Many K-pop stars in the industry started their journey from the ground up and had to deal with immense pressure from peers to get to where they are.
Here are four K-pop artist that had a sad story at the beginning of their careers.
1. Dara (2NE1 Member)
When Dara was ten years old, her family had decided to move to the Philippines due to their family’s financial debt in Korea. It was there that the 2NE1 member found a career in acting and singing.
Her self-titled album became a success in the Philippines that sold over 100k copies and launched her on a couple of television shows and films.
However, her father, who was in charge of her finances, ended up causing many problems. Her family was once in a financial crisis after Dara’s father developed a gambling addiction. Also, he left the family for another woman and ended his connection with her.
Despite Dara’s career in the Philippines wavering, she received an offer from YG Entertainment to become a trainee, which she immediately accepted. Afterward, she flew back to Seoul with her family to start training and be a part of YG Entertainment.
Two years later, she became a member of one of the most successful girl group in the business: 2NE1.
2. Euna Kim
Euna Kim was a trainee under YG Entertainment who was supposed to debut with the K-pop group PINK PUNK. However, that debut was a miss that she ended up leaving the company as a trainee for three years and debuting with another group called The Ark.
However, Euna Kim’s debut with The Ark wasn’t very successful either and caused them to disband after a year of promoting. After the group’s disbandment, the singer had participated in talent shows such as “Unpretty Rapstar” and “The Unit” but was unsuccessful.
3. Ori
Ori began her career in participating in KBS’s talent show “Music Bank.” However, her debut was criticized by netizens, saying that her performance at the show was below-average.
Netizens also continued to comment on her appearance at the show maliciously, even going too far by saying “worst debut in history.”
After netizens criticized her, Ori began to disappear from the stage. It was later found out by a Youtuber named Midnight Theories that the harsh comments about her were the cause of her disappearance in the entertainment industry.
4. Kim Yohan (Wei Member)
Kim Yohan debuted on the show “Produce 101”, where the boy band X1 was produced. In his first appearance, he made headlines when they learned that he was a former national Taekwondo athlete, but threw it all away because his biggest dream was to become an idol instead.
Kim Yohan was beloved by the viewers of the talent show that landed him in the first place and secured his spot on the boy band X1. However, it was later revealed that the votes from “Produce 101” were rigged. After the news broke out, the five-member group decided to disband.
After the X1 disbandment, Kim Yohan would later star on a K-drama titled “2020” but was canceled due to arguments between the K-drama director and its female lead Ahn Seo Hyun.
Despite the bumps mentioned above earlier in his career, the “Produce 101” star will be debuting with his new K-pop group WEi in October.
