Everything You Need to Know to Become a K-Pop Trainee

The skills, strengths, and attitude you need to succeed as a K-pop trainee

Co-authored by Yolanda Thomas and Ali Garbacz

Last Updated: February 16, 2023 References

Cultivating Your Skills

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Adopting New Habits

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Auditioning

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Living the Trainee Lifestyle

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Q&A

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Tips

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Warnings

Before your favorite K-pop idols were the iconic performers you know and love, they were just regular trainees. With the rise in popularity of K-pop, more and more people from all over the world are auditioning to become K-pop trainees with the hopes of making it big someday. If you’re someone with the dream of becoming a K-pop star, this article will tell you everything you need to know to jumpstart your career as a trainee. Shoot for the stars and get ready to make your dreams a reality.

Things You Should Know

Work on refining your skills in singing, dancing, rapping, and song writing through practice and lessons.
Learn at least the very fundamentals of the Korean language and study Korean culture.
Attend local or online auditions for your desired entertainment companies and show off your refined skills with confidence to the judges.
If you’re accepted as a trainee, be prepared for intense practice sessions, rigorous schedules, and monthly evaluations of your skills.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Cultivating Your Skills

1
Take dance classes to become a better and more versatile dancer. If you don’t have much dance experience, take a variety of dance classes while maintaining a focus on hip-hop and urban dancing. A big part of being a trainee is being able to perform exceptionally, and that includes dancing.^{[1]
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- If you can’t take actual classes, use the internet to learn new skills.
2
Invest in a vocal coach to strengthen your singing abilities. Even if you’re already a great singer, a coach will likely be able to teach you something new. If nothing else, they can give you tips to increase your endurance when you perform.^{[2]
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- Along with great dance skills, having the ability to sing will increase your odds of getting noticed when you audition to become a trainee.
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3
Work on your rapping skills to round out your skill set. Rapping is an important part of the K-pop genre and is featured in many K-pop songs. Listen to more rap music to get an idea of the rhythm and start imitating your favorite artists.^{[3]
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- If you have trouble enunciating your words and keeping up with the fast rhythm, practice tongue twisters to loosen your lips.
4
Practice writing your own music and perfecting well-known songs. When you audition, you’ll need to perform songs that the producers already know, but when you’re a trainee, you’ll be working on writing and choreographing your own original music. It’s a good idea to work on both aspects of being a performer.^{[4]
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- Take a music writing class and spend a lot of time listening to K-pop and watching music videos so you can start emulating popular styles.

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Adopting New Habits

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Familiarize yourself with Korean culture and beauty standards. Though many companies will accept non-Korean trainees, you will still be catering to a largely Korean audience. It’s smart to learn about the culture if you aren’t already familiar. Study popular K-pop groups, spend time on Korean fashion websites, and read up on etiquette and social norms.^{[5]
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- If you aren’t Korean, it’ll show the producers that you are invested in becoming a K-pop trainee and are willing to work hard to be a part of the culture.
2
Learn to speak Korean if it isn’t a language you’re familiar with. At a minimum, make sure you know basic phrases like “Hello,” “Goodbye,” “Please,” and “Thank you,” and read the Korean alphabet. You will have to sing in Korean at least some of the time if you become a trainee, and knowing the language will also help you make friends and get around in South Korea.^{[6]
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- If you can’t take a Korean language class, try downloading an app like EggBun or Duolingo.
3
Avoid scandals and be careful with what you put on social media. A big part of being a successful trainee is characterized by having good manners and behaving properly. Avoid situations where you might get in trouble, like being at a party where there’s underage drinking. Also use caution when posting on social media. Managers and executives can most likely see your accounts.^{[7]
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- Producers are interested in trainees who have the right skill and are willing to work hard. They aren’t interested in trainees who end up in the spotlight because they’re often in trouble or causing drama.
4
Create a YouTube channel to upload videos and create a following. Start recording your original songs, as well as your covers. Experiment with making videos that show you talking about your personal journey to becoming a K-pop trainee and your experience. Producers often visit YouTube channels when looking for new recruits.^{[8]
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- Create a schedule for posting so that you’re regularly adding new content to your channel, and research different ways to grow your audience.
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Maintain a healthy weight and stay physically fit. Regardless of the beauty standards a company might adhere to, your physical health should be in good enough shape to allow you to keep up with the rigorous activity you’ll go through as a trainee. For K-pop trainees, and even idols, hours of dance practice everyday is fairly common.^{[9]
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- If you feel like you’re out of shape or want to lose weight, incorporate daily exercise into your routine and try to eat more whole foods rather than processed foods.

