There are those who dreamed of becoming idols since they were young, but these 5 K-pop stars seem to be fated to become celebrities from the get-go as they entered their companies just after tagging along with their friends during auditions.

Here Are 5 Idols Who Joined Auditions Due to Friends, Passed, and Rose As Top Stars

1. Girls' Generation Yuri

Kwon Yuri, the beloved "black pearl" of Girls' Generation, actually has a unique casting story before debuting in the girl group.

In an interview, Yuri narrated that her friend only asked her to go to SM Entertainment as a backup dancer for her audition.

While at the venue, she was suddenly asked to dance and sing and Yuri cluelessly did. Things then escalated so quickly — from asking her parents to visit the company to the boss offering them a contract — the rest is history!

Now, Yuri stands as one of the most respectable female icons in the K-pop scene, a member of the legendary "Bermuda Triangle" and "Nation's Girl Group."

She is also making name as an actress and variety entertainer!

2. Bae Suzy

Prior to joining JYP Entertainment as Miss A, Bae Suzy was first seen in the preliminary round of Mnet's "Superstar K."

At the time, she only tagged along with her long-time friend LABOUM's Soyeon, but after seeing her, a casting manager from JYP waited for more than 8 hours for her to come out after the audition to scout her.

In 2010, Suzy debuted as Miss A and rose as one of the top-tier second-gen groups. She also established her position as "Nation's First Love" after challenging acting through the movie, "Architecture 101," in 2012.

After 13 years, Suzy is still massively loved, having another glory days thanks to her hit Netflix drama, "Doona!"

3. EXO Xiumin

Another top-notch artist who was brought by a friend to accomodate them during an audition was EXO Xiumin!

Before he was able to debut, Xiumin was discovered after joining a singing contest organized by SM Entertainment. He just participated because of a friend who encouraged him to accompany him, but he ended up winning second place instead!

Since then, Xiumin trained under SM and became a member of "Nation's Pick" EXO.

The idol also rose as a soloist and actor. During the 2023 Korean First Brand Awards, he was awarded as "Best Male Solo Singer."

4. BTS V

Aside from the aforementioned, world-class BTS V also joined the entertainment industry after going to audition with his friend and passing the audition.

Coming from countryside of Daegu, BTS V followed his friend who will audition in Seoul to meet people from the city.

Despite the shining and sparkling people in Seoul, V's handsome face still stood out to Big Hit officials (hereinafter HYBE) and he was offered an audition.

V then gladly showcased versatile skills including dancing, singing and beatboxing, leading him to pass the audition. Unfortunately, his friend was eliminated.

He entered the company like that and after 1 and a half year of training, V made his debut in BTS.

As of January this year, BTS rose as the "biggest boy group in the world," boasting 370 awards with 77 daesang trophies, and even V alone became a double million-seller soloist, as of September.

5. Red Velvet Wendy

Wendy was also asked by her friend to go with them for an audition and ended up passing it instead.

Originally, Wendy wasn't that much interested in idols, but thanks to her friend's words, she followed them at the audition venue and sang Kin Gun Mo's "Moon of Seoul."

Eventually, she debuted as the main vocalist of popular girl group Red Velvet in 2014, and is now loved as an outstanding vocalist representing K-pop idols!

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Written by Eunice Dawson.