kpop idols

The global sensation of Korean pop music, also known as K-pop has been taking over the world for the past decade or so, which includes the vigorous training of K-pop idols. K-pop idols are a type of K-pop artist who usually work for a mainstream entertainment agency and undertakes extensive training to eventually reach global success in a group act. Through blood, sweat and tears, K-pop Idols maintain a carefully curated public image, worth more than just their looks and singing talent.

 

Idols have to work incredibly hard to get in to an agency and then harder once signing as a trainee to make their debut.  Many classes have to be taken as training every day such as singing, dancing, acting and even language classes. Whilst considering most of these trainees are still teenagers, juggling student life and idol life. Trainee life can span anything up to ten-years, depending on the agency and the contract signed. For most idols the worst part is no knowing if they’ll debut at all.

 

Even though much more is needed from an idol than their looks, good looks are extremely important to Korean celebrities. Besides the infamous plastic surgeries and cosmetic enhancements, the majority if not all idols are made to follow a strict diet plan and limit food intake to maintain a certain weight, not normally a healthy weight, especially before a performance. Most female idols are underweight and follow a ‘paper cup diet’, which involves filling a paper cup with healthy food for their daily food intake. This is to help them ensure a very strict and controlled proportion of food intake to keep their dream of being an idol.

 

K-pop idols have an extremely busy schedule, when they are not in training practising singing, dancing, recording songs and producing albums, they also need to market and promote their work. Just to get their name out in the industry a variety of commercials, photoshoots, variety show appearances and attending events is needed to turn them into a household name. However, the risk of exhaustion and other health problems comes hand in hand with an idols busy schedule, with idols fainting on stage during a performance, numerous times.

 

There is a myth surrounding the Korean music industry called the ‘seven-year curse’, which explains that idol groups not normally last any longer than five to seven years. This is due to the Korean music industry is saturated with agencies continuously producing idol groups several times a year, naturally, the weaker groups disband due to failure of standing out within intense competition.

 

In Korean culture, public image is extremely important with one small scandal ruining an idols career. Keeping a strong public image and being in the public eye also involves the lack of privacy. Korean ‘fangirls’ and ‘fanboys’ are a whole other level noting themselves as ‘sasaeng fans’ or ‘private fans’, that are between thirteen and twenty-two years of age, undergoing extremely unhealthy levels of idol obsession.

 

Korean idols go through intense and rigorous training that can sometime produce success… but at what cost.