My goal is to start one singing lesson and one dance lesson per week as soon as I turn 15 (in about a month), and to practice about 20–30 minutes of each every day, with more time on weekends. If I improve a lot, I’ll definitely practice more, especially during school holidays.
Is that all the time you can spare?
Yes sadly😭 Since I live “alone” I almost have no free time. I wake up at about 6am to get ready for school and I get home at 5pm, then I make food (along with washing dishes, laundry etc.), do my homework, practice (violin), take a shower and its already 9pm and if I wanna sleep enough (8 hours) I need to go to bed at 10pm so only 1 hour of free time and its perfect to put dancing and singing in that one hour! But on weekends I have a ton of free time, I could even sing and dance 5 hours per day (or even more but that would be too much for me especially since the weekend is my only free time) but thats only if my family doesn’t come visit or if I don’t come visit them because its a 3-4 hour long drive/train trip
Edit: Making food, doing dishes/laundry takes 1 hour, practice 1 hour, homework 1 hour, shower/night routine almost another hour so thats why and sometimes I have to practice more or I get more homework so I wont have time at all but on other days I might have a but more time. Buttttt this year I will start school much later (at about 11am/12pm and finish much later so idk if that is good or bad
Looks and star quality take over 50% and since we don't know anything about you we can't tell but chance to debut in a group that is successful enough to live of it is already very slim for korean it is very unlikely sorry but it never hurt to try auditioning tbh
I don’t want to sound weird but idk how to say it😭 I don’t think I’m ugly, and I feel like I could become handsome, if you know what I mean. Right now everything that is ugly about me is “fixable” so I think I could pull it off. How do you even tell if you have ‘star quality’? Is it just about being confident when you dance, or is there more to it?
Stars quality is weird its like being charming or even attracting people with aura ? It's not beauty and for me it's something like you have it or not like I don't know if you watched the dream academy documentary but it explain it well how lexy has the most of it while not being the best in talent
r/kpop_uncensored • [2]Summarize
Is it really an idol’s fault for getting into an industry so obviously terrible for them?
Posted by ArnikaLovesUnicornz · in r/kpop_uncensored · 6 months agoI know that being a K-pop idol is a lot of people’s dream and I don’t blame anyone for going after their dream. But at the same time, the K-Pop industry is so notoriously terrible for the trainees and idols, the chances of making it big unless you’re in a big agency in the current landscape of K-Pop is basically little to none.
And you’re forced to train and be treated in a borderline inhumane way by the company for the slim chance of success. I know that people will do anything for their dream.
But the fact that this industry is so bad is public knowledge and if just makes me wonder what in their mind makes them so eager to become a K-Pop idol that they’re willing to put up with such awful treatment at such a slim chance of success, and if failed they could waste so much of their life.
Especially if they start out young, could have sacrificed their entire childhood for basically nothing? I know that sometimes it’s their parents that force them to participate and get signed off to a company at like really really young ages so they’re especially trapped in the trainee life.
But in my own perspective as an outsider, the industry is so glaringly terrible at such a slim chance at success, and even if you do get successful, you still have to deal with saesangs, hate, shitty treatment from the company, and trainee debt that essentially locks you into their hold until you pay it off.
And it’s not like if you fail at being a K-Pop idol you can just walk away, you have years of issues and probably some type of physiological damage, probably some type of ED from the strict diets, the harsh treatment, years of effort wasted, and thousands of dollars of trainee debt. I’m not trying to blame people who get trapped into such a system, because of how exploitative it is and how some people can be manipulated into the trainee life by their parents.
But when that’s not the case, I just do not understand what kind of headspace you have to be in to want to become a K-Pop idol despite already knowing all the risks and just how bad it is for them. I’m not really trying to blame anyone for how bad the industry is, and I’m not trying to justify companies treating their idols and trainees poorly but people often say ‘but they choose to be an idol so now they have to deal with x thing’ but I do see some point in it even if I don’t completely agree.
Like wouldn’t it be somewhat on them for getting into an industry like this in the first place, knowing how bad it is but doing it anyways? I don’t like it when K-Pop companies treat idols badly, I really don’t, but at the same time, this is the K-Pop industry, wouldn’t they stay 10ft away from the industry if they really didn’t want to go through all that bs?
Sorry if I sound insensitive, but I truly don’t know what would compel someone to go through all that to be a K-Pop idol just to deal with even more bs even if they do somehow debut. I’ve been a K-Pop stan for a good 4 years and I’ve just honestly never really understood the type of mindset it takes to deal with all that.
It's a high risk, high reward job. Think of doctors. They spend a decade plus studying and don't get rewarded until 10+ years in their career. They also ruin their bodies, lack sleep, stand for 3 days straight, only to do it all over again. It's also an abusive environment with a strict hierarchy and competition. It can be inhumane and not everyone makes it.
But the rewards? Prestige, money, respect. Sometimes that outweighs all the sacrifice they did.
It's the same for idols. If they make it, they change their families' lives for generations. Not to mention, the love and attention you get from all over the world can be addicting. Once you perform on stage and hear the roars, it's hard to let that go.
I do understand, but with idols vs doctors, being a K-pop idol is a job where you could be on top for your 15 minutes of fame then fade into obscurity.
And there is no chance that you’ll succeed no matter how long you work or that you’re in the industry, and on top of that. Once you’re over like let’s say 26 your chances have basically faded way lower.
