What could be the best professional exposure without actual professional exposure, being a supporting artist? You get to polish your skills, build connections, learn professionalism and get great exposure till your debut. These successful idols were once background artists of big celebrities then, proving their worth. So here are Top 10 best Korean Idols who were background artists once.
1. Lee Know
The lead dancer and vocalist of Stray Kids, Lee Min Ho, a.k.a. Lee Know, was a backup dancer of B.T.S. He was a leading performer as he even went on some tours with them. Though the dancers had 80-90 members, the members immediately identified him after his debut. The work experience was worth it. He was the choreographer of Hellevator, Stray Kids’, one of the best songs.
2. BTS
The history creator B.T.S. are well-known for their mesmerizing stage performances, but only a few people know about their pre-debut experiences. Before debuting, the members SUGA, Jimin, J-Hope, and Jungkook were the backup dancers of GLAM’s song “Glamorous.”
3. Lay
One of the best dancers in E.X.O. When Jonghyun, one of the SHINEE’s members, couldn’t perform, he chose to be his backup. SHINEE’s Ring Ding Dong moves are unique and pretty challenging to master quickly. It proves how well of a dancer Lay is.
4. Ni-Ki
Selected ENHYPEN’s youngest member to be the backup dancer of SHINEE in 2017-18; he was only 11 years then. He may not be the lead dancer of Enhypen, but he sure is a professional in his forte.
5. Kang Daniel
He made the entire spotlight get onto him by winning the second season of Producer 101, the reality idol survival show, by 100,000 votes. He then became one of the most famous members of the wants a One (2017-18). Later discovered that he was a backup dancer for FIESTAR’s Cao Lu and SPICA’s Sihyun during their performance on “Invitation.” He stated that he was an outcast amongst his classmates because of his appearance; he overcame it by developing self-confidence after learning to dance. He added that it was his first time dancing with a girl, so he was pretty nervous.
6. Shownu
Born as Son Hyun Woo, he debuted as the leader of Monsta X through Mnet’s survival show. Before that, he saw as the backup dancer of Lee Hyori and performing some intimate dance moves with her caught the netizen’s eyes. Appreciate him for his idol-like visuals. He was also seen in Hyori’s music videos like Bad Girls and Going Crazy and saw during promotions.
7. Eunbi
Kwon Eun Bi initially debuted as a Ye-Ain in 2014, which got disbanded after one year. She then participated in producer 48, a survival reality show. And then debuted as the leader of South Korean- Japanese girl group Iz*One which disbanded in 2021. She said that she convinced her parents to let her follow her dreams. She was a backup dancer of Secret and Girl’s Day when she was 17. She got a lot of inspiration and motivation from Girl’s Day, Lee Hyeri, her school senior.
8. Coups
He is a 26-year-old leader of the South Korean boy band Seventeen. Known for his manly and powerful performance, discovered that he was a backup dancer for many groups like After School and Orange Caramel. He appeared in many M.V.s, like Raina’s solo song Superwoman, After School’s Wonderboy, NU’EST’s Face.
9. Kahi
Coming from a not so financially stable background was the difficult phase of her career. She was determined to become a dancer, but she continued to study due to her father’s wish. She was the lead dancer of D.J. Doc’s Run to You, which made her famous and tense. She left it and to started doing many part-time jobs to earn money. A choreographer of S.M.E. then selected her to work full-time as a backup dancer of BoA. Her work received appreciation and success as she started to work with more artists like Jinusean, 1TYM, Lexy, and many more.
10. Chungha
Former member of I.O.I. and a well-known Soloist, famous for groovy music and robust dance moves. She was once a backup dancer of Ulala Session and was still noticeable because of her skills. During an interview, she also stated that it would be better to call them dancers and not backup dancers, as they help the artist convey the performance better. It shows her thoughtfulness and the experience that she learned while a backup dancer once.
