For instance, Kiss of Life’s Natty made her debut at a mid-sized agency after leaving major companies and has still risen to the top tier of idol groups.
G-Dragon recently made his solo comeback with the single “POWER” after a seven-year hiatus. He debuted under YG Entertainment 18 years ago as a member of BIGBANG, a group that led the K-pop wave in the mid-2010s. The LA Times once described BIGBANG as “the most successful band in K-pop over the past decade”, with a global influence comparable to artists like Adele, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift.
Although G-Dragon is known as a YG artist, he revealed that he was initially an SM Entertainment trainee. On “You Quiz on the Block”, he shared, “Not many know this, but I was an SM trainee.” He explained that while he was doing child acting, he joined a dance competition where Lee Soo-man was the host. After five years at SM, he felt it wasn’t the right fit, so he left, learned to rap, and was eventually scouted by YG.
TWICE’s Jihyo, an artist under JYP Entertainment, also started as an SM trainee. She disclosed this on the YouTube channel “Hyo’s Level Up”, saying, “Before training for 10 years at JYP, I spent a year at SM.” She explained that the person who cast her moved to JYP, and she followed them.
Since she was a trainee before Girls’ Generation debuted, some fans have wondered if she could have been a part of the group. However, fans mostly feel that debuting with TWICE, which helped define the third generation of K-pop, was a better outcome.
TWICE, which debuted in 2015, continues to be loved globally as they approach their 10th anniversary. Last year, they reached #84 on Billboard’s Hot 100 with “Moonlight Sunrise” and topped the Global 200 chart with “With YOU-th”.
Kiss of Life’s Natty has shown the “miracle of mid-sized agencies”. A former trainee at both SM and JYP, she first joined SM after passing their Thailand global audition in 2013 and lived with Red Velvet members Joy and Seulgi.
Later, she joined JYP after being accepted there, inspired by her mother, a fan of 2PM. After leaving JYP in 2017, Natty pursued her dreams through several companies. She finally debuted with Kiss of Life under S2 Entertainment, reaching #3 on Melon’s TOP100 within a year of debut. Fans have praised Natty for her perseverance, admiring her polished skills after years as a trainee.
Source: Naver