I’m not trying to discredit doctors or say it’s easy because it’s not. But also at the same time, once you make it, you make it, you don’t just randomly go back to being broke after getting a really good pay day because your comeback flopped once your 15 minutes of fame is up if that ever even happens.
Idol life is very similar to a profession like ballerina.
Some professional just require that grind to achieve.
Seriously, I remember getting hit with a cane at like 8 years on my things and ankles during ballet. If you get a old russian teacher, that's the norm.
It's just the reality that prestige jobs that's have a short peak performance, have hard training.
yes fame can be fleeting, but i don’t think that discredit’s the above commenter’s point. they both still work extremely hard to make it in an abusive industry, the music industry being more fickle isn’t a result of it being more abusive. and doctors aren’t locked out of poverty, they can still lose their jobs for whatever reason
It’s not all sunshine and rainbows but you all also need to cool it with the severe demonization too. It’s not all bad. I swear you all act like every single idol is super fcking miserable and oppressed.
Considering how many of them took their lives, yes they are oppressed and miserable. Just look at KG's letter about leaving VCha. Your post reads ignorant and naive. It's not as obvious that idols are miserable bc they're taught to hide it, seeing as idols are all about a manufactured image of perfection. Have you ever seen someone work long hours with very little rest, very little control of their life and schedule, sometimes for surprisingly low wages, all the while being scrutinized by the public and walk in eggshells about normal adult things like dating in case of a dating scandal that can cancel your career and be happy? Oh forgot the forced diets too. Had the idol lifestyle and work environment allowed for more freedom in an idol's life then I would've agreed with your post.
At this point, yes. These kids' parents have seen the rise of K-pop with the 2nd and 3rd gen idols in the last 20 years, as well as all their very much documented struggles, some with very high-profile legal battles against their companies. These kids themselves, as K-pop fans, would know them very well, too. They have no business going into the industry and claiming to be blindsided by all of this later on when the toxicity is very much out in the open. They need to want it so bad, all the other bullshit that comes with it doesn't matter.
I understand why Koreans do it - it's probably bc making a living any other way other through STEM jobs is hard, so for kids who are not studious and bad at school they see Kpop and acting as a way out/a way to survive. And work industry is so competitive in Korea, as with many East Asian countries. It's the western and international kpop fans who post audition vids, inquire about auditioning, and are proactively pursuing a career in kpop that I'm confused about. Like if you're a kpop fan you should be well aware of how awful work culture is for idols. But some of the kids are either young or ignorant and naive despite being 16-17. They don't do research on the industry and just blindly pursue a career in kpop. Older fans should take action to always discourage western and int young fans from auditioning.
I also don't get why Asian idols coming from English speaking countries like Australia and USA also pursue a job in kpop, considering their parents brought them to a freer more relaxed country only for the child to abandoned that for a highly competitive, vicious, and expensive society like Korea...it makes absolutely no sense. Like if they wanted a career in music they could've pursued it in the west, you know what I mean? Why would they give up a more relaxed job environment for the rigorous lifestyle of a kpop idol?
I know we are far from bringing examples into the situation and blaming idols. I agree with what you said alot. The example that comes in mind after reading Australia is Blackpink's Rosé. She was living in australia for most of her life and I think she only lived in Korea for 4 years max as a child. I think she lived in Korea until she was 5 or 6 years old actually then she moved to Australia. (I CAN BE WRONG) She auditioned at 15 and got in, dropped out of school and shifted to a whole new country. Ofc, she is korean so she knew how to speak Korean but her skills were lacking alot due to being raised in Australia for majority of her developing period. Idk how cool your parents have to be to just agree on sending you to a entertainment company all alone for how many years, drop out of school like she did to leave for YGE, I mean don't these parents fear that at such a young of 15 (I am talking about Rosé) what if something bad happens? Entertainment companies, especially in KPOP have a bad repo, her parents were Korean who lived in Korea for most of their life so I am sure they knew something. This is not even about Rosie or her parents, the same storyline or thing has been repeated by so many foreign idols that are here with us today. How can parents let young childs, especially females leave alone, drop out of schools, stay there for how many years with no adult supervision. Though, I am sure they feel relieved that phones are available for contact but so many times companies confisticate phones of trainees. Don't they feel worried sending their child to a unknown dorm to grow and live their teen years with a money-hungry company to take care of them but even if they ignore this, imagine your chilf doing all this without phones as they are taken away, who knows something happens, how will they contact you and how will you come to their rescue when you live in a whole another country. Sorry for the long reply. Truly my bad.
💯 They know what type of industry they’re walking into, and they still choose to do it. That doesn’t mean the industry doesn’t need to make improvements and change the way trainees and nugus are treated. It does mean the idols and their parents knew the risks and pitfalls of the industry and still chose to sign those contracts because they value money and fame more than the mistreatment.
It's the same as with a lot of activities. I think of figure skating or gymnastics. There are rampant abuse issues. However, there's also a lot of beauty in the sports and athletes enjoy them, just like idols probably enjoy dancing and singing and rapping.
It's also true that children can't fully anticipate what the downsides of the industry (or aesthetic sports) are and what those downsides mean for their longterm psyche and physical health. But it's not as simple as just banning kids though there need to be guidelines and restrictions (like that upcoming show should never happen).
The good news is that we've also seen progress in these sports, but it's something to not let up on. Parents and coaches should all be trained to do better by the idols/athletes. I do think progress can happen and should happen.
