Pre-debut: Life as a K-pop trainee

by Ningning Ying

You've most likely heard of K-pop idols thanks to the industry's significant growth in the last few years. K-pop idols, most often in groups, are celebrities with a variety of skills. But before K-pop idols become K-pop idols, they are trainees. “I think what makes K-pop K-pop is the time we spend as a trainee.” Said Jennie Kim, a member of the popular K-pop group BLACKPINK, in the Netflix documentary BLACKPINK: Light up the sky. So what exactly is a K-pop trainee?

Being a K-pop trainee is like studying to become a K-pop idol. Trainees are taken in by companies when they are as young as ten years old through audition processes or by being scouted. They sign trainee contracts that last two to four years that accept them into the company and its regimen.

It is common for trainees to live together in dorms, especially when the company plans for them to debut. If there is a group of trainees that the company plans to debut, they take classes and practice together. Since they have the same schedules, it is more convenient for them and the managers who monitor them if they are living together. Even if trainees don't have a planned debut, they still live in dorms, unless they live close to the company's offices.

Companies usually restrict and closely monitor the cell phone usage of their trainees. However, some companies do not let trainees have phones at all. Trainees usually stay away from social media since it is vital to have a clean image when they debut.

Most trainees attend school since education is taken very seriously in Asian countries. Additionally, it can serve as a backup plan in case they do not debut. But many K-pop idols and trainees attend performing arts high schools such as Hanlim Multi Art School, Seoul Performing Arts High School, and Lila Arts High School instead of regular high schools. They often find it hard to balance school and being a trainee. Thus, these performing arts schools are popular because they are more flexible and can then accommodate the busy schedules of a trainee.

The schedule of a K-pop trainee can include 12 or more hours of work. They take classes in dancing, singing, rapping, acting, languages and more. Trainees also can spend up to 5-6 hours on mandatory practice, many of them even choose to do extra.

The environment that trainees are in is a very competitive one. Aspiring idols can debut in as little time as a few months, or as much as 15 years. When a trainee enters a company, the company pays for housing, training, and food expenses, and in turn, the trainee entrusts their time, effort, and career to the company. When a trainee doesn't debut, they are left with debt and wasted time. A lot is on the line for trainees as they can not afford to not debut.

Every month, the producers and staff assess the trainees' progress by having them perform. Sometimes, companies drop trainees because their monthly evaluation performances are not good enough. Although being dropped because of monthly evaluations is rare, companies are well within their rights to do so.

Something that companies also assess is the bodies of their trainees. All trainees, male and female, have their body fat percentages checked every month. But in addition to body fat percentage, female trainees have to worry a lot about their weight. Companies weigh their female trainees one to two times a day. A female trainee, no matter how tall, is not supposed to weigh more than 50 kg (about 110 lbs). A trainee that weighs over 50 kg is considered too fat. If a female trainee weighs over 50 kg, the company forces them to lose weight. They do this by restricting the trainees’ access to food and not allowing them to debut unless they lose the necessary weight.

Because of the importance of weighing less, a lot of trainees commit to weight loss diets that are often harmful to their health. Those who eat food either eat one meal a day or only little amounts for each meal. Many of them starve themselves and only drink water all day while exercising rigorously. As a result of these diets, some of them even develop eating disorders.

Another route that trainees can go down is the survival show route. Produce 101, Produce 48, and Idol school are examples of K-pop survival programs, Produce 101 being arguably the most popular. Survival programs are television shows that feature a large group of trainees competing against each other for the chance to debut. These shows can include both trainees that belong to companies, as well as independent trainees that don’t belong to any company. The show will usually reveal the final number of trainees that will get to become idols through the show. Through competing in challenges and performances, trainees are eliminated by producer evaluations or public voting until they reach the set number of trainees to debut.

Survival shows are more about exposure than the actual debut group itself (unless the trainees all come from the same company like Sixteen by JYP that produced the girl group Twice). Survival show groups are usually temporary projects. When the survival show debut group has members from all different companies, they all sign contracts to be together for a set number of years. After that number of years passes, the group disbands. Sometimes individual members debut again under the same company they came from, and sometimes they leave their company. Either way, the exposure they receive from the survival shows and being a member of survival show groups boosts their popularity and helps their career. Even if a trainee does not debut through the show, survival programs still expose them to the public so they can gain popularity before debuting. Some eliminated trainees go on to debut later or catch the eye of another company.

Unfortunately, survival shows have started losing popularity since the Mnet vote manipulation investigation in 2019. Viewers suspected that someone was manipulating the votes in Produce 101 during its 4th season and filed a lawsuit against Mnet since their voting service charged 100 won (0.088 USD). The investigation found that the producers Ahn Joon-young and Kim Yong-bum did indeed manipulate the votes for the show. This scandal has both negatively affected the promotions of debut groups resulting in these shows, I*zone and Fromis_9, and the public's opinion on survival shows.

Lee Seok Cheol, an ex K-pop idol, in CNA insider's video How To Become A K-Pop Idol: Life As A Foreign Trainee said, "Many of them think, ‘Since I'm quite good looking and I can sing and dance really well, should I become a K-pop idol?’ I'm not saying that they shouldn't have such dreams. But just think twice."

Being a K-pop trainee is difficult and certainly not for those without a strong will. The struggles that trainees go through are not random. They stem from the struggles and problems that K-pop idols face. But that is an article for another day.