Busker Busker Drummer Bradley Rae Moore Shines A Light On The Dark Side Of K-Pop: CJ E&M Denies 'Superstar K' Is Fixed

In an interview with Busker Busker drummer Bradley Rae Moore, published earlier this week on Vice Magazine's music blog Noisey, the band's only American member revealed horror stories about his rise to K-pop star status.

According to Moore, the worst abuse the band faced in their quick ascent to superstardom was inflicted during their time on the television singing competition "Superstar K."

Busker Busker was forced to stay in a network-owned dorm where their keys and wallet were taken from them and regular Botox injections were the norm.

The group was also required to make endless commercials for "Superstar K" sponsor Coca-Cola that they weren't paid for.

"The last week was one of the happiest times in all our lives, because we knew that that Friday night, we could go home," Moore said.

"And then the next day, we were going to wake up in our beds, our real beds."

The Busker Busker drummer also claimed the group's celebrity manager during their two-months stint on "Superstar K3" Seok-Hyeon Kim, along with everyone else involved with the show, knew that Ulala Session would be the winner.

On Thursday, a spokesperson for South Korean Entertainment giant CJ E&M, the company that produces "Superstar K" denied that the show was fixed.

"The words to Busker Busker about Ulala Session winning was said when we were telling them what would happen in the case that Ulala Session did win," the spokesperson said.

The company also defended their practices of not paying "Superstar K" artists for commercials.

"The Coca-Cola advertisement that Brad mentioned is for a main sponsor [of 'Superstar K']. The conditions of that ad is that the contestants must film for it," read an official CJ E&M company response.

"So it was not their personal commercial, but a company one."

The CJ E&M statement also called the Botox surgical procedure that Moore said was so painful it moved him to tears, "just a process of becoming a pro, along with getting vocal training as a singer."

The Busker Busker drummer appeared to back away from some of his complaints in a Twitter post from early Thursday morning,

"When I was on 'Superstar K' I didn't know Korean and Korean culture well and misunderstood things," he wrote.

"But now I'm studying Korean hard and happy doing music and broadcasting. I am very thankful for 'Superstar K' for all their support and their contribution to my life."

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Busker Busker
Bradley Ray Moore
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