There's also a cultural aspect here too, in that kids in Korea are going to be pushed 9 times out of 10 both physically and mentally, if not in the idol industry than in school. At least if they enjoy singing or dancing they get that out of it, while studying not necessarily. And I'm a huge advocate for education, but there are unhealthy extremes that can be pushed on kids that isn't unique to any culture, but is certainly more prevalent in Korea.
There was this article back in 2018 or 2019. It discussed how there was an increase of kids/teens joining company to become idols and how the parents were the ones pushing their kids into it. These kids had no interest in becoming idols but their parents were obsessed with their kids becoming the next big thing. In that regard, the parents are at fault.
There have also been instances where parents were not aware of what was going on with their kids while they were with the companies. i still hold the parents responsible for this. If they can't communicate with their kids, if they see the conditions in which their kids are in, that should have set red flags. The parents should have stepped in and pull out their kids.
r/kpophelp • [3]Summarize
Why do idols train for so long and what do they do
Posted by sunbearqt · in r/kpophelp · 5 months agoLike what do they do. Its common to be a trainee for 4-5 years and do they do like a full day schedule everyday for 4 years. And what do they even do in training like is it just a monthly vocal lesson and dance lessons
Some people seriously underestimate how skilled these idols are. To get to the level they need to be at, yeah, it takes a long time. Same for a pro soccer or tennis player, or a ballet dancer to be a principle dancer.
On top of the skill acquisition, which other people have detailed, I think it's almost like the military, where the workload and sheer pace and intensity, is getting idols ready for the rigors of being a professional entertainer in Kpop.
Watching some variety shows will give you a better sense of what they go through. Like watch Produce 101 or something like that, they are not trained to be mindless robots. These idols have a lot of skill, they can create vocal arrangements, assign parts, and do choreo. As well as create a concept, choose hair and clothing to match those concepts, etc.
Another great show was the one with "sisters" in the title? A bunch of non idols were going to make an idol group, and you can see how long it took reasonably coordinated people to learn a VERY simple routine. Meanwhile, Somi comes in, watches the choreo twice, and learns it in like 10 minutes.
Most trainees tend to have multiple dance/rap/vocal lessons weekly. Then there’s also language classes. Then just loads of time for them to practice all those skills, time to work out. Some companies will also do media training, knowing when to look at cameras etc a lot of behind the stage scene stuff. Acting classes possibly for emotions and facial expressions.
Generally what a lot of companies do are monthly(ish) evaluations. Every month they have a vocal/rap routine they practice with their vocal teachers and on their own to perform in front of a mix of company staff who evaluate them. These could be solo and mixed group performances, along with dance performances as well.
Those evaluations generally are how companies choose when to cut trainees if they’re not improving fast enough or the trainee isn’t what the company was going for.
Sometimes all these things can be a mix of solo performances, group performances they need to prepare for and learn. Routines they need to learn quickly and perfect.
CLC’s Sorn practiced from 3-10pm since she went to school. Those that didn’t have school did 1-10pm.
They had about 4 hours of lessons per day with about 5 to practice.
The lessons they took were fitness/health, vocal/rap, dance, musical instrument, languages, acting, speech/etiquette.
Sorn said there were both monthly and weekly evaluations.
The schedule ends usually around 9?10pm for most trainees but most of them tend to stay until around 12- 1am to continue practicing.
TWICE also mentioned JYP provided sex ed classes from a renowned professional as well as cyber security lessons (in regards to phone security and social media).
I just want to add that for boy group, some of them even started learning how to write and produce music.
I doubt this is entirely a boy group exclusive thing (especially since a lot of these companies literally work with female producers and writers lmao). It was more of a rapper only thing until recently. And It's also very dependent on the company. Some companies want to train their idols into future producers while others don't really care for that at all.
A lot of idols/trainees also write and compose songs under pseudonyms so nobody really knows they ever learned to produce music until they publicly announce it, if they ever do.
Since the success of I-DLE female trainees are also getting midi lessons.
I mean… not only BOY groups
- Daily vocal and dance training
- Language classes
- Media and variety show training
- Strict physical regimen
- Image control
- Monthly evaluations
- Persona crafting
Most of these comments answered your question, but two things I don't see people mention a lot are:
- Model training. Idols also do tons of brand partnerships and need to learn to pose, train facial expressions, learn how to do things in a "pretty/handsome" way for photoshoots, etc. These skills can take years to develop and look natural.
- Plastic surgery, diets, and body modification. Depending on how much a trainee does, this can take a lot of time due to healing. Nose jobs, chin/jaw reductions, botox, fillers, and other cosmetic procedures take time (consult, pre-op, recovery, upkeep, etc.). Most trainees don't come in with the standard "idol body," so they lose weight or tone up depending on the company's rules/image for the trainee. Weight loss, muscle gain, and toning don't happen overnight. Most already have good features that the company clearly thinks they can "work with", but it can still take months to a year for someone to reach a "debut-ready" standard. (All of this is fucked up but it's true).
I used to do photoshoots with kpop idols briefly, can confirm.
I used to do modeling for (commercial, not runway lol). Model training is so odd because you'd simply never hold something like that / sit or stand like that in any normal situation, so you start off very stiff and awkward, even if you're not camera shy. The fact that so many idols are also great models (Jungkook consumed that CK campaign) speaks to the intensity of whatever training they do!
other comments already explained everything and i just want to add
i just watched SMTR25 videos (SM ent trainees) and beside the usual training they also trained in something they're good/interested at, like example trainee Haruta is good at tennis so the training staff took him there sometimes to practice his physical ability too, then Hamin is good at traditional dancing so they brought in a special trainer.
