In the glitzy world of Korean pop, aka K-pop, all we see happy and energetic faces of the idols. Spectacular dance performances, glamorous award functions to luxury brand deals, we often see only the good side of the K-pop industries. Behind those glittery worlds, there is endless hardship and sacrifices that the idols make. Especially in their trainee days, they are constantly training 24/7 and are constantly under strict supervision. We all know how competitive the K-pop world is, so trainees are watched and constantly criticized for their vocals, dance moves, and even looks and weight. This puts the idols under a lot of pressure. Sometimes, this stress takes a toll on their mind, and they even think of walking out of the group and giving up on their dreams. Here is the list of the top 10 K-pop idols who almost left their group.
1. J-Hope (BTS)
Jung Ho Seok, who goes by the stage name J-Hope, is the rapper, singer, songwriter, and main dancer of the group BTS. Can you imagine BTS without J-Hope? No right, well this could have happened if J-hope had not made the right choice to stay in the group. During their early days, the group was going through a lot of struggles, so J-Hope decided to leave the group. Eventually, he returned because the member requested him to come back and he trusted the group. The group revealed that they did not know what they would have done without him they were dependent on him as he was the main dancer.
2. Jimin (BTS)
Shocked to see another BTS member on the list? Park Jimin, popularly known as Jimin is a singer and dancer of the famous K-pop boy band BTS. Jimin graduated from Busan Arts High School, despite Big Hit Entertainment, now Hybe labels, being dubious about putting Jimin in the group. This was because he was performing more of a modern dance form, not hip-hop which was the concept of the group. Later with constant practice and hard work he proved the agency with his dance moves and debuted in the group.
3. Tzuyu (Twice)
Chou Tzuyu, popularly known as Tzuyu is the singer and dancer of the K-pop girl group Twice. The group was formed in a television reality show known as Sixteen. The group originally had to debut with seven members. After the lineup of the seven members, Tzuyu was left behind, later JYP decided to put her in the group as she had the most viewer’s choice and was also more popular. Thanks to this decision made by JYP, Tzuyu was added to the group.
4. Momo (Twice)
Momo Hirai, popularly known as Momo, is the dancer and singer of the K-pop girl group Twice. She has the same story as Tzuyu. As the group Twice was supposed to be a group of seven members, Momo was out of the lineup. Momo is an incredible dancer and she also showed a great presence in the show. Because of this, JYP decided to put him in the group. He said, “The member who will show amazing dancing and performance is Momo.” This is how she made it to the group.
5. Felix (Stray Kids)
Felix is the rapper, singer, and dancer of the K-pop boy band Stray Kids. In the year 2017, JYP Entertainment announced a reality show. In the show the group Stray Kids was formed. During the judgement JYP eliminated Felix. Later, he gave him another chance to show his talent. Felix managed to convince JYP and debuted in the group. It is hard to even imagine Stray Kids without the deep voice of Felix, thank God he debuted in the group.
6. Lee Know (Stray Kids)
Lee Min-Ho, who goes by the stage name Lee Know, is a singer and dancer of the K-pop boy band Stray Kids. Lee Know also has the same story as Felix. When JYP Entertainment announced a reality show to form a boy band, Lee Know participated in the show. He was also eliminated as the show progressed. Later, Park Jin Young gave a second chance to the idol, and later, he was convinced that the group was more energetic in the presence of both Felix and Lee Know and decided to put them in the group.
7. Seulgi (Red Velvet)
Kang Seul-gi, popularly known as Seulgi, is a singer and dancer of the girl group Red Velvet. Seulgi was a trainee under SM Entertainment for seven years, and during those years, she was going through a very hard time. She even thought of quitting her dreams as she thought that she was not improving. In an interview, she said “I think my fifth to fourth year of my trainee life was most difficult. After the second and third years of my trainee days, I started questioning if I was doing the right thing and if I was even improving.” But her mother helped her to get through that phase, and she decided to stay.
8. Heechul (Super Junior)
Kim Hee-Chul, popularly known as Heechul, is a singer, dancer, model, and actor, also a member of the boy band Super Junior. Heechul was a rebellious trainee. In his trainee days, he argued with the trainer. In a show, he said he was listening to a song, and when the trainer asked him about it, Heechul told her the name of the song, to which the trainer got angry and told him not to listen to the song. The trainer and Heechul argued this and he was almost kicked out of the company. When he was told to write an apology letter he wrote” I did nothing wrong, but I will still write this.” Eventually, he was called back to the company.
9. Kang Daniel (WANA ONE)
Kang Daniel is a South Korean singer, dancer, actor, and a former member of the K-pop boy band WANNA ONE. The group was formed in a reality show named Produce 101 Season 2. In the competition, he had the lowest ranking in the on-site voting. He was so disappointed by this, that he wanted to leave the show. He said “At that point, I wanted to drop out, I was very embarrassed by myself. Should I stop doing this, I started to have this thought.”
10. Itzy
Itzy is a K-pop girl group, that debuted on January 21, 2019, under JYP Entertainment. The group as a whole wanted to leave the agency. The group was in SBS’s “Tikita CAR,” where one of the members Chaeryeong revealed that they had been training in the company for a long time, but in the company, they needed to do a monthly skill evaluation, which was difficult for them to do it for such a long period of the time. So, they decided to leave the group as a whole and start on their own. However, they stayed and debuted under JYP Entertainment.
