How to be a K-pop idol: a day in the life of an aspiring star juggling endless practice with school
- Jeon Sung-won’s dreams of K-pop stardom see him practising up to 50 hours a week in his spare time, a routine both physically and mentally exhausting
- With so many aspiring singers in South Korea, the probability of success is incredibly low. The key, one teacher says, is often in creating their own style
By Dong Sun-hwa. Video by Lee Min-young and Kim Kang-min
Aspiring K-pop singer Jeon Sung-won, 19, is a busy young man. On weekdays, he spends five hours after school taking vocal and piano lessons. On weekends and holidays, his practice begins at 10am and continues until midnight. Jeon has been repeating this routine for more than a year.
It is physically and mentally exhausting. But Jeon cannot ease off, knowing how hard it will be to achieve his dream to be a K-pop star given the number of aspiring singers in South Korea, which is estimated to be more than a million.
“As a hopeful K-pop singer, I know nothing is guaranteed in the future,” Jeon says. “So I am always uneasy. Endless practice is the only way to get rid of anxiety.”
Even on the day of the interview, Jeon danced to K-pop boy band Exo’s latest release Love Shot until he dripped with sweat, and sang the solo song Beautiful Goodbye by Exo member Chen until his voice cracked.