Another one i heard is producing and writing lyrics class, instrument class, i think SM also has a music theory class. beside weekly and monthly evaluation they also have trainee showcase, it's usually private just like evaluation but they're on stage, wearing stage outfit and probably makeup too. the one watching are higher up agency official and some people from media. it was how the current Hearts2Hearts member being 'chosen'.
r/kpophelp • [4]Summarize
General Question: How do Kpop Idols' career affect their education?
Posted by JoranMaybe · in r/kpophelp · 1 month agoI don't know when people generally begin and finish school in South Korea, but I've heard that people who become trainees often do it when they're young/teenagers. Do they wait until their education is finished to become a trainee? Are they a trainee and a student simultaneously? In that case, wouldn't they have a rather stressful schedule? Do they drop out of school? In that case, at what age is it even possible for them to drop out?
Most of them do both, but some drop out when they can. A "rather stressful schedule" is unfortunately the norm.
Korea is somewhat similar to Japan when it comes to expectations for working hours for adults (though new-ish laws are attempting to change that), and that carries over into expectations for children. The idea of "let them have a childhood" is a good one but singling out the Kpop industry or sports isn't remotely going to help because work culture is grueling and that starts super young. Here's an article if you want to know more, though it's from 2021.
So, when I was working at a school in a country in Asia that is not Korea but is similar-ish culturally, I had Korean students. I'll tell you the rough schedule of the 15 year old who was prepping for the SATs... on his holiday break from our school (roughly 5-6 weeks between end of November-start of January) when he was back in Seoul.
He would go to a school between 8 am and 6pm. Then he would go to night school. He would be there from about 7 to 12am. Then he would take a two hour long bus ride home, reaching at 2am. Then he would have homework. Finally, he'd sleep at maybe 4am? And have to get up between 5-5:30 to get on the 6am bus to make it to school at 8am. I remember being shocked and telling him that sleep would benefit him more than completing his homework.
I think most of them graduate from high school, even after debut, but I guess it depends on the agency and group dynamics. For example, in STAYC the eldest member, Sumin, completed high school before debut and she prepared the lunch and even took care of the maknaes' uniforms when they went to school. Sieun, from STAYC too, goes to Chung-Ang University. There also members of different groups that were classmates, like Isa of STAYC and Jo Yuri.
I don't think it's as common among idol now as it was for 2nd gen and 3rd gen but a lot of them even got university degrees (and masters) while being idols. A lot of idols go to theatre arts high schools while being trainees, you constantly see rookie idols who have debuted graduating high school. I think they still keep high school education as a priority along with training, & the arts schools probably have programs for trainees which is why a lot go to them (I'm guessing)
I know that a lot of South Koreans are used to working hard even at a young age.
Their schedules start from 7am to 11pm/12 midnight with little free time for themselves outside of making sure they are fed/groomed and comfortable. Their only off-times are Sundays and events scattered here and there.
I wouldn't be surprised if they could juggle their careers with studying, especially since there are more option for studying nowadays, including online classes.
Varies. Some drop out (I think this is limited), some continue going to high school but often they get elective credits for agency work to count towards music, dance and acting electives. I know a lot get tutors as well. I think high school is not required in South Korea.
There are also many idols who become college educated while actively popular idols. For example, while BigBang was massively popular, G-Dragon and Taeyang got both their undergraduate degrees AND masters degrees. There are many other idols that have gotten college degrees but I don't have specifics.
Do note that in the late 00s and early 10s, 2nd gen and early 3rd gen male idols were all actively pursing bachelors and masters degrees because “further education” is one of the official reasons to file for postponement of military enlistment. That’s why pretty much all 2nd gen boys all have college degrees and more.
That is true to a certain extent, but I would not want to take away from the idols who went because they also value education.
r/klife_questions • [5]Summarize
K- question
Posted by ha-eun_7 · in r/klife_questions · 7 months agoIf we audition in jyp , how much time do they take to evaluate auditionees??
Actually it might take months but if they really like you they will ask you to audition 1v1 zoom call in one week or two
r/kpopthoughts • [6]Summarize
List: How Long It Took for Each K-Pop Group to Release Their 1st Full Album
Posted by Unhinged_chaos · in r/kpopthoughts · 3 years agoI put this list together a couple months ago and completly forgot it's existence but now that discovered spreadsheets (a functional way to post data), exist on Reddit, I remembered and decided to share it.
It took 2 hours to copy-paste each single cell, with the fear of the internet dying during the biblical cataclysm outside or the page randomly refreshing at any second but now it's done. If there was a way to copy-paste everything then... don't tell me (jk do tell me).
