12/28/2023 0 Comments Idol manager sexualAs such, their high expectations are not limited to performance but extend to body image as well. Idols climb a never-ending ladder toward beauty, fame and excellence - presenting a product of harsh discipline and a life of toil. They live on packed schedules, going from training to promotional events and interviews just to make a name for themselves – leading to countless stories about extreme sleep deprivation and exhaustion. Where American artists often spend a year recording an album and then take a year or two off, the downtime for K-pop is at most a couple of months. The intensity of their lives never seems to cease. As a result, some of them work multiple jobs just to get by. If their incurred expenses exceed their bands’ earnings, stars must pay them back. “Once, I needed to sell my belongings, my laptop and beloved piano, to survive,” wrote Way, a former member of Crayon Pop, in an email to Insider. Including his trainee debt and living expenses, Henry Prince Mak from JJCC concluded last year that he was only making $1 or $2 per day. Unwilling to abandon their dreams of an illustrious career, many continue with their labels until they lose everything. For instance, after five years in the industry, FIESTAR’s Cao Lu was living off $450 each month. Additionally, most K-pop groups must split that 10% among themselves, most of which goes toward their training debt. Revenue is split disproportionally between managing companies and their stars, with labels often receiving 90% of all profits from album sales and tours, while just 10% goes to the artists. “ could train for years and years and never know if they would actually ‘debut,’” said Euodias, a former K-pop trainee.Įven those who survive training sometimes make nothing for years. Trainees are sorted into groups based on talent and physical attractiveness, and they practice for weekly showcases – anyone who cannot keep up could be dropped. K-pop idols are bred from tense, competitive environments. All trainees are constantly monitored, and their 24-hour days are divided between exercising, practicing or sleeping before beginning their routine again. They follow strict rules, including no dating and no phones. Trainees live and practice together, only leaving the building to attend school. However, this number can vary as every label and contract is different. In some cases, the whole process, from becoming a trainee to releasing a debut album, can cost up to a million dollars. Often, idols themselves do not know what they must pay until they are told to pay up. Typical expenses for a trainee can top $50,000 per year, though the industry’s opacity makes calculating that figure with any certainty very difficult. These issues necessitate greater reflection on talent labels’ blatant disregard for idols’ well-being, molding them into money-making machines and treating them like nothing more.Īll K-pop idols start as trainees, participants in a rigorous training program where they dedicate their lives for the chance to debut. Unfortunately, in wake of the exposure, there has been a lack of substantial action and change. In recent years, corruption, mistreatment and exploitation stories have slowly come to light. Whether on social media, stage or in public, K-pop stars are nurtured to maintain a facade of physical aesthetic and pure morals. Simply being called an “idol” signifies an unspoken burden of perfection. Idols are forced to endure “slave contracts,” relinquishing all aspects of their lives to company control. Companies prey on this ambition for their own profits, cultivating them into paragons of the music industry while denying basic human rights and freedoms. But when an industry works so hard to seem unblemished, it only makes me more skeptical of what is hiding underneath.įrom the fame to the perceived wealth, everything about becoming an “idol,” someone with the ability to model, act, sing and dance, is enticing to the young performers in South Korea. These K-pop groups are well known for the synchronicity of their dance moves, photogenic looks and catchy tunes. The K-pop industry is flourishing, making its way onto the international stage and defining a new genre of music with its own personality.
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