10 K-Pop Idols With the Longest Training Periods Before Debuting
Before any K-Pop idol makes their debut, they have to undergo intense training to hone their vocal, rap, and dance skills, among others. While some idols only trained for a short period of time before making their debut, there are also plenty who took numerous years before finally making it on stage.
With that, here are ten K-Pop idols who had the longest training periods before debuting, in no particular order!
1. TWICE Jihyo - 10 years
TWICE Jihyo
Jihyo first joined JYP Entertainment after being scouted by the label when she won second place in a contest held by Naver. She later became a trainee at JYP Entertainment at the tender age of eight years old, during which she trained with other known idols such as miss A's Suzy, 2PM's Nickhun, former Wonder Girls' Sunmi, 2AM's Jo Kwon, and more. After 10 years of training, she debuted as the leader of TWICE in 2015.
2. (G)I-DLE Miyeon - 8 years
(G)I-DLE Miyeon
Before joining her current label Cube Entertainment, Miyeon had trained under YG Entertainment for five years, after being accepted as a trainee when she was in middle school. However, after failing to make her debut under the label, she left YG Entertainment and joined Cube Entertainment in 2017, where she spent the next year training once again. She eventually made her debut with (G)I-DLE in 2018.
3. NCT Johnny - 9 years
NCT Johnny
Before making his debut with NCT in 2017, Johnny was the trainee with the longest training period among all of SM Entertainment's artists and trainees. He joined SM Entertainment back in 2008 after passing their Global Audition in Chicago, United States, and had even trained with the EXO members, whom he could have debuted with. During his pre-debut days, Johnny was one of the well know trainees in SM Entertainment.
4. EVERGLOW Aisha - 11 years
EVERGLOW Aisha
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5. A.C.E Jun - 9 years
A.C.E Jun
Before joining his current label Beat Interactive and Swing Entertainment, Jun had trained under Jellyfish Entertainment alongside the VIXX members. After seven years with Jellyfish Entertainment, he moved to Stone Entertainment where he trained for a year. He later moved once again to Beat Interactive, and debuted with A.C.E in 2017 after training for another year.
6. BIGBANG G-Dragon - 11 years
BIGBANG G-Dragon
Prior to debuting with BIGBANG, G-Dragon had already started his career as part of Little Roo'Ra when he was six years old. He later became a trainee under SM Entertainment when he was eight years old, and spent five years training with the label. After catching the eye of Jinusean's Sean as a young rapper, he was recommended to join YG Entertainment, and trained there for six years before making his debut in 2006.
7. Billlie Moon Sua - 12 years
Billlie Moon Sua
Moon Sua was a well known trainee under YG Entertainment, and was even part of the pre-debut group "Future 2NE1." She trained with the current BLACKPINK members, and was even thought to be one of the members debuting with the group. However, after failing to debut under the label, she left YG Entertainment after 10 years. She later joined MYSTIC Story, and after training for two more years, debuted with Billlie.
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8. Former PRISTIN Xiyeon - 9 years
Former PRISTIN member Xiyeon
Xiyeon was a well-known trainee at Pledis Entertainment, and was even dubbed as the "Pledis Princess." She first joined the label as a trainee when she was just in third grade, and spent the next nine years of her life training under the label. After nine years, she finally made her debut with PRISTIN in 2017.
9. G.Soul - 15 years
G.Soul
While G.Soul is technically not promoting as an idol, he is well-known to be the artist who trained the longest in the industry before making his official debut. Under JYP Entertainment, G.Soul trained for a whopping 15 years, ultimately making him the label's longest trainee.
10. WJSN Seola - 10 years
WJSN Seola
Seola, who is the oldest member of WJSN, became a trainee in 2006 under Media Line Entertainment. After training for several years under the label, she moved to Starship Entertainment, where she is believed to have spent seven years training before making her debut with the group. With her training under Media Line Entertainment and Starship Entertainment, she spent a total of 10 years as a trainee.
Which other K-Pop idols do you know trained for a long time?
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Written by Robyn Joan