- If you find any error please point it out so I can edit;
- The time in between was calculated automatically so, if it's wrong, blame technology not me lol (I did check it 3 times though);
- Some albums names were shortened for formatting purposes;
- If you want me to include any group just give me the name.
| Artist and Album | Debut Date | Release Date | Time In Between |
|---|
- Debut made with a full album (immediately)
| H.O.T: We Hate All Kinds of Violence | September 7, 1996 | September 7, 1996 | x |
|---|---|---|---|
| S.E.S: I'm Your Girl | November 1, 1997 | November 1, 1997 | x |
| Fin.K.L: Blue Rain | May 25, 1998 | May 25, 1998 | x |
| KARA: The First Bloooooming | March 29, 2007 | March 29, 2007 | x |
| Winner: 2014 S/S | August 17, 2014 | August 17, 2014 | x |
| DIA: Do It Amazing | September 15, 2015 | September 15, 2015 | x |
- Within a year
| Lovelyz: Girls' Invasion | November 12, 2014 | November 17, 2014 | 5 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baby V.O.X: Equalizer | July 3, 1997 | July 10, 1997 | 7 days |
| Sechs Kies: School Byeolgok | April 15, 1997 | May 14, 1997 | 29 days |
| Super Junior: Super Junior 05' | November 6, 2005 | December 5, 2005 | 29 days |
| SHINHWA: Resolver | March 24, 1998 | May 1, 1998 | 1 month, 7 days |
| SNSD: Girl's Generation | August 5, 2007 | November 1, 2007 | 2 months, 28 days |
| SHINee: The SHINee World | May 22, 2008 | August 29, 2008 | 3 months, 7 days |
| iKON: Welcome Back | September 15, 2015 | December 24, 2015 | 3 months, 9 days |
| BIGBANG: Bigbang Vol.1 | August 19, 2006 | December 22, 2006 | 4 months, 3 days |
| AB6IX: 6ixense | May 22, 2019 | October 7, 2019 | 4 months, 15 days |
| Treasure: Treasure Effect | August 7, 2020 | January 11, 2021 | 5 months, 4 days |
| Wonder Girls: The Wonder Years | February 13, 2007 | September 12, 2007 | 6 months, 30 days |
| TXT: The Dream Chapter: MAGIC | March 04, 2019 | October 21, 2019 | 7 months, 18 days |
| TVXQ!: Tri-Angle | December 26, 2003 | October 11, 2004 | 9 months, 15 days |
| GOT7: Identify | January 16, 2014 | November 18, 2014 | 10 months, 2 days |
| Enhypen: Dimension: Dilemma | November 30, 2020 | October 12, 2021 | 10 months, 12 days |
| Seventeen: First 'Love & Letter' | May 26, 2015 | April 25, 2016 | 10 months, 30 days |
| Ateez: Treasure: All To Action | October 24, 2018 | October 8, 2019 | 11 months, 14 days |
- After 1 year
| MissA: A Class | July 01, 2010 | July 18, 2011 | 1 year, 17 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apink: Une Année | April 19, 2011 | May 09, 2012 | 1 year, 20 days |
| Red Velvet: The Red | August 1, 2014 | September 9, 2015 | 1 year, 1 month, 8 days |
| INFITE: Over The Top | June 9, 2010 | July 21, 2011 | 1 year, 1 month, 12 days |
| EXO: XOXO | April 8, 2012 | June 3, 2013 | 1 year, 1 month, 26 days |
| Sistar: So Cool | June 4, 2010 | August 9, 2011 | 1 year, 2 months, 5 days |
| 2PM: 01:59PM | September 4, 2008 | November 10, 2009 | 1 year, 2 months, 6 days |
| BTS: Dark & Wild | June 12, 2013 | August 19, 2014 | 1 year, 2 months, 8 days |
| WJSN: Happy Moment | February 25, 2016 | June 7, 2017 | 1 year, 3 months, 13 days |
| IZ*ONE: *BLOOM**IZ | October 29, 2018 | February 17, 2020 | 1 year, 3 months, 19 days |
| 2NE1: To Anyone | May 06, 2009 | September 09, 2010 | 1 year, 4 months, 4 days |
| Cravity: Written In The Stars | April 14, 2020 | August 19, 2021 | 1 year, 4 months, 5 days |
| Dal Shabet: Bang Bang | January 3, 2011 | June 6, 2012 | 1 year, 5 months, 3 days |
| Gfriend: LOL | January 16, 2015 | July 11, 2016 | 1 year, 5 months, 25 days |
| BEAST: Fiction and Fact | October 16, 2009 | May 17, 2011 | 1 year, 7 months, 1 day |
| F(X): Pinnochio | September 5, 2009 | April 20, 2011 | 1 year, 7 months, 15 days |
| Mamamoo: Melting | June 19, 2014 | February 26, 2016 | 1 year, 8 months, 7 days |
| Day6: Sunrise | September 7, 2015 | June 7, 2017 | 1 year, 9 months |
| 4Minute: 4minutes Left | June 18, 2009 | April 5, 2011 | 1 year, 9 months, 18 days |
| Monsta X: The Clan: 'Beautiful' | May 14, 2015 | March 21, 2017 | 1 year, 10 months, 7 days |
- After 2 years
| Twice: Twicetagram | October 20, 2015 | October 30, 2017 | 2 years, 10 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oneus: Devil | January 09, 2019 | January 19, 2021 | 2 years, 10 days |
| CIX: OK' Prologue : Be OK | July 23, 2019 | August 17, 2021 | 2 years, 25 days |
| The Boyz: Reveal | December 6, 2017 | February 10, 2020 | 2 years, 2 months, 4 days |
| Golden Child: Re-boot | August 28, 2017 | November 18, 2019 | 2 years, 2 months, 21 days |
| Stray Kids: Go Live | March 26, 2018 | June 17, 2020 | 2 years, 2 months, 22 days |
| NCT 127: Regular-Irregular | July 7, 2016 | October 21, 2018 | 2 years, 3 months, 5 days |
| After School: Virgin | January 17, 2009 | April 28, 2011 | 2 years, 3 months, 11 days |
| NU'EST: Re:Birth | March 15, 2012 | July 9, 2014 | 2 years, 3 months, 24 days |
| ITZY: Crazy In Love | February 12, 2019 | September 24, 2021 | 2 years, 7 months, 12 days |
| Girl's Day: Expectation | July 9, 2010 | March 14, 2013 | 2 years, 8 months, 5 days |
- After 3 years
| Dreamcatcher: [Dystopia] | January 13, 2017 | February 18, 2020 | 3 years, 1 month, 5 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9MUSES: First Collection | August 12, 2010 | October 14, 2013 | 3 years, 2 months, 2 days |