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Auditioning

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Decide which companies you’d like to audition for. Some of the major entertainment companies include SM, JYP, YG, Cube, LOEN, Pledis, Woolim, and BigHit. Some companies are focused on trainees who match a certain aesthetic and already know how to sing and dance, while others don’t mind taking someone who needs more training in a particular area.^{[10]
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- Auditioning for every available opportunity can get expensive and be very time-consuming. Start by finding a company that is most likely to accept you and focus your attention on their auditions.
- If you’re under 14 years old, a legal guardian will need to attend the audition with you or sign-off on the audition on your behalf.
2
Become an expert in your skill and be confident when you audition. Most K-pop trainees are great at one of the following skills: singing, dancing, or rapping. Come prepared with one really strong skill and a familiarity with everything else. For example, if you are strongest at dancing, take classes and hone that skill as best as you can, but also don’t neglect working on your singing and rapping, too.^{[11]
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- No matter where you end up, you’ll be taking hours and hours of classes for all of the skills needed to be a K-pop idol. But having a strength when you set out to audition could help you stand out to the producers.
3
Prepare 3 songs for an audition, including at least 1 Korean song. Think about where your talents shine, and then make your song selections based off of that. For example, if you’re great at rapping and dancing, choose 1 song that is in Korean that showcases your rapping and dancing skills, choose another that exhibits another type of dancing, and then choose a song that you absolutely love—the producers will get a chance to see both your skill and your passion.^{[12]
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- Search YouTube for audition videos to check out what other hopeful trainees are doing and what types of songs they’re auditioning with.
4
Get headshots done to hand out or send to producers. You can have these done professionally, or you can try to do them yourself at home. Take shots from the front and profile, and include photos of just your face as well as your entire body.^{[13]
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- Wear minimal makeup for your headshots, since producers will want to see your natural look.
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Wear plain clothes and minimal makeup on your audition day. The judges will want to see what your face and body look like without excessive makeup or distracting clothes. Stick to form-fitting clothes in neutral tones so that your body movements are the center of attention.^{[14]
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- Avoid wearing K-pop fan clothing—producers might assume you’re only at the audition so you can see your favorite idol.
6
Attend a live audition or submit an audition video online. There are tons of live auditions that take place all over the world all throughout the year, so chances are you can find one in your country to attend. If you can’t attend a live audition or if you simply want to increase your odds of being chosen by participating in more auditions, check out each company’s online audition forum at their websites.^{[15]
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- Online auditions are a great option for people hoping to be trainees. Live auditions are great for the experience and opportunity, too, but don’t discount the possibility of getting discovered through an online audition.
7
Be resilient—it can take a while to get accepted as a trainee! A lot of people audition again and again before they finally get chosen to be a trainee. If you get feedback from an audition, make sure to incorporate those corrections in your next audition. For example, if a judge says that you need to work on your vocal strength, start seeing a vocal coach to work on that.^{[16]
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- Don’t worry if you’re older and still not a trainee. Lots of K-pop idols didn’t get started in a company until they were in their late teens. Keep working on your skills, attend auditions, and don’t give up.

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Living the Trainee Lifestyle

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Read your contract carefully before committing to a company. Being a K-pop trainee is a long term commitment. Some companies, depending on your age, may even ask you to sign a 5-6 year-long contract. Read and review the contract’s contents very closely. If you don’t speak Korean, hire a professional lawyer who can review and walk you through the fine print.^{[17]
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- Many entertainment companies make you repay your salary if you break your contract. Some of them also will not make accommodations for emergencies or health issues. Don’t sign anything before you fully understand it.
2
Work to overcome language barriers and make friends with other trainees. Trainees often sign years-long contracts and spend upwards of 18 hours a day with the other trainees. If you don’t speak Korean or are unfamiliar with the culture, it may take a while before you make friends and feel like you fit in. Make an effort to try and communicate clearly with others, especially if there is a language barrier. Be kind to others and help each other while you’re adapting to trainee life.^{[18]
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3
Take good care of your health throughout the rigorous training program. Many trainees work from 5 or 6 am until midnight or later. In addition to training, you may also have schoolwork that has to be done or might need extra practice on your own.^{[19]
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- The company often sets the schedule for their trainees without running it by them first.
- Trainees generally don’t get the recommended amount of sleep every night, and they often don’t eat meals at regular intervals.
4
Be prepared for monthly skill evaluations. Because new trainees are often being brought into the company, everyone is evaluated on a monthly basis to ensure that the recruits are all up to standard. It can be a tense time every month, as the company could choose to let you go if you don’t perform well.^{[20]
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- There are generally 20-30 other students at any company at any given time, so you are usually going to be in competition with your classmates to keep your place at the company.

Community Q&A
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Question

What if I can't write any songs? Will the company write them for me for me to perform? Or should I write them myself?

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Song writing is not a strict requirement of being a K-pop idol or trainee, however it is a skill that you should at least be familiar with since part of your training might be centered on song writing. Familiarize yourself with the concept of song writing and maybe practice writing a couple of your own or perfected other songs you hear. It doesn't have to be perfect, but at least get some experience.
Question

What if I wear glasses? Would poor eyesight be an issue?

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No need to worry! Not all K-pop idols have 20/20 vision, and there are plenty who wear glasses. However, when it comes to performances and official activities, you'll notice that a majority of idols wear contacts instead of glasses. You'll likely be asked to simply wear contact lenses instead of your glasses, but poor eyesight shouldn't be a reason for not being chosen as a trainee.
Question

What happens to trainees who aren't able to debut after training?

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Many trainees who are unable to debut will continue to re-audition for other companies. There are many instances of K-pop idols who debuted at a slightly older age than the norm due to not being cast by companies for a while. There's nothing wrong with re-auditioning, so don't give up if this is something you really want.

Warnings

If you aren’t from South Korea and become a trainee, you may have to move there to participate in the industry, so think carefully about whether or not that is something you want for your life or something that your family can accommodate.

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