Hi everyone!
This is just random info I have gathered through people in the kpop industry after working as a dancer in Korea. Some of these I gathered from hair and makeup staff at salons, executives at kpop companies, casting directors, etc. Take the blind items with a grain of salt!
1. Veteran idol A had an alcohol issue a few years ago. Once, A drank so much before the day of recording for a new album that they had to have a ghost singer fill in for them. Thankfully, A is fine now.
2. Idol B is at the top of their generation, a nice person, and treats staff very well. However, B is known for dating ("dating", more like sleeping around) with many actors, and cycles through boyfriends quickly. Even the most upright idols are like B, with no intention of settling down, since getting married too early is an instant career death.
3. Agency C and Agency D have young girl groups with similar concepts that have benefited greatly from being "rivals" in the media, so they are planning on debuting similar rookie girl groups around the same time this year to replicate the hype.
4. Group E disbanded once their contract ended. It is largely speculated that Member F was the one who gave the group false confidence that they would be able to seamlessly switch agencies or extend their contract, but the plans fell through. The rest of the members of E hold strong resentment towards F due to this matter, which is why they have yet to reunite.
5. There are stories of mid-tier companies and survival shows passing women as old as 28 for brand new groups with no previous debut experience. This is a new industry trend that is a direct response to the success of ADP and the cast of K-pop Demon Hunters, along with criticism towards very young groups and shows. Agencies want to cast older talent and are willing to take the risk of debuting someone older, but the problem is that many trainees stop trying by the time they hit 20. Even former female idol G who is almost 30 is fixed for an upcoming survival show.
6. Fans tend to overlook the fact that celebrities are chosen to be celebrities because their natural bodies are already slender with good proportions and fast metabolism. Performances are one thing, but there are also constant rehearsals and dance lessons behind the scenes, so eating enough to maintain stamina is essential. Many get targeted micro liposuction or fat-dissolving shots often so they can maintain a healthy diet but still get the figure they want. Taking GLP-1 such as Ozempic or Wegovy is seen as a cop-out, and they're frowned upon in Korea as a sign of a "lack of discipline". (This doesn't mean no one takes them, though, just that the ones who do know to have some shame)
7. Small agencies want Fifty Fifty's Cupid level of success with a group's debut single and do not prepare their budget for actually marketing them or giving them comebacks. It's not always a lack of funding or investment but a lack of planning.
8. Korea is obsessed with AI. They want to debut AI idol groups instead of real idols due to reduced costs. However, you have to train the AI on how to act like an idol and maintain it, but the executives who want to create these AI idols have no idea what idols are even like. They just want a quick buck.
If you have any specific questions or want to know more about a certain topic, drop a comment, and I might return for part 2.
This is just random info I have gathered through people in the kpop industry after working as a dancer in Korea. Some of these I gathered from hair and makeup staff at salons, executives at kpop companies, casting directors, etc. Take the blind items with a grain of salt!
1. Veteran idol A had an alcohol issue a few years ago. Once, A drank so much before the day of recording for a new album that they had to have a ghost singer fill in for them. Thankfully, A is fine now.
2. Idol B is at the top of their generation, a nice person, and treats staff very well. However, B is known for dating ("dating", more like sleeping around) with many actors, and cycles through boyfriends quickly. Even the most upright idols are like B, with no intention of settling down, since getting married too early is an instant career death.
3. Agency C and Agency D have young girl groups with similar concepts that have benefited greatly from being "rivals" in the media, so they are planning on debuting similar rookie girl groups around the same time this year to replicate the hype.
4. Group E disbanded once their contract ended. It is largely speculated that Member F was the one who gave the group false confidence that they would be able to seamlessly switch agencies or extend their contract, but the plans fell through. The rest of the members of E hold strong resentment towards F due to this matter, which is why they have yet to reunite.
5. There are stories of mid-tier companies and survival shows passing women as old as 28 for brand new groups with no previous debut experience. This is a new industry trend that is a direct response to the success of ADP and the cast of K-pop Demon Hunters, along with criticism towards very young groups and shows. Agencies want to cast older talent and are willing to take the risk of debuting someone older, but the problem is that many trainees stop trying by the time they hit 20. Even former female idol G who is almost 30 is fixed for an upcoming survival show.
6. Fans tend to overlook the fact that celebrities are chosen to be celebrities because their natural bodies are already slender with good proportions and fast metabolism. Performances are one thing, but there are also constant rehearsals and dance lessons behind the scenes, so eating enough to maintain stamina is essential. Many get targeted micro liposuction or fat-dissolving shots often so they can maintain a healthy diet but still get the figure they want. Taking GLP-1 such as Ozempic or Wegovy is seen as a cop-out, and they're frowned upon in Korea as a sign of a "lack of discipline". (This doesn't mean no one takes them, though, just that the ones who do know to have some shame)
7. Small agencies want Fifty Fifty's Cupid level of success with a group's debut single and do not prepare their budget for actually marketing them or giving them comebacks. It's not always a lack of funding or investment but a lack of planning.
8. Korea is obsessed with AI. They want to debut AI idol groups instead of real idols due to reduced costs. However, you have to train the AI on how to act like an idol and maintain it, but the executives who want to create these AI idols have no idea what idols are even like. They just want a quick buck.
If you have any specific questions or want to know more about a certain topic, drop a comment, and I might return for part 2.
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