| SF9: First Collection | October 5, 2016 | January 7, 2020 | 3 years, 3 months, 2 days |
| BTOB: Complete | March 21, 2012 | June 29, 2015 | 3 years, 3 months, 8 days |
| Pentagon: The Black Hall | October 10, 2016 | February 12, 2020 | 3 years, 4 months, 2 days |
| ONF: ONF: My Name | August 3, 2017 | August 3, 2017 | 3 years, 6 months, 21 days |
- After 4 years
| BLACKPINK: The Album | August 08, 2016 | October 02, 2020 | 4 years, 1 month, 24 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victon: The Future is Now | November 09, 2016 | January 11, 2021 | 4 years, 2 months, 2 days |
| Oh My Girl: The Fifth Season | April 20, 2015 | May 08, 2019 | 4 years, 18 days |
| EXID: Street | February 16, 2012 | June 1, 2016 | 4 years, 3 months, 15 days |
| AOA: Angel's Knock | August 9, 2012 | January 2, 2017 | 4 years, 4 months, 24 days |
| NCT Dream: Hot Sauce | August 25, 2016 | May 10, 2021 | 4 years, 8 months, 16 days |
- After 5 years
| Laboum: Two of Us | August 28, 2014 | September 19, 2019 | 5 years, 22 days |
|---|
- After 6 years
| N.Flying: Man on the Moon | May 20, 2015 | June 7, 2021 | 6 years, 18 days |
|---|
​
oh my girl joining the 4 year club as it took them 4 years and 18 days to release their first full album! fingers crossed that we're getting that second full album eventually soon 😅
edit: just realized fromis will also be joining the 4 year club since their 4th year anniversary is coming soon and they just started promoting another EP! with how pledis is moving though, i have hopes that we will get that full album this year.
Just added omg, thanks for mentioning. There's still time for 1 full album before contract renewal, the timing is perfect, we need more OMG, use their power WM, I beg you (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ
I thought Fromis_9 would have a full album now but it was a mini, probably the last one but yeah they've joined the 4 years club. G-Idle is almost joining as well.
Just added omg, thanks for mentioning. There's still time for 1 full album before contract renewal, the timing is perfect, we need more OMG, use their power WM, I beg you (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ
I thought Fromis_9 would have a full album now but it was a mini, probably the last one but yeah they've joined the 4 years club. G-Idle is almost joining as well.
Just added omg, thanks for mentioning. There's still time for 1 full album before contract renewal, the timing is perfect, we need more OMG, use their power WM, I beg you (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ
I thought Fromis_9 would have a full album now but it was a mini, probably the last one but yeah they've joined the 4 years club. G-Idle is almost joining as well.
There's still time for another one before contract renewal. Please WM use their power, I beg you (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ
With Fromis_9 I thought this comeback would be a full album but nope, they have joined the club. G-Idle is also about to.
im pretty sure that the full album is coming soon! there are lots of subtle hints that theyre working on something, so fingers crossed.
i completely forgot that gidle also debuted in 2018 and havent had a full album yet. well since soyeon is their main producer, im sure it's hard work for her to balance personal activities and music-making activities.
2 years for 127 and over 4 for dream, how did sm get away with this 💀
someone tweeted "having 30 songs in 6 years in unacceptable"and the qrts were confused about whether they were talking about blackpink or nct dream 😭
Both haven't reached 6 years but after a quick search (for Dream, I know the Blackpink's number), it's apparently:
- NCT Dream: 45 songs
- Blackpink: 21 songs
NCT Dream has as many songs as Blackpink should have.
4 years 8 months for Dream lmao😭 it's truly so upsetting like 4/7 dreamies dropped out of school to focus on career and then they had such sparse schedules they'd just be sitting around talking about being bored :(( I'm happy things are better now, one good thing though, if everything goes well they have a long & bright career to go <3
If I had to guess, it’s probably because N.Flying didn’t do well in charts and sales until 2019, when they blew up with Rooftop. They probably kept releasing EPs for 5 years because FNC wasn’t sure whether to invest in them yet. After all, full albums are more expensive and time-consuming to make.
After Rooftop’s success, FNC finally let them release their first album. I guess they have more faith in N.Flying’s success now.
This is really interesting information! I’ve added a couple more. It took N.Flying over 6 years, and that’s the longest duration I’m aware of.
N.Flying debuted on May 20th, 2015 and released their 1st full album (Man on the Moon) on June 7th, 2021. That’s 6 years and 18 days after debut.
SF9 debuted on October 5th, 2016 and released their 1st full album (First Collection) on January 7th, 2020. 3 years, 3 months, and 2 days.
r/whatsnewtoday • [7]Summarize
For those seeking K-pop stardom, the path can be long and grueling
Posted by sodami242 · in r/whatsnewtoday · 8 months ago
thnx for the news :)
r/kpoopheads • [8]Summarize
I'm 18 years old, is my idol career already over??
Posted by onekisd · in r/kpoopheads · 8 months agoAs I'm eighteen, is my chances of being an idol over? Have I withered past the adolescent stage and am now going to crumble into dust? The ideal idol age seems to be 6-14, the same ages that watch Disney Channel, when you are 15 however you can watch and do the many fun parts of idol life like twerking and hip thrusts as these are all rated 15+, I've only just begun and haven't even been signed by JYP yet please let me know if I'm too old and I should just go to the retirement home.
SM accepts 2006 hags so you have a chance there still. Make sure that once you are there to assert dominance poison the other trainees if you have to like in ancient palaces. Do what it takes to debut
you've officially reached your hag era! congrats chingoo! 🤗
Were you born?
Then TOO OLD.
/uj yes
/rj yes
You can still debut with SM's upcoming girl group Ajumma Generation. Break a hip out there, chingoo.
r/kpopthoughts • [9]Summarize
Idol groups definitely (and generally) have a lifespan
Posted by shunobokkusu · in r/kpopthoughts · 4 years agoI know it’s the obvious (if some of you think of it as already a given) but with the 2021 talk of the Big 3 + Big Hit all debuting groups, the issue of companies doing this as their senior groups are, either on their peak or past their peak and their future is unknown (whether they would disband, re-sign, or make their own company), can be controversial.
As a fan of bgs, you really make most of the entire time they are active before the members go to the military one by one because that seems to really put a brake on their careers and of the group in general. Like the talk of JYP’s new bg this year is to compensate the loss of DAY6 who will be potentially going in the military very soon.
As with ggs, there will come a moment for the members to decide to pursue different endeavors (more than the bgs), like Girls Generation, when their contract is up. Rarely do we hear gg members re-sign as a group. I admire A Pink’s staying power and producing a hit this year.
It’s not a criticism but a reflection of how idol groups come and go and how they retain their presence when either their contracts or their military service are up. It’s a conversation that must be talked about by the fandoms sooner or later.
To end, I love how those old bgs (who have stayed more than ggs) have remained active because of their loyal fanbase irregardless of their popularity already. We don’t talk about their popularity already, we can determine their mark in the industry and how they can continue on minus the sales, tickets, charts, awards that usually come in during the peak of their careers.
I mean we all know the 7 years curse for gg, it is quite sad as i am a gg stan
I am sad too coz Mamamoo are going to have their 7th anniversary this year and I actually don't want them to disband but I want them to if they feel like so. Also I am proud that apink broke that curse and are still so popular.
Unless they have a solid fanbase, then yeah they tend to fade a bit after enlistment. But I wouldn’t say it’s a hard and fast rule? Super junior is still one of the most popular groups in korea years after enlisting.
Even last night, if you looked at the lightstick count through the show at the least suju was only a few thousand people more than any other fandom, and at the most there was 112,000 more suju stans in the vlive than any other fandom.
So yeah, smaller groups have a lifespan. Larger groups don’t really. That’s not just kpop thats every industry, kpop just has the added bonus of seeing if fans stay loyal through enlistment (which, 18 months isn’t that long. lots of artists go longer than that between albums and stay relevant)
Tbh is sad how idols have a short lifespan compared to some American artists or Rock bands, like if you have more than 7 years of career you are already a senior and if you have more than 30 years you are already "old" by the industry standards. Tbh this is why I appreciate Suju that after 15 years of career they aren't just still so active promoting all the years, but also that they are still quite relevant despite the fact that they are way past their peak, their sales keep growing each come back and they are still winning awards which is very impressive knowing the amount of Kpop groups that are in the industry.
American rock bands and artists DEFINITELY have a lifespan. Otherwise you wouldn't have singers Mike Posner putting out a song five years later about what a hasbeen he is.
Yeah some do but tbh is more common to see American singers in their 30s/40s still being successful and holding a lot of concerts the same with rock bands like Rolling stones/ Guns and Rose's etc who still can hold on stadiums, a lot of their music is still being listened and are respected as musicians as well.
Idols groups can have longetivity like see SUJU/TVXQ/ BIG BANG/ SHINEE etc but is harder to stay relevant in the industry when many groups debut and many fans leave with the time (example there are some active first generation groups but each year they are selling less than they were selling and keep losing popularity) and there is a lot of stigma about their age (because most ppl in Korea don't respect idols as musicians and like pop boybands people think their fans are all "teenagers or kids" that just like them for their visuals and their "bf image" not their talent/music so that is one of the reasons I think most idols are told to be "old" by the industry once they hit a certain age).
I have hope after seeing groups like APINK, NU'EST, SUJU, SHINEE, Big Bang, and BTOB not disbanded after all they been through. I hope we see this trend of older groups coming back once a year, not officially disbanding, and doing their own individual activities the rest of the year.
We will only see more groups add on to that roster. Hopefully we can add a JYP group to that list soon.
I actually hope that K-pop will follow the SuJu model where SM gave them a sub-label to help them manage their own career freely. I like that concept.
It’s really unfortunate and sad that girl groups have way shorter spans than boy groups. It’s the annoying standards that “30 is old and shouldn’t be an idol anymore”
r/kpophelp • [10]Summarize
Where did the strict standards companies hold kpop idols to originate from?
Posted by dragonballer888 · in r/kpophelp · 1 year agoHi everyone! I've been a fan of kpop, moreso k hip-hop, since the BIGBANG debut days, so I'm very familiar with the strenuous, time consuming process that trainees have to undergo to even debut in the industry. However, one thing I've never been able to understand is the origin of this strenuous, time consuming process that idols must endure to become a success.
What I'm referring to is joining the entertainment company at a very young age (middle school for a lot), having 12-16 hour average schedules, extreme dieting and weight restrictions, fitting a certain "image" of perfection both social life wise and in appearance (plastic surgeries, botox for fat removal), etc. It's more commonly seen among newer gen idols so I'm assuming part of the reason these standards exist is because they evolved over time with the national beauty trends.
But where did this idea come from in the first place? That's what I'm curious about here. As newer generations of idols debut, the groups become more and more homogenous in appearance and music style. Where did the idea of female idols having to weigh no more than 49kg begin? Why do new trainees have to be between the ages of 11 ish - 18 or else they're considered too old to be an idol? What benefits does 12-16 hour schedules give to idols that makes it worth it? I know that practice makes perfect, but they really take it to the extreme here. Also, where did the dominant trend of idol groups come from? It's more common in Asian music culture to have group artists as opposed to solo artists, so I'm wondering how that came to be.
I don't mean to bring hate or any kind of negativity to idols themselves if it sounded like that anywhere in my post, I'm just genuinely curious where these ideas began. It's so interesting to see the trends evolve since the 2nd gen groups. If anyone has an explanation of anything please comment below! Thank you!
Its the same as it was back then. GD was a trainee for years. He even started out at SM. Taeyang was with him at YG after. T.O.P was initially sent away for being too fat then dropped an insane amount of weight to get a chance at BIGBANG.
BIGBANG IS an exception in many ways but not in the trainee way except TOP who only trained for a year.
Before that and after that the trainee system has persisted.
truee the boys did go through a lot, prob cause they were the first young group YG worked with and one of the first of their kind. actually rewatching the bigbang documentary is what sparked this question in the first place lol. im still wondering why trainees have to go through so much in the first place though
The current idol trainee system was started by SM founder Lee Sooman. Sources say he was inspired by New Kids On The Block when he was in the US and used their model for the first agency trained idol group H.O.T. I see other sources of inspiration as Johny's Enterainment in Japan and Motown Records in the US.
ohhh okay so it was Lee Sooman. This is interesting info, I forgot about H.O.T. wow thank you
Most of what you're listing existed long before K-Pop. However, some particulars such as absurd practice routines/durations came about during early 1st gen. Difference is that some of that started with folks already in their 20s who were older and had experience, so they decided what they were doing. Or teens who already graduated and were working full time. So, when companies wanted to bring those to younger groups they were making to replicate these senior groups, they didn't incorporate them appropriately.
LSM won't admit it and fair game to him because death isn't good enough for Johnny Kitagawa and SK in general wants to pretend Japan doesn't exist (again fair game) but his standards are HEAVILY pulled from the standards Johnny set for his idols and other young jpop idols from the 80s. The extraordinary thinness (always been trendy, but never more so than in the 80s and 90s), being "cute and relatable" (notice how 1st and 2nd gen groups, bgs particularly, have a lot more "ordinary" looking types) over the extreme glamour of 60s motown (another influence obviously, but musically and legally not visually imo and I think that's an important distinction) and contemporary (of the 80s) young western pop idols at the time eg. Madonna, Michael Jackson, the absurd gimmicks some of these groups had (look up Hikaru GENJI)... the extreme youth and focus on barely pubescent looks is just because Johnny was a fucking pedo rapist piece of shit and that was heavily normalised in Japan and tbh the entertainment industry in general until very recently (you could argue it still is) etc etc etc... unfortunately Johnny was an extremely influential man, and LSM was unfortunately correct to mimic his successes even if it came at the cost of so many young men and women. His success lead to more imitators, some straight up, some who put their own twist on his tried-and-true formula, and thus we have kpop as it exists today.
this is a really good answer. i hate it but it explains so much....
Some of this stuff comes from culture, we love young, skinny, pretty people that's why idols are supposed to be young, skinny and pretty. Korea has insane work culture that's why idols works insane hours, just like everybody else.
Top People to Talk to
Related
AI Answer
How long does it take to become a Kpop idol
Key Considerations:
Training Duration: Most aspiring K-pop idols undergo rigorous training for several years, typically ranging from 2 to 5 years. Some may train even longer, depending on their agency and individual progress.
Age of Entry: Many trainees start at a young age, often between 12 to 15 years old. This early start allows for ample time to develop skills in singing, dancing, and performance.
Agency Selection: The time it takes can vary significantly based on the entertainment agency. Major agencies like SM, YG, and JYP have structured training programs that can influence the duration of training.
Skill Development: Trainees focus on various skills, including vocal training, dance choreography, language learning, and stage presence. The more dedicated and talented a trainee is, the quicker they may debut.
Debut Opportunities: Not all trainees debut. Agencies often hold auditions and select only a few to form new groups, which can extend the time for those who do not make the cut initially.
Takeaway: Becoming a K-pop idol is a long and competitive journey that requires dedication, talent, and perseverance. If you're considering this path, be prepared for a significant commitment to training and personal development.
Still looking for a better answer?
Get more comprehensive results summarized by our most cutting edge AI model. Plus deep Youtube search.